The outgoing Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Chief Audu Ogbeh, has said politics alone is not a viable industry to get the northern region out of poverty.
Speaking at the National Executive Council (NEC) Committee meeting of the forum in Kaduna on Wednesday, he said the region must get more involved in commerce and industry.
According to Ogbeh, “The north is an agricultural area, if we can add more value before we sell our goods, there is no reason why people will come here, buy hibiscus (zobo) package and export to Mexico and sell for 38 million dollars when we are sitting here doing nothing, there is no reason why they should buy our sesame seeds, our gum Arabic, our yams and our soya beans and export because there is no reason why we cannot export ourselves because politics alone is not a viable industry, we must get it more in commerce and industry.
“I want to also thank a former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida for the role he has played and will continue to play in the projects we embarked upon for youth and women, and we hope that the violence in the states will reduce so that we can begin the projects.
“We will pass on the idea to the new executives and continue to look for ideas so that a few mini industries can spring up in the rural areas where our women and youth can begin to practice industry and industrial government.”
He noted that the exco had some challenges and tried to liaise with executives in different parts of the country to examine the current problems together.
“We were not very successful and I pray and hope that the new executives will have better support because whatever we wish or do, we are not an executive arm of government we have no funds, we have no budget, we are keeping the dreams alive but dreams need resources to mature.”
He thanked the members of the outgoing executives for their commitments and sacrifices and wished the incoming executives well.
“As we leave, we must imbibe the habit of taking office and leaving when the time comes, I do not want us to emulate a certain African leader who became president of his country and decided that nobody must mention an election or resignation. We were not even allowed to suggest that we could one day die as anybody who did that was sentenced to death.
“Let nobody ever dream of staying in office forever, we do not dream of doing so and we go happily thanking you for your support and promising that we shall continue with the members of the association,” he added.
A former Minister of State for Health, who served in the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Architect Gabriel Aduku, was appointed to lead the affairs of the forum for the next three years.
Aduku hails from Kogi state and holds the traditional title of Amana Ogohi 1, Ata Igala of Igala Kingdom.
The current Secretary General of the forum, Murtala Aminu retains his position.
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