‘Poverty, Unemployment Responsible for Insecurity in Northern Nigeria’

By Onuminya Innocent In Sokoto

The human right activist and   Founder of Salama Youth Empowerment Organisation (SYEO),Hajia NaJaatu Muhammad, has attributed the insecurity bedeviling Northern Nigeria to unemployment and poverty.

She stated this yesterday in Sokoto at a town hall meeting to sensitise youths on federal government entrepreneurship and empowerment programmes.

She noted that youth, which constituted 70  per cent of the population are unemployed, illiterate and ignorance of consequences of social vices.

She likened the youth to Uranium which, she said is dangerous when mix with other substances.

“Our youths are like Uranium , uranium when in its original form is harmless but this same Uranium can be used to produce nuclear bomb , our youth have channelled their energy into banditry because they are idle.

She maintained that the politicians in the region have taken advantage of the idleness , and ignorance of the youths using them as political thugs during election.

She further stated that Salama Empowerment initiative has 272 associations under it stressing that she would push forward to see that what belongs to them come to them.

“You know these politicians , most of them are insincere,  when it comes to empowerment programmes they corner it to themselves , some give peanut to these people that empowerment are meant for,” she said.

She promised to meet the Governor of Central Bank of Nigerian(CBN)Godwin Emefiele to  source funds for empowerment projects urging the youths to form cooperative to enable them benefit.

On his part, the Zonal Commandant of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara, Alhaji Misbahu Idris implored the youths to desist from drug abuse due to its effects.

He counselled them to engage themselves in a productive ventures instead of begging for money.

” You know this part of the country some young people , they are healthy but instead of looking for something doing they decided to be idle how would they not take to crime,” he stated.

He stressed that the command have secured court judgement to destroy confiscated drugs. He noted that with Buba Marwa at the helms of (NDLEA) no hiding place for drug barons.