Senator Aliyu Wamakko ( APC-Sokoto Central), says the North must be genuinely united, if the region is to move forward.
Wamakko, a former governor of Sokoto State, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Kaduna, on Saturday.
According to the lawmaker, one of the majority takeaways from the event is the collective understanding and unwavering commitment to the indivisibility of the region.
Wamakko added: “The North must now move together in unison as against what was happening hitherto. It has now been understood that the North can only solve its problems and move forward if we are all united.”
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Wamakko further urged that concrete actions must be taken to roundly address the formidable challenges plaguing the North.
He listed them to include insecurity, youths unemployment and ensuring a sustainable prosperity for the region and Nigeria in general.
Wamakko averred, “These are the major issues we will start with and by the special grace of God, we will succeed in tackling them head-on.”
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts also stressed that the National Assembly members, governors, elites and other critical stakeholders’ from the North must come together to address the formidable challenges of the region.
Wamakko further said that finding plausible solutions for these challenges was now easier as the region was now more aware of its challenges, adding, “this in one of the glaring takeaways from this historic event.”
Assessing ACF’s 25 years of existence, he said: “So far, so good. The 25th Anniversary of the ACF is an event worthy of celebration by all those who love the Northern part of Nigeria.
“I must commend the leadership of the ACF for the determination they have shown in making this event a reality.
“ACF is a formidable platform for the Northern region to showcase itself, address it’s challenges and by extension, the entire country.
“The leadership has done very well and from what I have observed from the speeches made in the last two to three days
“This is especially that of Aliko Dangote, yesterday, that of TY Danjuma, that of Yakubu Gowon, the Chairman of the occasion, that of Abdussamad Isyaka-Rabiu and that of the President.
“They should therefore form a working document for the future of ACF.
“The aim is to garner enough wisdom to guide the operations of an ACF of the 21st century.”
According to Wamakko, so much has been made that reflected the challenges facing the Northern region.
He added, “I am confident that if all that is used as a document, we will be squarely addressing most of the challenges currently bedevilling the Northern region politically, economically as well socially, and by extension the entire country.
“I must commend the leadership of the ACF and all those who attended the epochal event from far and near for showing for love to the Northerners from the various Southern parts of Nigeria.
“I must also commend those who came from the Northern parts of Nigeria for the past three days and for showing commitment.
“I believe that the time has come to show real commitment. We need to see this coming from the North and by the Northerners. I wish this will be sustained.” (NAN)
