Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has said that Northern Nigeria is lacking in elders who are committed and focused towards providing quality leadership direction in the region.
In a statement on Friday, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Zailani Bappa, quoted Mr Matawalle as saying so while lamenting over the poor leadership quality in the region.
According to him, the region is in need of leadership that is respected to serve as a common guide to all.
“This region is currently in disarray due to lack of purposeful and recognised leaders who can show the way to the majority.
“Gone are the days when the region boasts of a crop of elders who are respected by all and who showed the way.
“Today, the North is a beehive of banditry, destitution and poverty due to lack of cohesion and common purpose, economically, socially and politically,” the governor lamented.
Mr Matawalle noted that his administration is doing the best it could to address these problems.
He, however, stressed that solutions to these problems require a common and holistic approach which could have been easier if the North had elders who are respected by all.
He said: “Every household, every community and every people need strong, respectful and purposeful leader or elders who earned their status so that everyone looks upon them for wisdom and guidance. We no longer have that in the North.”
