The Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation says it is partnering with some key northern groups to evolve a security master plan that would reverse the challenges faced by the northern region.
Chairman of the foundation and former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, made the disclosure to newsmen on Wednesday in Kaduna.
Mr Aliyu said the region’s insecurity had become overwhelming but noted that the foundation would do whatever it takes within the law to ensure that the issues were addressed.
“We are now relating with Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Northern Elders Forum, NEF, the Northern Traditional Rulers, and other key stakeholders to bring what is called a master plan to the northern states.’’
The groups, he said, had been very enthusiastic and were involved in the research to develop the master plan that would address the security and economic challenges of the northern region.
According to the chairman, the foundation has been consulting with the Northern Governors Forum, NGF, on what will be the best for the states.
“And help in making sure that the society is not only secured but making sure that it became more developed,’’ he said.
On the position of traditional rulers on security issues, the chairman told NAN that they had not been properly utilised.
“The position of the traditional rulers has not been utilised properly; we need to bring them in tandem with the security apparatus.
“If you look at the Emirates, for example, the Emir is at the top with his council and then the district heads and further down, the village heads and the wards heads.
“A lot of intelligence could be gathered in every given community, the ward heads are there, they can see whatever is happening daily and they rush to their district heads.
“By the end of the day, you will discover that at the emirate everything that is needed to be known will be known,’’ Mr Aliyu said.
He added that traditional rulers were not usually consulted on most of the pressing issues.
“So, what we said is government should try to relate very much to the traditional institutions.
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“More so, like I have said, whosoever is paid from public funds must be made to do his own job,’’ Mr Aliyu said.
He urged the security agencies on paying more attention on security reports and intelligence available to them.
“Even when you assume that it may not happen, but reading the security report is better as it would make you to be proactive,’’ he said.
Mr Aliyu said the foundation had provided youths in the region with complementary scholarship awards of N100, 000 each to about 200 students, with 10 selected from each of the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that no fewer than 580 students studying the core-sciences of Medicine and Engineering among others have benefited from the scholarships since its inception in 2013.
The chairman said that most of the scholarships that were being given were not adequate for the survival of any child in modern schools system.
“So, ours is more of complementary but it is even bigger than many of what the states give.
“And we have to distribute to all the 19 states, including the FCT and that is happening and we call them the Ahmadu Bello Scholars.
“The foundation annually enrolls 100 persons in each of the 19 northern states and the FCT giving a total of 1,900 every year,’’ he said.
He disclosed that talks were underway with state governments and to some extent, the Federal Government about a loan system, where a state government or the federal government could guarantee a loan.
“And then he is given a moratorium of probably three or four years before he starts paying back.
“This is what obtains everywhere so that a child cannot be said to have lost the chance of education because he could not pay.
“Specifically for many of us who are progressive in terms of the women thing, even the scholarship is mostly enjoyed by the women.
“ I don’t know whether deliberately it is so, or it is because we allow the states to do the nominations, but it is usually advertised in the newspapers and at the end, the states do the nominations.
“We discovered that the students are very happy with the nature of the scholarships, and therefore, paying attention to what they are doing in school,’’ Mr Aliyu said.
NAN
