In an effort to confront the challenges confronting northern Nigeria especially insecurity, some eminent sons and daughters of the region, have founded Abuja Roundtable, an independent, non-partisan, Non-Governmental Organisation, (NGO), to address the ever-evolving challenges facing the region.
Disclosing this yesterday, at the initiative’s maiden in Abuja, a former presidential candidate, Bashir Tofa, lamented that the state of insecurity across Nigeria is worrisome, adding that in Northern Nigeria, it has reached existential proportions, threatening to render the region hostile to civilised existence.
Tofa, who spoke on behalf of the Initiative, further asserted that if the state of insecurity in the region was to be brought under control, more and better collaboration among the States across the region and between the States and federal authorities is required.
He explained that they founded the Abuja Roundtable and set for themselves the objectives of fostering genuine unity among the people of Northern Nigeria; to use unity as the platform to collectively address the challenges of insecurity and underdevelopment in the region, and to move from unity within Northern Nigeria to unity among Nigerians”.
The stakeholders hinted that the Abuja Roundtable will take an active interest in the resolution of the security crisis facing the region, as they will initiate new and support existing private citizen initiatives to complement the efforts of the three-tiers of government.
In attendance were: Former Secretary Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed; Former Governor of Kaduna State, Ramalan Yero; former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; former governor of Kwara State, AbdulFatah Ahmed; former Information Minister, Labaran Maku; former Interior Minister, AbdulRahaman Dambazau.
Others are former FCT Minister, Aliyu Modibbo; former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega; Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Martin Agwai (rtd); Senator Abdul Ningi; Hajiya Naja’atu Tijjani; Member Police Service Commission; former Minister of State Aviation, Dr. Idi Hong, among others.
