Northern Nigeria united by poverty, destination — Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has lamented that Northerners are only united by poverty, destitution and backwardness, calling on the region to embrace each other and fight the menace.

Mr Shettima made the lamentation in Masaka, Nasarawa State, on Thursday, while commissioning the 5-km Masaka-Luvu road in Karu Local Government of the State.

The vice-president also emphasised the need for all citizens to learn to live together in peace to enhance national security, progress and development.

According to him, “there can never be any meaningful development without peace.

“I visited Jos, Plateau State, on Wednesday to commiserate and sympathise with the people of Bokkos and Barikin Ladi Local Governments over the sad tragedy that befell us on Christmas-eve.

“As Martin Luther King rightly said, ‘we either learn to live together as brothers or we perish together as fools. It is inconsiderable for any community to be an island unto itself.

“We have to learn to embrace each other, to tolerate one another and for us in Northern Nigeria, we are all united by our heritage of poverty and destitution.

“I see no reason why we should be fighting each other instead of collectively fighting poverty, destitution and backwardness in our states.”

Mr Shettima, who was the Special Guest of honour at the event, used the opportunity to commend Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa for maintaining peace in his domain.

He called on Nigerians to resist acts that could lead to anarchy.

“I want to commend the Governor fundamentally for maintaining that delicate peace balance.

“There are agents of destruction, purveyors of death, who are trying to inflame passion in most of the volatile parts of the North but we should resist the temptation to plunge us into a state of anarchy.

“It is easy to cause chaos but very difficult to bring back peace. Your Excellency, continue your good works of maintaining peace,” he said.

Mr Shettima said that the Nigerian government, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, was committed to the provision of infrastructure across the country.

“President Tinubu has instructed me to convey to the good people of Nasarawa State that his government is poised to address the infrastructural deficit of our society.”

He revealed that in 2024, the school feeding programme would be introduced across the length and breadth of Nigeria.

“It is absolutely essential because the gray matter infrastructure of a growing child is very important in realizing his or her full potentials.

“So this is vitally important and the President has a lot of empathy for those on the lower strata of the society.

“The President is interested in redefining the meaning and concept of modern leadership.

“It is for us in Nasarawa to maintain peace and amity, embrace one another for development to reach us.”

Earlier, Mr Sule thanked the Vice-President for personally accepting to commission the road, which he said has a lot of history attached to it.

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