Northern Governors, monarchs meeting ‘a disappointment’ — Northern Groups

Coalition of Northern Groups have described the recent meeting of Northern Governors Forum (NGF) and Traditional Leaders as disappointment.

The groups said the meeting was a disappointment because they failed to address issues bothering northern region and northerners, particularly insecurity.

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The CNG’ spokesman Abdul’azeez Suleiman said in a press briefing that the agenda for the meeting was grossly misplaced in the sense that it accorded more relevance to the #EndSARS protest and the social media, which should by far not be the major issue of concern for the North at the moment.

He explained that the CNG and indeed the vast majority of the cultured northerners are disappointed that such a meeting of northern governors and traditional leaders, elected representatives and top federal government officials from the North should find it more important to dwell on #EndSARS and social media and neglecting the more serious issues of security.

He said other issues the meeting failed to talk about include youth restiveness, unemployment, poverty, dwindling fortunes of agriculture and general economic decline in the region.

“We are disappointed that such a meeting should lack the courage to make clear pronouncements on the unprovoked attacks on northerners and their properties at a time when their southern counterparts are proposing claims of trillions of Naira in compensation for their people.

“We are disappointed that the meeting lacked the requisite statesmanship to define the northern position with regards to the falsified reports around the fictitious attacks on Lekki protesters that is causing the nation international worries.

“It is disappointing that the meeting felt to see as priority the need to send a delegation to ascertain the extent of damage and to console the affected northerners in the southern states.

“We are disappointed that the meeting did not have the presence of mind to discuss the necessity of compensating the innocent northerners who were unnecessarily attacked, assaulted, killed, displaced and deprived,” he said.

He further added that presently they have commenced gathering data of the number of northerners killed and their properties destroyed in southern part of the country.

He however said that whereas the expanded meeting is a welcome development in the search for improved northern cohesion, and some issues raised were apt, most are nevertheless misplaced.

He said the CNG has no quarrel with NGF’s observation on the need for stated roles for traditional rulers as well on the need for quick resolution of the overdrawn ASUU misunderstanding with the Federal Government.

They also agree with the NGF that to a large extent, social media platforms have been turned into avenues for dissemination of fake and dangerous information.

The coalition also welcome the decision to sustain periodic engagements with other segments of northern leadership and critical stakeholders.