Babangida Aliyu Urges Nigerians To Fight Boko Haram Together

Owing to the incessant bombing in the Northern part of Nigeria, the Chairman Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF), and Niger State governor, Dr Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu, on Monday, added his voice, declaring a collective war against terrorism in the North, if it must survive economically. Aliyu made this call, at the late Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation lecture held in Abuja, expressing grief that the security situation in the North was fast deteriorating as a result of terrorist activities. Aliyu, popularly called ‘the Chief Servant’ said, “North must stand against terrorism because investors are already scared of investing in our region.” His declarations came on the heels of a fresh call for dialogue between the Federal Government and the militant Islamic sect, Boko Haram, by the Joint Special Representative, African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Professor Ibrahim Gambari. Prof. Gambari wondered how Nigeria, which was hitherto peaceful and full of fun loving people, suddenly degenerated into the current state of violence. In his lecture, entitled “Leadership and Good Governance in Nigeria: Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Ghost of 1914 and the Audacity of Hope for Nation-Building,” Professor Gambari asked politician to pay more attention to social justice, calling for equality in wealth distribution to prevent the disparity already existing in the country. In a similar note, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, described the leadership style of the Sardauna of Sokoto, as an embodiment of good governance, asking the Northern leaders to emulate him, in order to restore peace, growth and development in the region. Also at the event was, the Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who said that the political elite in the country needed attitudinal transformation, so as to address the absence of good governance and development.