Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has called for a comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges facing the northern region of Nigeria. His comments come in the wake of the #EndBadGovernance protests that erupted across the country in August.
While the demonstrations initially began peacefully, they escalated in some northern states, leading to widespread looting and destruction. Governor Sule expressed concern over the involvement of young people, particularly Almajiris, many of whom were unaware of the protests’ objectives.
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He believes that the unrest highlights the pressing issues affecting the region and emphasized the need for concerted efforts to resolve them.
The governor said on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today: “During this last protest that we had in Lafia, the majority of those that came out on the streets were the Almajiris – some of them five years old, seven years old, nine years old,”
“A lot of them didn’t even understand the meaning of the protest. When I spoke with them later, they didn’t even know what they were protesting against.”
Governor Sule highlighted education as a critical solution to the region’s high illiteracy rate. He viewed the #EndBadGovernance protests as a wake-up call for regional leaders, urging them to intensify efforts to address the underlying issues affecting the people.
Governor Sule said: “So, we must sit down. At one point in the year 2020, we sat down as the governors and took the decision about the Almajiris. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out well. They went back to square one,”
“Some of the religious leaders criticized it. But from what happened now, I don’t believe anybody will continue to criticize actions that will be taken in order to move forward. Otherwise, it’s a ticking time bomb, it will come and consume every one of us.”
Sule said: “One of the biggest problems we have in the north, from the day I came, is the idea of education and the one we are still pushing on,”
“When people actually don’t have education and don’t have economic empowerment, these people will continue to behave the way these Almajiri actually behaved during this protest. So, education must be taken seriously in the North. We must be honest with one another.”
