ABUJA – The Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development has urged the Governors of the North West geopolitical zone to accelerate the development of the zone through education, wealth creation and the provision of social amenities that will impact the lives of the people.

The group also cautioned the Governors against organizing peace and security summits for the zone, adding that the state executives were “dissipating energy and resources,” as these were not solutions to the insecurity confronting the zone.

The pro-democracy group explained that “The problems in the zone require political will and pragmatic actions, not empty rhetoric as obtainable in the past 12 years which has not changed the narrative.”

A statement by Sani Shinkafi, Executive Director of Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development, revealed that the zone “has the largest land mass and also 30% of the total population of Nigeria.

“The zone equally has the highest number of registered voters and produced three democratically elected presidents – Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and General Muhammadu Buhari. It also produced three military heads of state-General Murtala Mohammed, General Muhammadu Buhari and General Sani Abacha.

“North West had the highest number of Inspector Generals of Police – MD Yusuf, Ibrahim Commasie, Hafiz Ringim, MD Abubakar and Suleiman Abba. It produced National Security Advisers-Umar Shinkafi, Samaila Gwarzo and General Ali Mohammed Gusau. Chiefs of Army Staff, Chiefs of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshals, Air Marshals and paramilitary officers emerged from the zone.

“The region produced the highest number of Ministers of Defence-General Mohammed Aliyu Gusau, General Bashir Saluhi Magashi, General Mansur Danali, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and Hon. Bello Matawalle, the incumbent Minister of State for Defence. The North West zone equally has the highest number of states and governors.

“From the First Republic, the North West zone has produced prominent citizens who have served in various capacities in the Federal Government.

Yet the region is grossly undeveloped and lags behind in education. The zone has the largest number of out of school children and the highest number of Almajiris, poorly equipped schools, hospitals, bad roads etc.”

It lamented the neglect of the zone by past and present leaders, pointing out that agriculture which is the mainstream of the region is neglected in spite of abundant, fruitful land mass.

“There is no political will to engage in large scale farming. Certainly, there is no commitment from state governors in the region to invest in commercial farming and livestock development.

“The region has abundant solid minerals including gold, copper, rhodium, gemstones, kaolin, berates and lithium. Sadly, there is no political will to develop these mineral resources since the discovery of oil.

“The recent North West summit on security of life and livelihoods was a welcome development if governors would be spurred to implement people-oriented projects, ensuring the security and welfare of the people for rapid development of the zone. It is obvious that the UNDP and other development partners cannot solve the problem of insecurity in the region.

“The remote causes of insecurity in the zone include corruption, poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, poor governance, weak judicial system, weak security apparatus, porous borders, drug abuse, weak traditional institutions, influx of illegal Fulani aliens through land borders and proliferation of small and lighter arms and ammunition by unauthorized persons.

“It is amazing that governors in the region have been receiving monthly statutory allocations from the Federal Government since the inception of democratic governance in 1999, yet the region is underdeveloped. The resources are carelessly misappropriated, misapplied and siphoned for personal enrichment.

“Illiteracy is one of the major causes of armed banditry and related crimes. Most of the bandits are uneducated both in western and Islamic education.

“Leaders in the zone failed to invest in education, in building primary and secondary schools, adult education and Almajiri schools. They left the children to roam about the streets begging, sadly many of them were recruited into armed banditry, terrorism and other social crimes.

“The existing schools are not renovated and equipped, let alone building new schools. School teachers are not motivated and are underpaid.

“Many governors stopped paying NECO and WAEC fees and scholarships to local and international students. It is evident that the lack of political will by governors to develop the education sector in the region gave birth to the high rate of illiteracy in the zone.

“The governors refused to invest in agro-allied industry that would have created jobs for millions of youth. There would be agriculture extension workers who would educate farmers in modern farming techniques, processing and marketing of agricultural produce.

“If governors are committed to food production by providing tractors, harvesters, sprayers, insecticides, pesticides and farmers credit schemes, the region will feed the nation and export some agricultural produce.

“Due to widespread armed banditry, cattle rustling, herders – farmers clashes, kidnapping for ransom, displacement of innocent people from their ancestral homes, millions of small and large scale farmers deserted their farmlands which exacerbated the food crisis in the region in particular and the nation in general.

