06-11-2019, 09:39 AM
Northern Elite Promoting Poverty, Says Moghalu
![[Image: 9600808_kingsleymoghalu_jpegabcdeffcd3e9...a51286b91a]](https://www.nairaland.com/attachments/9600808_kingsleymoghalu_jpegabcdeffcd3e931236368a2a51286b91a)
The presidential candidate of Young Progressive Party in the 2019 Presidential election , Prof . Kingsley Moghalu , has accused the northern elite and politicians of encouraging poverty among the masses for selfish and political reasons.
According to Moghalu , the selfishness of the northern political class remains the major cause of poverty and under -development in the region.
While speaking as the guest speaker at the Ra ’ ayi Initiative for Human Development annual lecture at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital conference hall , Moghalu wondered why the north , despite being in the saddle of leadership for 42 years , regrettably still remained “ the headquarters of poverty in Nigeria."
Moghalu , who was a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria spoke on the topic : ‘ Northern Nigeria ’ s Prosperity in the 21 st Century: The Imperative of Social and Economic Transformation.'
He argued that the solutions for repositioning the north were based on re - setting the people’ s mindset and worldview , insisting that , “ the problem with the north is the north versus itself.
Moghalu , urged northerners to prioritise human development , adding that , there was a nagging need to fight youth unemployment , drug abuse and upgrade the status of women in the region.
He said the almajiri system of education should be backed with western education , pointing out that there was the need to increase the enrollment of women in schools.
“ The north must be modern and the northern Nigeria will not make progress until Nigeria is constitutionally re - structured , ” he added.
He argued that if Nigeria was restructured along regional line , it would favour the north , just as he expressed confidence that re - structuring would encourage economic development of the regions, which would in turn build stronger and stable Nigeria.
Moghalu said , “ Nigeria cannot develop on feeding bottle federalism . What Nigeria needs at this point remains true federalism that will encourage fiscal independence of the regions. ”
He called on northern elite to put heads together in revitalising Kano ’ s industrial prowess, as well as making huge investment in mechanised and value- chain agriculture . ”
In his remarks , the Chairman on the occasion and former Kano State Commissioner for Finance , Prof . Kabiru Dandago, said , “ We are here for agenda - setting . The known fact is that in northern Nigeria , all we do is to criticise ourselves and finding faults among our leaders . We waste energy in discussing problems of the north without finding solutions to the problems.
“ Our leaders don ’ t take seriously the need to harness our natural resources for the development of the north . Our youths are downgraded to hopeless beings . We have not set the ball rolling on how to develop the north . We have vast population , vast natural resources , we should know what we need , as northerners. ”
In his welcome address , the Chairman of RIHD , Dr . Ibrahim Yakubu , said the organisation was a group of like - minds , who were passionate for human development through interventions in healthcare delivery , educational support, as well as supporting the socio - economic development of Kano State and the north in general .
The presidential candidate of Young Progressive Party in the 2019 Presidential election , Prof . Kingsley Moghalu , has accused the northern elite and politicians of encouraging poverty among the masses for selfish and political reasons.
According to Moghalu , the selfishness of the northern political class remains the major cause of poverty and under -development in the region.
While speaking as the guest speaker at the Ra ’ ayi Initiative for Human Development annual lecture at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital conference hall , Moghalu wondered why the north , despite being in the saddle of leadership for 42 years , regrettably still remained “ the headquarters of poverty in Nigeria."
Moghalu , who was a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria spoke on the topic : ‘ Northern Nigeria ’ s Prosperity in the 21 st Century: The Imperative of Social and Economic Transformation.'
He argued that the solutions for repositioning the north were based on re - setting the people’ s mindset and worldview , insisting that , “ the problem with the north is the north versus itself.
Moghalu , urged northerners to prioritise human development , adding that , there was a nagging need to fight youth unemployment , drug abuse and upgrade the status of women in the region.
He said the almajiri system of education should be backed with western education , pointing out that there was the need to increase the enrollment of women in schools.
“ The north must be modern and the northern Nigeria will not make progress until Nigeria is constitutionally re - structured , ” he added.
He argued that if Nigeria was restructured along regional line , it would favour the north , just as he expressed confidence that re - structuring would encourage economic development of the regions, which would in turn build stronger and stable Nigeria.
Moghalu said , “ Nigeria cannot develop on feeding bottle federalism . What Nigeria needs at this point remains true federalism that will encourage fiscal independence of the regions. ”
He called on northern elite to put heads together in revitalising Kano ’ s industrial prowess, as well as making huge investment in mechanised and value- chain agriculture . ”
In his remarks , the Chairman on the occasion and former Kano State Commissioner for Finance , Prof . Kabiru Dandago, said , “ We are here for agenda - setting . The known fact is that in northern Nigeria , all we do is to criticise ourselves and finding faults among our leaders . We waste energy in discussing problems of the north without finding solutions to the problems.
“ Our leaders don ’ t take seriously the need to harness our natural resources for the development of the north . Our youths are downgraded to hopeless beings . We have not set the ball rolling on how to develop the north . We have vast population , vast natural resources , we should know what we need , as northerners. ”
In his welcome address , the Chairman of RIHD , Dr . Ibrahim Yakubu , said the organisation was a group of like - minds , who were passionate for human development through interventions in healthcare delivery , educational support, as well as supporting the socio - economic development of Kano State and the north in general .