Northern senators want compulsory primary education

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua Katsina

Senators from the northern region of the country have called for the
amendment of Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution to make primary
education compulsory and promote girl- child education.

The call was contained in a communiqué signed by the Chairman of
Northern Senator Forum, Senator Abdullahi Adamu at the end of the
forum’s retreat in Katsina.

The senators further decried the alarming statistics of out of school
children and the number of learning institutions in the northern
region which they argued was why the region was both educationally and
economically backward.

They similarly urged leadership from the region to demonstrate
political will to serve as growth drivers by strengthening governance
and formulating plans that can develop the critical value chain
activities in which the region has comparative advantage.

However, the forum called for the revival of agricultural, industrial
and manufacturing sectors so that according to them the teeming youths
from the region could be actively engaged and empowered in order to
keep them away from crimes.

They equally urged the states in the region to as a matter of urgency
start planning for post-oil era by improving their internally
generated revenue and revamping the comatose industries in the region
so as to provide employment to their people.

The senators also expressed concern over the resurgence of violent
attacks in the north-east with almost daily reports of suicide
bombings and other forms of attacks leading to lose of lives and
property.

They commended the efforts of security forces in tackling insurgency,
describing the establishment of the North East Development Commission
(NEDC) as a welcome development that will fast track the
reconstruction and rehabilitation of north east devastated by the Boko
Haram insurgency.

The forum observed with dismay that the issue if re-structuring was a
terminology being used by political elites from other regions to
intimidate the north and paint it as a weakling, parasitic and
unproductive region bringing nothing to the dining table.

They, however, stressed that the north as a region was not afraid of any
sensible and meaningful engagement provided according to them it
guarantees justice, equity, fairness and unity of all Nigerians.