A cardinal and ex Catholic archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, has said that Nigeria’s development will be altered if the northern region is neglected.
Onaiyekan made this remark in Abuja on Tuesday when the League of Northern Democrats (LND) paid him a courtesy visit.
The group (LND), has been in consultations with notable Nigerian leaders, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former defence minister T.Y. Danjuma.
The priest implored members of the LND to engage the political leadership in the north on the need to deliver good governance.
“I think we must face reality that the way the northern Nigeria is today is not what we can be proud of,” he said.
“All the various indices of good governance and standard of living; we have a very poor record. If Nigeria is poor, the epicentre of the poor is the north.
“And when there is a league of northern democrats who are interested in addressing the issues and finding out why is it that things are not moving as they should, I think things will move because a league of elite northern democrats should be able to engage those who call themselves political leaders, especially as some of you have had good experience in government.
“So, you can tell them, listen, and look around you. Are you proud of what you see? Out-of-school children are all over the place, and it is not an excuse to say we are poor because if we continue to cry about being poor, the issue will remain.
“We are in a federal government, and federal resources are being distributed. So, what has happened? Let’s face it, if the north does not move well, Nigeria cannot move well. It’s the same discourse: if Nigeria does move well, Africa cannot move well.”
The former catholic archbishop of Abuja added that it is crucial for the whole Nigeria to be interested in the northern region’s development, noting that there is no room for a section of the country to “lag”.
Leader of LND, Ibrahim Shekarau, said the group is fixated on addressing challenges of poverty, illiteracy, insecurity, mutual distrust, and diminishing political influence in the northern region.
The former governor of Kano added that the group is not created to support any individual or political party.
Shakarau said that the concern of LND members is to make sure that political parties are mobilised and made to serve the electorate.