Rather than blame President Goodluck Jonathan who is barely two years in office, and the allocation of 13 per cent derivatives to oil producing states, for the higher poverty level in the North, youths in Northern Nigeria under the auspices of the Arewa Youths Forum (AYF) said the blame should be heaped on past northern leaders.

Specifically, AYF said Nigeria's longest Military ruler, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and other past leaders from the region should be held responsible for the poorer state of the economies of States in the North.

Consequently, the youths have called on leaders of Northern extraction including heads of state and governors to apologise to the North as a matter of morality and sincerity, as their disgraceful plunder of the Nigeria economy through various ways, including Gulf War Oil Windfall were not used to empower the growing army of Nigerian youths particularly from the northern region.

The Youths who vowed to thwart every political interest/move of IBB and other identified unpatriotic northern leaders in the future declared that most of their past leaders hated the Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, hence they refused to adhere to his teaching, preaching and style of leadership, while he was alive.

“We got to the mess we are in due to their insensitivity, and approach to governance, which was contrary to the principles of our leader Sir Ahmadu Bello,” they said in a statement issued on Sunday following an emergency meeting in Kaduna attended by Northern Muslim and Christian youths.

Regretting the “avoidable quagmire” in which the North has found itself, the Youths said, “we are at the bottom of every index ranging from health, education, social amenities, and several other sectors. Worst of our woes is the insecurity ravaging the North.”

The AYF blamed for their woes “all Northern leaders who held several positions, including Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, and others, whom they said had “golden opportunities” during their times to turn the fortunes of the region around but failed to do so because of their greed and quest to acquire public funds they don't need.

A statement by the group said “this high level poverty should be blamed on the leaders and they must know and accept much of the blame,”, dismissing as a “ruse” the continued search by those former leaders for what went wrong. “Our indigent peoples are not in any way responsible for our predicament but the elites, who on several times Allah has willed leadership.”

“Northerners and the world needs explanation as to what led the North to the poor state it is today. It was not magic but man-made as a result of deliberate manipulation of religion, self enrichment and pervasive corruption our leaders adopted to the detriment of the lager peoples of the North. It must be further explained to tell undiluted history, that had our elites continue in the way and direction erected by our leader Sir Ahmadu Bello, it would have been a different ball game, but sadly, our region is now being mocked and laughed upon, we are being denigrated and termed as "parasites" and those "benefiting" from where they have not sown.”

According to the angry youths, what the North and Nigeria in general need now is “practicable good governance on the basis of unity, justice, equity, oneness and togetherness.”

Link:

http://www.frontiersnews.com/new/index.php/news/34-contents/477-leadership-ibb-is-huge-failure-arewa-youths

Quite amazing,what do they want we nigerians to do about dis issue now? Thought they said norhteners are born to rule & saints,abeg mk una sort una self out.