Against the myriad of sociopolitical and economic predicaments that bedevilled the Northern region, former Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, and a human rights advocate, Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammed have established a non governmental organisation, Northern Star Youth Empowerment Initiative (NSYE).
Addressing a press conference at Arewa House, Kaduna the Co-Chairman of NSYE, Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammed said that the vision seeks to ignite a transformative era for Northern Nigeria.
She said the group gathered to not just announce the launching of an organisation, but to also declare NSYE as a rallying call to every young person in Northern region.
Mohammed maintained that the movement is not a political movement and would at no point be used for political purposes.
She asserted that the current realities in region extends beyond politicisation of security, social, and economic challenges for whatever purpose, hence their role as the elders of the North is give the young people a navigational pathway towards their progress and development of the region as a whole.
She said: “Leadership in any sane society plays a critical role in the education, mentoring, empowerment and engagement of the younger generation to ensure their effervescent energy and intelligence are channeled towards positive habits and results.
“This is a universal norm and we in North cannot be an exception Our region is today going through difficulties. We are at a crossroad faced with profound challenges”.
Mohammed further said that the challenges require bold and innovative solutions that will require significant contribution and collaboration between our leaders and our youth, she emphasized.
She then spelt out their objectives which are clear to galvanize and harness the mental and physical strength of every single individual across the Northern region for the purpose of achieving a common objective, which is the social and economic development of Northern Nigeria.
Mohammed added that, on the face of it all, Northern Nigeria is fast expanding population structure with a preponderant youths base is potentially an economic asset. It said that the region presents a leverage and an opportunity for the Northern leadership to put in place a reliable framework for harnessing this abundant potential for growth and sustainable.
The NSYE co-chairperson further said that it is an opportunity for the most populous black nation in the world to become a global economic and political powerhouse, but sadly, 64 years after political independence, Nigeria seems to have been squandering countless opportunities for greatness, leadership being the most other for all our visible failures.
In his remarks, Bafarawa said that it is disheartening that the Northern region, which is the stabilising factor of corporate Nigeria, is at its lowest web in term of all socio economic indices since the fall of the first Republic.
He said it is an offence by the elites political, business, traditional, intellectual and security to sit by and fold their arms while the region goes down the drain in socioeconomic and political levels, hence their initiatives to galvanized the youths to take a lead in returning the region to it’s past glory.
Bafarawa said that the initiative understood the task is enormous and tedious bit they will do whatever is humanly possible to see the revival of youths in bringing the region to what is right and best for the whole nation.
He lamented the lackadaisical attitude of many Northern elites whom their attitudes over the years have shown indifference and accumulation of ill-gotten wealth on the detriment of their own people and the region.
The former governor then charged the youths to take the initiative with vigour, and all seriousness so that, a torch ignited would light their path for Northern greatness irrespective of religious, ethnic or any personal sentiments.
