Former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, has berated the spate of insecurity in the country, particularly in the northern region.
Speaking at a dinner held in Kaduna, organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation to honour his 70th birthday, Aliyu, now Chairman of the Board of Trustees, did not mince words as he reached back into history to explain a painful contrast.
The northern region, he said, is heavy with titles today but painfully light on safety.
“The North now has 19 Sardaunas, but lacks the peace and order once associated with the late premier of Northern Nigeria,” he said, referring to the era when the late Ahmadu Bello was alive.
Aliyu said he couldn’t talk about celebration without talking about the lives being lost, families being torn apart, and communities living in fear.
“Today, we have 19 Sardaunas in name, but what are we hearing now?” he asked aloud. “The level of insecurity, particularly in recent times, is troubling.”
“The rising spate of killings, kidnappings, and general insecurity is unacceptable,” he said.
“Anytime you come to construct flyovers or whatever may be infrastructure, your core responsibility is to protect the lives of the people,” the former Governor reminded leaders, current and aspiring, that bridges and roads impress for a moment, but safety holds for generations.
“You can construct anything,” he added softly, “but your core responsibility is to protect people.”
“Protecting lives comes before the steel and the cement. Lives first,” Aliyu repeated. “Then build.”
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