Nigeria Hardship, Problem Looming -Sultan

By Stephen Asaba-ase

The Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, said Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder as a result of the economic and security menace facing the country.

Abubakar stated this while speaking at the 6th Executive Committee Meeting of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council in Kaduna on Wednesday.

The monarch expressed its concern, saying millions of youths had been left without jobs and food.

Similarly, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Bayero, had agitated about the millions of people under ravaging hunger and starvation in the country.

The Sultan said the economic hardship in Nigeria had reached it climax were citizens ought to agitate their disappointment and anger.

“To make matters worse, we are faced with the increasing level of poverty and socioeconomic contradiction. Most of our people lack normal sources of income.

“However, I believe talking about poverty and the rising level of insecurity are two issues that we cannot fold our arms and think everything is normal. I have said it so many times and at forums that things are not normal in Nigeria and of course, things are not okay in the North,” he said.

He said if the governors want to have peace and stability in their states, they also must work with the traditional institutions.

“We must find jobs for our teaming youths and I have admonished so many times, we are sitting on a keg of gunpowder; millions of them without jobs, without food. We are looking for trouble,” he added.

“I believe at the end of this gathering, we should have very good suggestions to our political leaders, to our security chiefs, that when such are implemented, we will have a better North, and at the same time have a better Nigeria,” he affirmed.

According to him, to make far-reaching impact, the council invited the leadership of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) and Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) to be part of the meeting and profer a lasting solutions to end the menace bedeviling the North.

The Mornach, urged them to come up with solutions to the problems of education, health, insecurity, and poverty facing the North.

“We’ve gotten to that leve were people are very agitated, people are hungry, they are sad and angry. But they still believe some people can talk to them; they believe in some of their governors, traditional rulers, and religious leaders.

He also said that, we are faced with this onerous task of reaching out to the people, calm them down and assure them things would be okay and do something good because prayer without work would be fruitless.