{"id":67553,"date":"2019-07-07T05:31:38","date_gmt":"2019-07-07T04:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=67553"},"modified":"2019-07-07T05:31:38","modified_gmt":"2019-07-07T04:31:38","slug":"northern-nigeria-now-center-of-drug-abuse-gender-violence-banditry-kidnapping-and-terrorism-elrufai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/northern-nigeria-now-center-of-drug-abuse-gender-violence-banditry-kidnapping-and-terrorism-elrufai\/","title":{"rendered":"Northern Nigeria Now center of drug abuse, gender violence, banditry,\u00a0 kidnapping and terrorism-Elrufai"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, on Saturday described the<\/div>\n
\n
Northern part of Nigeria as backward, uneducated and unhealthy.<\/p>\n

El-Rufai said during the Northern Youth Summit organized by Northern
\nHibiscus Initiative in Kaduna, that the region has made Nigeria a
\ncountry of nations.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking at the statistics, Nigeria appears to be a middle income
\ncountry, but if we segregate those statistics across states and zones,
\nyou will see that in terms human development indicators, Nigeria consist
\nof two countries; there is a backward, less educated and unhealthy
\nNorthern Nigeria and a developing, largely educated and healthy southern
\nNigeria.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe theme of this summit, \u2018Awakening the Arewa Spirit\u2019 is very timely.
\nWhen we talk about awakening the spirit, it means the spirit is either
\nsleeping or dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to speak the truth to ourselves and ask why is it that,
\nnorthern Nigeria has development indicators similar to Afghanistan, a
\ncountry still at war.<\/p>\n

\u201cNigeria has the largest number of poor people in the world, most of
\nthem in northern Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\u201cNigeria also has the largest number of out of school children,
\nvirtually all of them in Northern Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\u201dNorthern Nigeria has become the center of drug abuse, gender violence,
\nbanditry, kidnapping and terrorism.
\n\u201cWe have also been associated with high divorce rate and breakdown of
\nfamilies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the challenges that confront us. This is the naked truth that
\nwe have to tell ourselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must therefore as leaders at all levels have conversation about the
\nway forward for our part of the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause increasingly, as many of you must have seen on social media, we
\nare being considered as the parasite of the federal economy, even
\nthough, that is not entirely true.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is because Northern Nigeria still feeds the nation. The richest
\nbusiness man in Nigeria is still Aliko Dangote not someone from Southern
\nNigeria, thank God for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He however noted that in spite of the negative statistics, northerners
\nare generally considered to be more honest and less corrupt than other
\nNigerians.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is something we should be proud of.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition, our demographic superiority gives us a very powerful tool
\nto negotiate in politics and that is something we should be proud of and
\nwe should preserve. So, we have every reason to unite and not be
\ndivided.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we still have a lot to be proud of. We should be proud of our
\nculture and tradition, as well as unity.
\n\u201cYou hardly can find someone from Northern Nigeria convicted of 419 or
\nbeing a Yahoo boy. That is something we should be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

El-Rufa\u2019i said youth account for 80 per cent of the northern population
\nas such the future of the region lies in their hands, \u201cnot in the hands
\nof Dinosaurs like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to him, people of his age ought not to be in leadership if the
\nyouth will unite to assume their rightful place.
\n\u201cIn my view, we are here to prepare the next generation of leaders. That
\nis why the agenda for this summit is very important.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you should take the panel discussions very seriously and come up
\nwith very clear and implementable decisions that you will circulate to
\nall of us elected to lead in Northern Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that the outcome of the summit should be forwarded to the
\nChairman of Northern States Governors Forum.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to do something about the situation of Northern Nigeria and we
\nmust do so as a group of 19 Governors, not individual state Governors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am however persuaded that, this gathering and its panel discussions
\nwill find solutions to the problems.\u201d the governor said.<\/p>\n

El-Rufa\u2019i appealed to the organizers to make it an annual event,
\nassuring that the Kaduna State Government will be happy to partly
\nsponsor it.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, on Saturday described the Northern part of Nigeria as backward, uneducated and unhealthy. 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