Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has warned the Nigerian Government about the imminent emergence of another deadly terrorist group because of over 50,000 youths in the North.
The Sultan, who spoke at a security meeting in Kaduna, berated the setting up of Operation Shege-Ka-Fasa, a security outfit by the Coalition of Northern Groups, saying if unchecked can metamorphose into a terror group.
He said, “Governors must see that they do more to address insecurity, just imagine that there are over 50,000 orphans. They will be worse than Boko Haram if allowed to grow without proper care.
“Several recommendations have been made but are not implemented and as they remain unimplemented, we will continue to suffer the consequences.
“We are not short of solutions to the challenges facing the North, what we lack is implementation.
“There was a committee set up by the Northern Governors’ Forum under Talban Minna (ex-Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu), the committee was asked to go round the North and see how they could find solutions to the problems of the region. The committee called me and said they wanted to start with me before they go to other emirs and chiefs, then I told the committee chairman, ‘don’t worry, I will summon all these emirs and chiefs to Kaduna, so that you can hear our submissions in one place’.
“The meeting took place at the State House, Kawo, Kaduna, and I remember saying at the meeting that we caused our problems in the North and if we wanted to solve our problems, we would solve them, nobody needed to come from anywhere to solve our problems for us. At the end, that committee finished its work, submitted its report to the Northern governors, but, what have they done with it?
“As Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, I know we have written position papers on two occasions to the Northern Governors’ Forum and at their meeting in Kaduna, I personally went with Gbongon Jos, Etsu Nupe and two others, we gave them this paper. Babangida Aliyu was the chairman then, they thanked us and said they were going to work with the document, but up till now, this is 2020, I have not heard a word from anybody.”
The Sultan also blamed Northern elites for allowing youths to set up what they called Operation Shege ka FASA.
He added, “The Northern Youths Coalition has just created their own security outfit with just two or three vehicles. I saw it on the television, and the media gave them attention. Now, the elders allowed the youths to go forward.
“So, the (political) elites are our problems, the elders are our problems. If the elders don’t take the lead, the youth will do whatever they like and think they are right. You have to caution these youth by giving them good leadership.”
SOURCE: SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK