Europe envies our population in Northern region — Usman Bugaje
By Idibia Gabriel, Kaduna
Northern Nigeria is more important as one of the fastest growing population in the world, Mr. Usman Bugaje has said.
Mr. Bugaje made the assertion in a key note address at the official launching of Arewa Movement for Good Governance (AM2G) and Presentation of AM2G Chapter and the Book “Principal of Leadership Snippets from Islam and Christianity” in Kaduna on Thursday.
He said Europe is envious of the north because of its growing population with 60 percent under 35:years.
“More importantly, we have one of the fastest growing population in the world. At least 60% of this population is under 35 years, which
makes us the envy of Europe, whose population has been on decline for some time now. In short, the North is so blessed that we have no reason to remain in poverty and underdevelopment”, he stated.
Earlier, Bugaje noted that “in the last sixty years or so, the North has seen a lot but apparentlyearnt very little. The North represents 78% of the land mass of this country, the last town in the south of Kogi State is on the same latitude with Abeokuta.
“And only about 40% of this land is under cultivation, its productivity can easily be raised ten times with basic agricultural technology. We have a variety of climatic conditions that allows us to grow a variety of agricultural products.
“The North is already the bread basket of the country, a litre of milk is easily more expensive than a litre of crude oil. On top of this, the North has all the minerals that the world is looking for. At the last count we have 33 such minerals foremost among them iron ore, gold diamond, chromite nickle, uranium, copper, gem stone (Sapphire), etc.
“In addition to all these we have been discovering an increasing deposits of hydrocarbons (the much talked about crude oil we have abundance of sunlight and wind which today are the enviable sources of alternative, better still renewable energy”, he said.
According to Bugaje, Our founding fathers saw the potentials and understood what to do. They were able to manage these resources so well that the North provided the critical funding for the economic foundation of the federation.
“They were also able to manage our diversities so well that we lived so much as ‘our brothers keepers’ that the rest of the country saw the North as one solid block. This gave us a
demographic edge in a democracy which made the North to call the shots in determining the country’s political direction.
“Indeed there was a time when the Sardauna was not happy with a mosque project, so he took the funds away from the Muslims and gave it to Christians, who dutifully built the mosque. That was how close our founding fathers were.
“That amicability, respect and sincerity was what gave North its strength and its focus and what enabled it to hold the country together in times of crises. They had a respect for hierarchy irrespective of religious or ethnic affiliations and they kept such high standards for hard work, dedication to duty and honesty that allowed them to lift the region from its poverty to prosperity.
“Both the traditional and religious institutions worked in sync to support the administration in a unique show of cooperation and coordination”, he stated.
He however lamented that the north is now embroiled in internecine conflicts and busy
undermining each other.
“Yet, here we are today embroiled in internecine conflicts and busy undermining each other. In the last 40 years or so, the North has been
registering numerous internal crises, particularly ethnic and religious squabbles and conflicts.
“Rather predictably, the North has been sliding into poverty, its industries kept shutting down, with low productivity, increasing joblessness, deepening the poverty and rising youth irritability and rebellion until we found ourselves on this hot bed of religious and ethnic hostility and now this debilitating insecurity that has tuned the whole region desolate.
“It is further worsened by the fact that our pristine values of selflessness, hard work, honesty, probity and courage are daily being eroded and our specify has been literally decomposing.
“Here we are today daily, losing our respect and dignity, unable to travel freely, unable farm, earn a living, under a constant fear of being kidnapped, and we and our political leaders have not been able to find solution”, he lamented.
Dignitaries from both religious faith were present at the occasion held at Arewa house Kaduna.
