BY TINA AKANNAM
Dutse—Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido has lamented what he described as lack of unity in the north as unhealthy and urged leaders in the area to shun discrimination by working for the development of the zone.

Lamido spoke while addressing speakers of the 19 Northern States Houses of Assembly who paid him a visit.

Governor Lamido said: “The current crop of leaders in the North assumed offices at a period when the country was facing crisis of insecurity; lack of respect for the leaders as a result of distrust between the leaders and the led and advised northern leaders to desist from discrimination among the people so that peace, tranquility and development can reign.

“We came into power at a period when the Nigerian state is facing the crisis of insecurity in all the geo-political zones.

“This was the reason why the people have lost confidence in their leaders. But it is a challenge the north must come together and correct”, he added, pointing out that the gulf between the leaders and their followers had widened the distrust in the polity.

He then charged northern leaders to emulate the leadership style of late Sarduana of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello by promoting unity in the north, lamenting that the present division in the north was unhealthy for the progress of the zone.

He said: ’’Our founding fathers like Late Sardauna, Sir Ahmadu Bello struggled to unite the north as one people without division”

‘’During their era, leaders in the north spoke with one voice without promoting their religious or ethnic differences but such unity no longer exists in the north.

‘’A tree cannot make a forest; if the entire north is united and speaks with one voice, I have the strong feelings that there will more development in the north even the problem of lack of trust from the governed can be addressed with one united northern voice’, he further added.

Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Northern Speakers Forum and Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Alhaji Ali Modu Gwani, thanked that Governor Lamido for accepting to host the speakers for a second time within two years, adding that the forum appreciated the government’s gesture.

Hon. Gwani informed that governor that the main agenda for their meeting was how best to achieve unity in the north, as unity of the north still remained a problem that needed serious attention from all stakeholders.

His words, “Even though we focused on unity during our last meeting here in Jigawa, we feel the need to emphasis on it because without unity in the north, we cannot achieve much as a people, specially now that we are facing serious insecurity”.

He then called for special prayers by both Christians and Muslims for peace in Borno state, as according to him, ‘’no state has witnessed the level of restiveness the people of Borno had witnessed within the past months in this country following the activities of Boko Haram in the state.