An erstwhile Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onayeikan, has urged northern elites to fix the economic, political, and security crisis bedeviling the region.
Cardinal Onayeikan stressed that fixing the challenges facing northern Nigeria was the solution to solving the nation’s challenges.
He made this call in Abuja when he hosted the League of Northern Democrats, LND, led by the former Kano Governor Senator Ibrahim Shekarau.
While applauding LND for their initiatives of championing a northern renaissance, Onayeikan tasked the League to inquire why there is too much poverty and insecurity in the northern states when compared with the southern states of Nigeria.
“I think we must face the reality that the way northern Nigeria is today is not what we can be proud of. All the various indices of good governance and standard of living we have a very poor record. If Nigeria is poor the epicenter 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 about 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 all over the place and it is not an excuse to say we are poor because if we continue to be poor the issue will remain,” he said.
The Bishop (emeritus) added the country needs many leagues of democrats to improve the quality of governance.
Onayekan also tasked the league to endeavour to task the leadership to know why the economy of the northern states is backward while calling for harmonious religious relationships between Christians and Muslims in the north.
He said that a peaceful religious Cohabitation between Christians and Muslims is another sure way to build a stable and united northern Nigeria.