‘Wasteful journey’ — Sule Lamido tackles northern governors over US security summit

Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa state, has criticised some northern governors for traveling to the US for a security summit.

The US Institute of Peace had invited some governors from north-west and north-central zones to a two-day symposium on peace and security in northern Nigeria.

The event took place between April 23 and 25.

Umar Bago, governor of Niger, and Dikko Radda, governor of Katsina, were among the governors present at the event.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Lamido said the governors exposed their ignorance of the country’s constitution.

The former governor said security is solely the responsibility of the federal government because it is on the executive-legislative list.

“Their concern, commendable as it were, ended up exposing their ignorance at understanding the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the very instrument which gave them the legitimacy and the authority to be Governors,” he said.

“If the Governors had traveled to the US to engage on how to boost agriculture or health issues or any other pressing local problems listed on the Concurrent List of our Constitution, this could be quite understandable!

“But to engage on issues which are on the Exclusive Legislative List such as Security says a lot about the substance they are made of.”

Lamido said there are other issues which are related to security that the governors could address.

“Most urban towns in their States lack potable drinking water; refuse dumps have taken over some streets; all these have precipitous Security health hazards,” he said.

“Our children attend primary schools under the trees and where there are built classes, they take their lessons sitting on the floor, yet the Security implications of this can not be discerned by their Excellencies.

“Deliberate and harshly induced poverty by unplanned government policies have made citizens lose their esteem, honor and self worth by lining up scrambling to collect palliative from patronizing and condescending leaders yet the Insecurity of this is of no worry or concern to them.”

The former governor said there are institutions in Nigeria that can provide information to the governors on security.

“Certainly, they could have gotten more than they wanted from our resourceful institutions such as NIPSS in Kuru Jos or ASCON in Badagry or even NIA! These three Institutions have more than enough materials, essays and templates on the problems of Security in Nigeria more than the far fetched American Institute,” Lamido said.

“But I blame the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the NIA for failing to properly guide the Governors for this folly.”