‘North lagging despite huge potential’

The Chairman of the Forum of Northern Secretaries to State Governments (SSGs), Professor Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, has said that despite sitting on a vast arable land, untapped mineral resources and huge young population, the North is bedevilled by insecurity, poverty and industrial collapse.

He spoke at the launch of the New Nigeria Development Company Limited (NNDC) Code of Ethics and Business Conduct in Kaduna State at the weekend.

He stressed the need to put Northern Nigeria back on the track of progress and development.

Professor Ibrahim, who is the SSG in Gombe State, said the purpose of the code was to commit NNDC and its subsidiaries to the highest standards of decent behaviour and to instill in all stakeholders of the company, legal, lawful, moral and ethical cultural values in their daily conduct to reward good behaviour and sanction misconduct or any noncompliance within the company.

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He described the launch of the code as a right step at repositioning the company, being one of the legacies of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, to economically liberate the North.

He said, “Our region is characterised by security challenges, poverty and industrial collapse. But we are endowed with a vast uncultivated arable land, abundant unfound, unexploited mineral resources and a huge population.

“Today’s event reinforces the urgent need to put the North back on track. Our region lags behind in terms of economic resources, education, and other social indices.”

He pledged the wholesome commitment of all the SSGs of the Northern states to support the board in re-injecting vigor and vitality in the activities of the company.

Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Uba Sani, who was represented by his SSG, Dr Abdulkadir Muazu Meyere, said the launch of the code was a remarkable step in further boosting investment confidence and securing the timeless goodwill NNDC had built over the years.

Also, the Chairman, Board of Directors of NNDC, Malam Tanimu Yakubu, said, “To further drive our successes, we introduced and used the NNDC Code of Ethics and Business Conduct as our guidebook for putting our values into practice.”

The NNDC Group Managing Director, Malam Shehu Mai-Bornu, noted that the development of the new NNDC Code captured the desire to update its business practices and ensure adherence to best practices of corporate governance.