Nigeria cannot move well if northern region is neglected, says Onaiyekan

John Onaiyekan, a cardinal and former Catholic archbishop of Abuja, says Nigeria’s development will be affected if the northern region is neglected.

The cleric spoke in Abuja on Tuesday when the League of Northern Democrats (LND) paid him a courtesy visit.

The LND has been in consultations with eminent Nigerian leaders, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former defence minister T.Y. Danjuma.

Onaiyekan urged members of the group to engage the political leadership in the north on the need to deliver good governance.

“I think we must face reality that the way the northern Nigeria is today is not what we can be proud of,” he said.

“All the various indices of good governance and standard of living; we have a very poor record. If Nigeria is poor, the epicentre of the poor is the north.

“And when there is a league of northern democrats who are interested in addressing the issues and finding out why is it that things are not moving as they should, I think things will move because a league of elite northern democrats should be able to engage those who call themselves political leaders, especially as some of you have had good experience in government.

“So, you can tell them, listen, and look around you. Are you proud of what you see? Out-of-school children are all over the place, and it is not an excuse to say we are poor because if we continue to cry about being poor, the issue will remain.

“We are in a federal government, and federal resources are being distributed. So, what has happened? Let’s face it, if the north does not move well, Nigeria cannot move well. It’s the same discourse: if Nigeria does move well, Africa cannot move well.”

Onaiyekan said it is important for the entire nation to be interested in the northern region’s development, stressing that there is no room for a section of the country to “lag”.

Ibrahim Shekarau, LND leader and former governor of Kano, said the group is focused on addressing challenges of poverty, illiteracy, insecurity, mutual distrust, and declining political influence in the northern region.

Shekarau noted that the group is not tailored to support any individual or political party.

He added that the concern of LND members is to ensure that political parties are mobilised and made to serve the electorate.