Former Governor of Jigawa State and PDP Chieftain, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has blamed the persistent insecurity in Northern Nigeria on poor leadership and the collapse of moral upbringing in Nigeria.
Lamido stated this during an interview with Premier Radio Kano on Wednesday, where he said northerners themselves must take responsibility for the worsening security crisis in the region.
According to him, the North must wake up to the urgent need to rebuild discipline and proper upbringing among young people.
He accused political leaders of abandoning their core responsibility of protecting lives and property, saying many leaders are now more concerned about politics than governance.
“Northerners should blame themselves for the insecurity confronting the region, politicians are contributing to the destruction of young people’s lives, and that is worsening the security situation because of how they manipulate and neglect the youth.” Lamido lament.
Speaking further, Lamido insisted that those behind insurgency and banditry were people from within the region itself.
“Where are Boko Haram members and bandits coming from? They are our children from the North, they were not thrown from the sky, they are among us, and today they seem stronger than us because of moral decay, the fault is ours, and we must fix it, starting from the foundation and proper upbringing at home.”
The former minister also backed the establishment of state police, which many believe could help tackle insecurity more effectively, but stressed that adequate training and discipline must come first.
“There is nothing wrong with state police, but they must be properly trained and guided on how to carry out their duties,” he said.
“It is disturbing that a northerner can arrest a fellow northerner and demand ransom. What kind of immortality is that? Meanwhile, leaders are only focused on politics.”
Lamido added that justice and fairness among Northerners remain critical to restoring peace and stability in the region.
By Kabeer Bello