A Former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, Friday, said after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure as president of Nigeria, the South should be supported to produce his successor.
This came as Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Gambari, tasked Nigerians on unity, saying there was hope for a better future under the president.
Shettima, who said he believed in equity, fairness, and justice, insisted that it was the turn of the South to produce the next president of the country.
He spoke at a public presentation of a book, titled: “Standing For The Truth With Courage,” written by Prof. Emeritus Njidda Mamadu Gadzama, the chairman, TETfund Research and Development Standing Committee.
Shettima, who represents Borno Central Senatorial District in the Senate, said: “I believe in equity, justice, and fairness. After power has resided in the North for eight years, there is need for a power shift in the South.”
The former governor alleged that some Nigerians use religion and ethnicity to brainwash others to achieve their goals, saying the problem of the country is not religion and ethnicity as being claimed in some quarters.
The politician flayed the secessionist agitations going on in some parts of the country, saying what the country needed was unity among its various diverse groups.
According to him, those canvassing for division on the basis of marginalisation were doing so with intentions to marginalize minority groups that fall within their territories if they succeed, asking people not to fall to their antics by throwing support to them.
“The book which is prescribed as a wonderful resource material on the culture and language of the Margi people; is a story of Gadzama’s life.
The book covers details of special events in his life as they are permanently recorded which include, flying to America for education without a scholarship; four years of a black African student in Kansas midwest/southern part of the USA in the 1960s, amongst others.
Guest of Honour at the occasion and Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, while speaking, called for unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigerians.
According to him, the best way to guarantee the unity of Nigeria was for all the people to come together.
He hailed Gadzama for using his experience in his book, saying it illustrated the importance of standing for truth in his book.
Hear him: “We are going through difficult times in our country-economic, security but let us recognise that the whole world is going through the same fate, Nigeria is part of the world. But the leadership under which we operate shows we shall indeed overcome all these. If we keep united, keep building, we cannot be ignored by any other country in the world. I am convinced that under the leadership of President Buhari there is going to be a better future. He belongs to all Nigerians.
On his part, Gadzama noted that his experience at the 13 Working Groups of the TETfund research Committee has deepened his faith in Nigeria that we can make it.
“Beautiful! Nigeria is a beautiful country that nothing should divide us into ethnic lines. The intelligent people of Nigeria have great potential to together develop this country.”
The chief presenter of the book, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, commended Gadzama’s strides towards ensuring that research and development were taken to greater heights in the country.
