Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), on Thursday in Kaduna, said it would take 20 years for normalcy to return to the violence-ravaged North.
Abubakar was chairman of a session, 'Security, politics and economy of the North', at the on going conference on 'The North and Strategies for Sustainable Development', organised by the Arewa House Centre for Historical Documentation and Research of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
He also lamented that there was no longer unity in the North.
The former leader, who spoke to newsmen shortly after the session, called on the people of the region to come together to assist the government in resolving the security challenges in the country, saying the conference should serve as an avenue for the unification of the region.
He said, “Certainly, if there is unity, we wouldn't be here at this conference. So, since there is no unity, that is why the Arewa House is trying to galvanise it at this conference
“It will take 20 years to revive the North. A lot of socio-economic damages have been done. If you go round the areas, that is when you will appreciate the extent of damages done to the region. We have to work together to revive it.
“All of us should join hands, we cannot leave security to the government alone, every Nigerian is security officer. Let's try to join hands and report what we see, so that the government will be able to take action. We should be government's watch dogs and also watch our communities.”
In his submission, former Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, lamented that the Boko Haram insurgency was eating up the North like cancer. He noted that the region needed a bold initiative to resolve the Boko Haram issue.
He said, “The next two years will test the resilience of the Nigerian State and the capacity of Northerners to bounce back. Right now, the Boko Haram insurgency is eating it up like a cancer, and it will require bold initiatives by Northerners to find a solution, by influencing both the insurgency and the Government.”
