THE Nasarawa Governor Abdullahi Sule wants the north to address its challenges, saying most of the protesters during the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations in the state were Almajiris who knew nothing about the rallies.
The #EndBadGovernance demonstrations which started on August 1 across cities in the country – to press home for a better economy – were largely peaceful initially. But the protests assumed worrying dimensions after looting and destruction in some northern states led to the imposition of curfews.
Governor Sule who is worried that some of the people who protested were young persons said most of them did not know why the processions were taking place.
“During this last protest that we had in Lafia, the majority of those that came out on the streets were the Almajiris – some of them five years old, seven years old, nine years old,” the governor said on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“A lot of them didn’t even understand the meaning of the protest. When I spoke with them later, they didn’t even know what they were protesting against.”
One of the ways to address the level of illiteracy in the north, according to the governor, is to educate the people. He said the protests are an eye-opener for leaders in the region, tasking them to double up their efforts in fixing issues affecting them.
“So, we must sit down. At one point in the year 2020, we sat down as the governors and took the decision about the Almajiris. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out well. They went back to square one,” Governor Sule said.
“Some of the religious leaders criticized it. But from what happened now, I don’t believe anybody will continue to criticize actions that will be taken in order to move forward. Otherwise, it’s a ticking time bomb, it will come and consume every one of us.”
“One of the biggest problems we have in the north, from the day I came, is the idea of education and the one we are still pushing on,” Sule said.
“When people actually don’t have education and don’t have economic empowerment, these people will continue to behave the way these Almajiri actually behaved during this protest. So, education must be taken seriously in the North. We must be honest with one another.”
