A former Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has said that unity and reconciliation among northern elders remain the only viable option to revive the region’s ailing economy and achieve security.
In an interview with BBC Hausa aired on Saturday and monitored by LEADERSHIP Sunday in Bauchi, Lamido said northern leaders need to sheathe their swords and place the development and socio-economic wellbeing of the people of the region on top of their priority list.
He lamented that over the years, leaders of northern extraction have failed to restore the glory of a prosperous northern Nigeria which Sir Ahmadu Bello bequeathed to them.
Lamido, who is a member of the main opposition party in the country, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), regretted that primordial affairs caused division among people of the region which is stagnating the region’s growth.
He said, “We must live together as one united people from the North without any difference and squarely face the task of rejuvenating the region.”
Lamido accused President Bola Tinubu of masquerading fiscal provisions captured in the 2025 budget to Nigerians.
He argued that considering revenues generated by federal government agencies, there was no need to borrow money.
“You budgeted N30 trillion and you generated N50 trillion revenue, so you have a surplus of N20 trillion, then why should you borrow?”
The former Jigawa governor added, “The APC government is based on deceit and dishonesty.”