Governor of Borno state, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, yesterday made a nostalgic reflection on the early days of Nigeria, which he said were much better, compared to the present that is characterised by “senseless theft and looting of public treasury.”
Shettima noted that shortly after independence, Nigeria’s founding fathers were known for their selfless service, honesty and integrity.
The governor stated this when he hosted the officials of the Sardauna Foundation, led by Justice Mamman Nasir, at the government house in Maiduguri, the state capital.
Nasir was minister of justice for the defunct Northern Region in the 1960s and was President of the Federal Court of Appeal in subsequent years.
Shettima said the initiative of the foundation to unite northern Nigeria by rekindling the late Sardauna of Sokoto and premier of the defunct Northern Region’s approach to leadership couldn’t have come at a better time.
Shettima said: “On the quality of governance, we owe it a duty to posterity to give the best to our people just like Sardauna and his eminent co-travellers did.
“That is why we have a lot to learn from this Justice Mamman Nasir-led delegation who, like Sardauna, served this country to the best of their abilities at a time when there was no special graft bodies like EFCC watching over you.
“You were leaders when there was no ICPC. You have had all the opportunities to steal, but chose the path of dignity.
“But what about now? Governance is all about stealing as much as you can, just to buy a house in Dubai, buy a house in UK and in America – houses you don’t even stay in for a week in one year! Because of sheer madness, you keep investing in others’ economy, to the detriment of ours. We have to do serious rethink as Nigerians, and northerners especially.”
Earlier, Nasir, who holds the traditional title of Galadiman Katsina, had informed the governor that their mission was to visit all the 19 states of the north, preaching peace and unity across the ethno-religious borders in order to rescue the region from implosion.
He noted that the Sardauna Foundation would be willing to support and assist government in the promotion of dialogue with aggrieved groups who are taking up arms against the nation.
Source: Blueprint
Shettima noted that shortly after independence, Nigeria’s founding fathers were known for their selfless service, honesty and integrity.
The governor stated this when he hosted the officials of the Sardauna Foundation, led by Justice Mamman Nasir, at the government house in Maiduguri, the state capital.
Nasir was minister of justice for the defunct Northern Region in the 1960s and was President of the Federal Court of Appeal in subsequent years.
Shettima said the initiative of the foundation to unite northern Nigeria by rekindling the late Sardauna of Sokoto and premier of the defunct Northern Region’s approach to leadership couldn’t have come at a better time.
Shettima said: “On the quality of governance, we owe it a duty to posterity to give the best to our people just like Sardauna and his eminent co-travellers did.
“That is why we have a lot to learn from this Justice Mamman Nasir-led delegation who, like Sardauna, served this country to the best of their abilities at a time when there was no special graft bodies like EFCC watching over you.
“You were leaders when there was no ICPC. You have had all the opportunities to steal, but chose the path of dignity.
“But what about now? Governance is all about stealing as much as you can, just to buy a house in Dubai, buy a house in UK and in America – houses you don’t even stay in for a week in one year! Because of sheer madness, you keep investing in others’ economy, to the detriment of ours. We have to do serious rethink as Nigerians, and northerners especially.”
Earlier, Nasir, who holds the traditional title of Galadiman Katsina, had informed the governor that their mission was to visit all the 19 states of the north, preaching peace and unity across the ethno-religious borders in order to rescue the region from implosion.
He noted that the Sardauna Foundation would be willing to support and assist government in the promotion of dialogue with aggrieved groups who are taking up arms against the nation.
Source: Blueprint
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