Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima has implored broadcast media organisations in the country to prioritise national unity in addressing the critical challenges facing northern Nigeria.
He made the call Wednesday when the Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum paid him a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The vice president identified poverty, insecurity and inclusivity as the major concerns demanding attention.
“These are more germane issues,” he said while highlighting issues bordering on drug abuse and maternal mortality.
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Painting a picture of a region facing multifaceted challenges, Shettima said, “The nation is gradually being bifurcated into a prosperous south and a north that is in the news for the wrong reasons,” he warned. “We need to unite as a people and address our common challenges.”
The vice president, in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting the president’s appreciation of the North and his history of sacrifice for the nation’s good.
He urged fairness and a deeper understanding of Tinubu’s contributions to the region, citing the Pulako initiative, a programme designed to address most of the challenges in the region as an example.
Quoting Martin Luther King Jr, VP Shettima said, “The North must either learn to live together as brothers, or we are going to die together as fools.”
On his part, Chairman of the Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum, Abdullahi Umar Yelwa, stressed the need for collaboration between government and citizens to engender participatory democracy.
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