The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) on Saturday decried that many people in the North cannot afford a single square meal per day as a result of the lingering insecurity and socio-economic hardship plaguing the region.
The groups disclosed this in a one-day community engagement held in Katsina state.
The theme of this engagement is: “Imperative of Popular Participation in Tackling Socio Economic Challenges Bedeviling Nigeria Through Community Solutions.”
The National Coordinator of the Coalition Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi told reporters that insecurity in the Northern Region is walking with its two legs hence the need to find a lasting solution to the problem.
According to Charanchi, the time of lamentation is over as virtually all Nigerians know that the country is in a serious problem.
His words: “People can no longer afford three square meals. We are not even talking about the three-square meals, people cannot afford a single square meal per day.
“Insecurity is walking with its two legs in the North. So, these are the reasons we have seen, and we have come to realise that, the leaders are not even ready to address the problems and to some extent, not only the leaders but even ourselves we have a contribution to do so that at least we can get ourselves out of this quagmire.”
Charanchi while talking about corruption in the country believed that all the problems facing Nigeria ranging from corruption, insecurity, economic hardship, and dilapidation in the infrastructure in the education sector, and health sector among others show there is a crisis of leadership.
“In as much as we can get it right, we can get the right leaders, we can get the leaders that have the country at their heart, we can get the leaders that have human feelings, we can get the leaders that act like messengers of God, we can get the leaders that will treat this country as they are going to treat their family definitely, we will get it right.
“It’s very unfortunate we don’t have leaders in this country. All we have in this country are politicians and the problem with politicians. They always care about how to secure the next election. But a true leader cares about how to secure the next generation.
“It’s a waste of time to call on leaders to change because I doubt much if our leaders have the fear of God. I doubt much if our leaders believe there is something we call hereafter, I doubt much if our leaders have something we call humanity, and I doubt much if our leaders believe that service to humanity is a service to God.
“We have self-centred leaders that believe in enriching themselves and looting the treasury.
“So, the only solution is to let the community come together to believe that we are the government not somebody as the government, and let’s get it right from our constituency,” Charanchi added.