WHAT SARAKI TOLD NORTHERN SENATORS ABOUT RESTRUCTURING, OTHERS
WHAT
SARAKI TOLD NORTHERN SENATORS ABOUT RESTRUCTURING, OTHERS
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday said the issues of
restructuring can be a “bit fanciful” in the North where insurgency persists.
Saraki said this while addressing Senators at a retreat in
Katsina.
The Senate President called on Northerners to approach
restructuring with an “open mind.”
Narrating his understanding of restructuring, Saraki said it is
”when everyone work towards economic development in every part of the country,
so we can all take pride of place in the Nigerian project, and no region is
seen as a weak link.
“My own restructuring is when we oversee the budget process to
ensure equitable spread of critical infrastructure in every corner of the
country, so that no region is left out of the gains of economic recovery. My
own restructuring is when we create jobs and enhance food production so our
people do not go hungry.
“My own restructuring is when we educate our children so that they
can realise their full potential and partake in the promise of the future. My
own restructuring is when we place a premium on delivering good governance,
fight against corruption, valourise honesty and live to serve the people –
without betraying the trust reposed in us.
“It is perhaps understandable if some in this gathering find the
clamourous debate about restructuring a little irksome. We are, after all,
meeting in a region that is, for want of a better word, beleaguered.
“In this region of ours – hurt and wounded by the cataclysm of
insurgency and other problems – talk of restructuring can seem a bit fanciful.
Nonetheless, we must face all issues with open minds, giving each the attention
it deserves. I am confident that the Northern Senators Forum is up to the
task.”
He admonished lawmakers to play their roles in improving
conditions in the North East.
He said, “As we sit here today, we know that a number of
challenges confront our region, one being the situation in the North-east, on
which a lot still needs to be done. I am hopeful that the new North East
Development Commission will go a long way in alleviating the difficulties being
experienced in the zone.
“We all have a role to play in improving conditions on the ground
in the North-east, so that those affected can move towards rebuilding their
lives and communities – and look to a future beyond insurgency.”
On the issue of education, Saraki lamented the fact that accessing
education in the North was a challenge.
He appealed to Senators to empower northerners to compete in equal
terms with the rest of the country and the world.
“It is with that eye on the future that I call our attention, once
again, to the estimated 12 to 15 million children not currently in the
education system – the highest number of out-of-school kids in the world… It is
a stain on our collective conscience that such a huge demographic is without
education in the 21st century.
“We simply cannot abandon millions of Nigerian children to the
trap of ignorance and poverty. It behoves us, therefore, to come up with
policies that will lead to a significant decrease in the out-of-school
population, and improve on the numbers as we go along. The crisis in education
also manifests itself at tertiary level.
“When it comes to private universities in this country, the
statistics tell the story: the North has the least number. However we look at
it, access to education is a serious challenge in the North. We need to change
the game, to empower our people to compete on equal terms with the rest of the
country, and the world,” he said
On creating a vibrant economy in the north, Saraki said, “We have
to create an enabling environment for economic activities, and mitigate those
factors that discourage investment. It is clear that, as things stand now,
there is little or no incentive for an investor to pursue economic activity in
locations blighted by insecurity.
“We need peace and stability, therefore, for our economic
objectives to have the chance to come to fruition. Beyond the headlines, the
over-arching issues of the North have not gone away… Economic diversification
is not just a buzzword; it is a real-life transition that must be made, if we
are to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people.”