By; Mohammed Kawu, Bauchi
The Chairman, Board of Trustees of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has said that all matters relating to former leaders of Nigeria is the responsibility of the federal government.
Dr. Mu’azu Aliyu who is the Chief Servant of Niger state and it’s former governor said, “I know if not that the FG has not been doing its job, all our former leaders is the responsibility of the federal government to take care of that”.
Speaking at the 11th Annual Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial lecture just ended in Bauchi, said “A former governor asked me sometimes, why did you do Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, and you did not talk about Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Foundation”.
According to the foundation chairman reply, “I told him no, I was then chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was a Prime Minister of the old federation”.
Dr. Aliyu said however, “But I was happy that I visited the tomb of the late prime minister and I saw the improvement that has been done to the place, at least anybody who comes there can learn many things including humility in service, and including governance without thinking of here, but thinking more of the hereafter”.
He disclosed that the foundation has chosen this year’s scheme of the lecture as “Resonate Deplete With The Pressing Issues Facing Northern Region” particularly in fight of recent economic policies, such as the Tax Reform Bills currently before the National Assembly and the challenges”
Mu’azu puts it thus, “Leaders must communicate properly with their subjects, every policy initiative, and every policy change, the leaders and their colleagues must communicate to the people”.
“Communication is very important, no matter how you want improve the lives of the people, if they don’t understand it, they will see it as a challenge and they’ll fight you back. It is true that we needed tax reform, but there was no consultations as it should have been”, he maintained.
The trustees chairman commended Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed with the role he played as chairman of PDP Governors Forum, having some of his approaches to the situation, led to changes in the tax reform bills
He added, “So, we chose a very important personality, an economist that will do justice to our topic which is ‘Nature’s Bounty: Turning Northern Nigeria’s Untapped Resources Into Sustainable Prosperity’, expressing confidence that the topic’s profound insight will eliminate pass ways towards sustainable development.
The chairman named the Guest Speaker at the occasion, Dr. Mansur Mukhtar, former Executive Director of the World Bank, and Current Chairman, Bank of Industry (BOI), saying “It is our responsibility to innovate ways of making people work better, work more and really produce more, your development will be in tandem with your work ethics”.
“When we have unleashed insecurity in our people, we have unleashed poverty in our people, we have unleashed instability in our communities, those are the first things to tackle. Once you tackle them, you will find that people the more they were happy, the more they are secure, they would produce more than you need, and you are therefore able to export, in Nigeria we must begin to export food items, not to import them”.
Aliyu therefore urged the Northern Governors Forum led by Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe state, regional development organizations, major stakeholders and business community to initiate a development plan that will encompass all the Northern states to serve as a roadmap and reduce the imaging differences cropping up within the region.
“So, we need a development plan that everybody will feel we are all one without any difference, and the perception issue of marginalization would be done away with.
He expressed confidence that with the development plan in place, and the reform introduced at the Northern Nigeria Development Company (NNDC) by the Northern Governors Forum TV, what need to be done is to infuse funds into the company to become the development of the North
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