National President of Arewa Youth Forum, AYF, Gambo Gujungu, has asked the 19 Northern governors not to depend on the Federal Government for the development of their respective region.
AYF also urged the Federal Government to replicate the amnesty programme for the Niger Delta militants for Boko Haram terrorists in the north.
Gujungu spoke when the forum paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in Abuja, yesterday.
Gujungu also called for the creation of the Northern Youth Empowerment Programme, NYEP, to address unemployment of youth in the region, as according to him, the current insecurity problem in the north had crippled the region’s economy.
He said there was urgent need for various state governments to pay more attention to job creation and development as the problem at hand was more of theirs than the Federal Government.
He said: “We are calling on our elders, particularly the northern governors, to address the issue of unemployment by reviving the agricultural sector, as well as other moribund industries. We urge our governors to forget about the Federal Government and concentrate on their mandate because this is the problem of the north, not the Federal Government.
Gujungu said their visit to the Ministry of Finance was “part of the efforts to create awareness for the establishment of NYEP for the northern youths.
“We are Nigerians, like the Niger Delta people who have their amnesty programme and a lot of people are being empowered there. There is nothing wrong if such programme is extended to the north.”
Responding, Dr Okonjo-Iweala noted the need for an in-depth discussion on the issue of development of the north, particularly as it pertains to youth empowerment and development.
She said: “We have not been able to tackle the issue the way we want, but for the first time, we are having practical results. To be able to address a problem, you have to know the size of the problem.”
By Caleb Ayansina & Bridget Alu