“The Bureau of Statistics recently released data that showed the North West geopolitical zone has the highest number of poverty rates in Nigeria.

“Activities of bandits have brought economic stagnation in the region as people could no longer go about their legitimate business for fear of being kidnapped or killed by bandits. Many who were kidnapped sold their farmlands and houses to pay for ransom demanded by their captors.

“This further impoverished the people. Governors lack the political will to tackle the problem, instead they divert funds for development to use to buy votes during elections and bribe electoral officers to hang on to power.

“It is obvious that corruption is the root cause of bad governance, unemployment and banditry. Governors in the region receive monthly statutory allocations from the Federal Government, allot billions of naira as security votes and will not provide funds to conventional security agencies to crush terrorism in the region.

“Security personnel in the zone are understaffed, poorly equipped and unappreciated. Sadly, most of the governors politicize insecurity and use it as a conduit pipe to siphon funds for personal enrichment.

“Unpatriotic security agents aid and abet armed banditry. Some traditional rulers, state legislators, local government sole administrators, states’ vigilantes leaders and security agents have bailed arrested bandits and scuttled their arraignment in court.

“Some high profile cases are not judiciously handled by States Attorney General and judges. High Court, Magistrate Court and Sharia Court judges are not well paid.

“The poor condition of service of these judicial officers affect their performance particularly the frequent release of terrorism suspects in questionable manner.

“Porous borders contributed much to the spate of banditry in the North West zone. Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and Jigawa States share borders with Niger Republic while Kebbi State shares borders with Benin Republic and Niger Republic.

“The unscrupulous attitude of some Customs, Immigration and other security agencies who connive with bandits to smuggle hard drugs, arms and ammunition through land borders aided banditry in the region.

“The influx of illegal Fulani aliens is another cause of insecurity in the North West. These alien Fulanis smuggle in arms and ammunition, encroach into farmlands by open grazing, destroy crops resulting in frequent herders-farmers clashes. Unfortunately, most traditional rulers do not check the influx of these Fulani aliens in their communities to identify if they are criminals until it is too late.

“Climate change and poor infrastructure contribute to underdevelopment of the region. Shortage of rainfall resulting in poor harvest, drought, ecological disaster including flooding are some of the challenges in the zone.

“Sadly, funds provided by the Federal Government for ecological disaster management are diverted or mismanaged by most Governors in the region.

“In the fight against armed bandits, kidnapping for ransom and cattle rustling, various state governments have to apply two approaches in tackling them – kinetic and non kinetic approach.

“In kinetic approach the military should be deployed to restore peace and security in the region. More military operatives should be deployed, well equipped and motivated, community policing should be adopted by equipping state-owned security outfits established by the Act of the State Houses of Assembly with clearly defined duties to support conventional security agencies in the fight against insecurity.

“State governors in the zone should proffer home-grown solutions involving traditional rulers, religious leaders, leaders of Fulani association and leaders of farmers association to engage in peace dialogue with bandits who are willing to lay down their arms unconditionally and be reintegrated into the society.

“Social amenities should be provided in most of the Fulani settlements including ranches, grazing reserves, cattle routes, farm settlement, veterinary clinics, portable water, access roads, schools and cattle breeding loans.

“Governors in the region should be proactive and create jobs for the youth to reduce unemployment and poverty. Zamfara, Kaduna and Funtua textile industries should be revived along with other small and medium industries. Agriculture and solid minerals in the region should be developed to create jobs.

“There should be a death penalty for armed banditry and related offences duly passed by State Houses of Assembly in the region. The judicial system should be overhauled for expeditious prosecution of suspects.

“Governors should constitute peace and security trust funds to support security operations in various states including Niger State in North Central which shares borders with Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina and Kaduna States. The security trust funds should be used to purchase patrol vehicles, pay security allowances, fuel and maintain vehicles, procure communication gadgets etc.

“There should be a total overhaul of security agents and operations in the borders. Modern security equipment should be provided including scanners, CCTV, surveillance drones, communication gadgets, operational vehicles and quarters in the border areas.

With these proactive measures peace and security will be restored in the North West geopolitical zone. It is time for action. Citizens are weary of empty rhetoric by leaders in the region.