Osinbajo Lambasts Northern Leaders Says They Responsible For The Backwardness Of The Region

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says the

present crop of northern leaders is

responsible for the backwardness of the

region, saying they have abandoned

diligence and selfless service and resorted

to personal aggrandizement, Vanguard

reports.

Osinbajo made the remark at the opening

ceremony of Northern Reawakening

Forum (NRF) Summit, held under the

theme “Building a Safe, Secure and

Economically Inclusive Northern Nigeria”

and held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja,

on Saturday.

He regretted that the elite had jettisoned

the foundation set by the founding

fathers, leading to the challenges

confronting the country.

“Our history reminds us of the visionary

leaders in Nigeria, who fired our

imagination through their vision,

diligence and selfless service, who did

not live or fight to enrich themselves;

they did not leave vast personal estates

behind, but their names and legacies live

in the hearts of the people”, the VP said.

“ Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto,

Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Mallam

Aminu Kano, J. S. Tarka and countless

others clearly understood the varied

issues afflicting the region, thought

through them, laid the plans and worked

selflessly to realize them”.

He explained that in the 19 northern

states of Nigeria, the human development

indices “are by far poorer than the rest of

the country”.

Osinbajo said the Northern Nigerian

Economic Summit of 2012 was the first

forum to draw attention to some of the

depressing statistics about the condition

of the North.