By Our Correspondent in Minna
Two former heads of state: Retired Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar,have declared support for the formation of the North-Central Peoples’ Forum (NCPF).
The two generals made their intention known in Minna when Federal Territory (FCT), Minister,retired Lt.-Gen Jeremiah Useni visited paid them courtesy visit with members of the Board of Trustee of the forum.
The two former leaders, in their separate comments, argued that with the unfolding events in Nigeria today, forming the NCPF to serve as a strong voice for the zone was long overdue.
Babangida, who was the first to receive the NCPF Trustee members, said he had often wondered as to why North-Central long before now never deemed it fit to come up with a common front to chart a cause for itself, especially with the level of general underdevelopment therein.
He noted that though the north-central had been part of the north, but had not measured up with some other northern states politically, notwithstanding that the region commanded more votes, yet suffered abandonment after elections.
He said it was often surprise to him that with the number of votes from north-central states, which is almost more than both the south-west and the south-south regions put together, yet the region had not benefited politically, compared to the amount of sacrifices made.
“I have always wondered when I hear groups from North-West, North-East, South-South and South-West and I kept wondering where we in the North-Central belonge,especially as God has blessed us with the quality and calibre of people and I thought perhaps, we were not playing our roles well.
“I have had a good look at the contribution of the zone, politically in terms of votes, and I found out that your region has more votes than both the Southwest and the south-south and yet, the south-south makes more noise than other zones,”he said.
According to him, the time for such forum is apt and timely when the north-central region needed a voice that would work toward bringing about overall development for the governments and people of the region.
“I want to commend you for forming this forum and I assure you that we will be with you and support you always. I know that you will be the envy of other zones, because you have what it takes to be recognized as a strong and potent zone in this country”.
Receiving Useni and his group,Abubakar,said that the NCPF was long overdue, adding that the coming of its board would bring about political recognition of the zone as a force to be reckoned with in the scheme of things in Nigeria.
He said “The forming of NCPF as a strong voice for the propagation of political and socio-economic emancipation of the zone will go a long way to reducing the differences between ethnic nationalities by way of building bridges of understanding amongst the tribes and the entire country in general.
“I congratulate you for conceiving and forming the NCPF and we are expecting that the forum will have remarkable performances as the brains behind it have all achieved great strides in their various previous offices”.
“Certainly, you have our support in delivering the purposes for this NCPF. It will go a long way to minimize disharmony between different ethnic nationalities and between the amalgamations of all the tribes we have in this region,” he said.
The former Nigerian Military leader, however, challenged the forum to work assiduously in making sure that all the abandoned sectors in the North-Central,most especially social amenities like road network, come top in its agitations.
Abubakar, who listed some of the roads that had become death traps to include; Minna-Suleja, Yelwa-Jos, Lokoja-Kabba, Kabba-Offa said, “these are the lifelines connecting us to the southern part of the country but unfortunately, through omission or commission, have been abandoned.
“I want to urge you to put your searchlight on developmental issues,”he said.
Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees Chairman of NCPF,Useni,told journalists, at the end of his meeting with with the two leaders that the forum was being encouraged with their support and blessing.
“What the two leaders have said will further galvanize our reports and next move. They have shown that they believe in us and what we are doing, and they have also told us that what we have done or what we are doing is long overdue,”he added.
The Reporters correspondent reports that the BoT chairman was accompanied on the visit by the Secretary of the NCPF Board of Trustee, Alhaji Khalid Bolaji, Chief Micheal Onoja, Alhaji Safianu Barje and Mr. Michael Onoja.
