The tragedy of the North today is that the only thriving industry left is politics —Arewa Consultative Forum

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Sunday, paid a courtesy visit to the Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, over the attack by the Boko Haram insurgent that resulted to the killing of 43 farmers in the state, the

The visit was led by the ACF Chiarman, Audu Ogbe, alongside the Chairman Board of Trustees, Shehu Malami and other members of the forum.

Speaking at the meeting, Ogbe said the Northern states need to strengthen up on it’s economic empowerment in other to resolve the heightened level of insecurity, adding that the North has made politics the only thriving industry.

He said: “We are depressed, very depressed. And anyone of us, of our age who was not depressed he was not well born. Because we have nothing to leave behind for our children, and violence will not sustain us. The tragedy of the North today is that, the only industry left is politics, and politics alone has never grown any society.

Read also: Attack on Gov Zulum’s convoy ‘alarming’ – Arewa Consultative Forum

“We have to re-grow Borno State, we have to re-grow the north, we have to re-grow Nigeria. We have no industries, agriculture has declined and our own children have turned to violence as a means of livelihood. Your Excellency, in ACF we have decided that we will not talk too much politics, we decided to focus on something else, we are going to start a program of developing small scale agro-industries across the north.”

The ACF however, said it is incorporating a company which will be the holding company to manage the industry, adding that small industries would be built and rented out to the youths to establish mills and begin to practice industrial growth.

Zulum thanked them for the visit and said he was willing to partner with the ACF in developmental projects with a view to ending poverty, one of the root causes of Boko Haram.

By Emmanuella Ibe…

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