By Abdallah el-Kurebe
The vice president-elect, Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday, met with the North East Leaders of Thought (NELT), assuring that the Bola Tinubu administration will leave no stone unturned in meeting the aspiration of Nigerians.
He also expressed worry over the projection that by 2050, Nigeria would be the third most populous country on earth, with attendant challenges that “70 percent of the citizens would live in the North, with desertification, deforestation, endemic poverty, and pervasive illiteracy.”
Shettima received the group led by retired Maj. Gen. I.B.M. Haruna, when they paid him a congratulatory visit at his Asokoro office, over the Presidential, and National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections victories.
Receiving the group, Shettima thanked the delegation for the visit, and expressed how success is a humbling experience, adding that to him, power remained an ephemeral gift to humanity.
He stated that the NELT remained a platform for value addition, especially as the Northeast as a whole is poorer than Niger Republic, Chad, or even Afghanistan based on indices.
“By 2050, Nigeria would be the third most populous country on earth, with numerous challenges. The most frightening aspect of the statistics is that by 2050, 70 percent of Nigerians will live in the North, with desertification, deforestation, endemic poverty, and pervasive illiteracy
“It is a recipe for disaster unless we wear our thinking caps as leaders, unless we coalesce as a single force and come out with robust platforms to transform the anticipated demographic dividends, it will be demographic disaster that will consume all of us.
“This is why I want to appeal to you, let us work as a team, let us work as a family, I want to even get the similar Northwest groups to form a think tank sort of for the betterment of the region as I and my boss are committed to meeting the expectations of Nigerians,” Shettima assured.
In his remarks, the leader of the delegation, Gen. Ibrahim Bala Malgwi Haruna (rtd), OFR, congratulated Sen. Shettima, and thanked him for agreeing to meet with them despite his tight schedules.
“We wish to appreciate His Excellency for creating time and for giving us audience for this congratulatory visit. We wish to also congratulate you and the President – Elect for winning an election that is termed the most complex and difficult since Nigeria’s journey to democracy,” he said.
He also expressed hope on the success of the Tinubu/Shetima administration while presenting some of the Group’s identified challenges of the zone;
“We have high hopes that your administration will despense Justice, Fairness, and provide good governance. We the people of the North East expect that your administration will address the challenges of the zone which you are fully aware of.
“However it is pertinent to mention a few which include the Mambilla Dam Project and other dams in the zone, the Chad Basin Restoration, in all its ramification, intensification of the exploration and development of oil and gas within the North East zone, and the restoration and reactivation of the tourism activities and potentials of the North East, to mention a few, General IBM stated.
The delegation which cut across the Northeast included James Bala Ngilari, Senator Abubakar Girei, Dr. Bawa Garba, Amb. Fatima Ballah, Muazu Hassan Raji, Chief David Garnvwa, and Ahmed Iya.
Others were Aliko Mohammed, Adamu Gamawa, Prof. Andrew Haruna, Kuburat Umar, Yayale Ahmed, Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa, M.A. Abubakar SAN, Amb. Baba Ahmed Jidda, Arc. Ibrahim Bunu, Dr. Shettima Aji Ali (Secretary of the Delegation), Prof. Dilly Dogo, Ammuna Lawan, Bala Mandara, Ahmed Kuru and Barr. Bashir Maidugu.
Also were Sen. Umar U. Dukku, Aishatu Dukku, Murtala Aliyu, Dr. Modibbo Aliyu, David Kente, Prof. Ummu Ahmed Jalingo, Senator Bala Adamu, Prof. Yoroms Joses, Engr. Abubukar Gambo Umar, and Amb. Goni Modu Bura, Dr. Almajiri Gaidam, Dr. Garba Abari and Prof. Maimuna Waziri.
