Former Senate President and Acting National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Senator David Mark, has said the socio-economic and political challenges confronting the North are self-inflicted.

He made the declaration in his keynote address at the 3rd Plenary Session of the Northern Political Consultative Group held over the weekend in Abuja.

The former Senate President, who identified division and inertia as fuelling the lack of progress in the region, maintained that it must return to the good old days of justice, equity and mutual respect.

He said: ?The North, as we know, is a land of rich history and mineral resources, fertile land for agriculture, diverse cultures, and immense potential. In spite of these blessings, we are confronted with deep-seated challenges of insecurity, poverty, ethnic and religious tensions, political fragmentation, social and economic stagnation. These challenges did not develop overnight, nor will they disappear until we resolve to take deliberate, collective and decisive action.

?We must first admit that we are the architects of our problems. We must stop the blame game if we truly and genuinely want to find a lasting solution.

?Division has cost us progress, while indifference and inaction have continued to deepen our division. If we are to overcome our present travails, we must return to the principles of justice, equity, mutual respect, and shared purpose that once made Northern Nigeria a beacon of hope, peace, unity and development.?

To regain lost ground in the politics of the country, the Acting National Chairman of the ADC cautioned that the North must shelve its divisive politics and inflammable rhetoric and return to the era of the defunct First Republic, when its political leaders were blind to ethnic, sectional and religious affiliations.

?The challenges facing Northern Nigeria are intricately interconnected. Insecurity scares away investors, which in turn deepens poverty. Poverty fuels desperation and crime. Ethnic divisions weaken our collective resolve to demand good governance. Political fragmentation ensures that no meaningful development takes root in our region. This is not the North that we inherited.

?But there is a path that could lead to a better future for Northern Nigeria, and this path begins with our collective decision to abandon division and embrace unity. We must tone down our inflammable statements and return to that golden era when we used to have genuine and deep respect for each other. After all, not long ago, we treated each other, first and foremost, as brothers and sisters; when the appellation ?Northerner? captured our collective essence before our ethnic, sectional and religious affiliations.

?Some of you in the audience may still remember, with nostalgia, the old Northern Region under the leadership of Sir Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto), when the North actually thrived because it was built on equity and justice. The Sardauna did not see Hausa, Fulani, Kanuri, Igala, Tiv, Idoma, Nupe, Okun and others. The only citizens he saw were Northerners. He invested in education, agriculture, and infrastructure, not for one group, but for the collective.

?Today, we must ask ourselves, where did we go wrong? When did we abandon the philosophy of ?One North, One People?? When did tribalism and religious bigotry begin to define our essence and identity??

In attendance at the event held at Ladi Kwali Hall, Abuja Continental Hotel, were former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai; former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN); and former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Maina Waziri.

Others were Senator Dino Melaye, Alhaji Kashim Imam, Salihu Lukman, ADC Interim National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, Senator Nazif Sulieman, amongst others. (Saturday Tribune)

Update news