WARY of the security challenge in
the country, former Defence Minister, General Theophilous Danjuma,
Saturday described the north as being in the middle of a civil war declared by
the Boko Haram religious sect.
Danjuma spoke at the launch of
the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria’s N50bn Phase 11 Development
project, where former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida, and the Sultan
of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar, also decried poverty and
insecurity in the country, which, according to them, is being instigated lack
of access to education.
Others, who graced the occasion,
where General Danjuma was honoured with a Doctorate degree award, included
the Vice President, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, Kaduna State Governor, Mukhtar Ramalan
Yero, Prof Jerry Gana, Niger State Governor, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu and former
Senate President, Ken Nnamani.
Danjuma, irked by the inability
of government to end the insurgency of the Boko Haram sect, stated that “given
the challenges now facing the nation, this ceremony affords us an appropriate
opportunity for reflection”, pointing out that “this is no time to doubt or to
question what others have done or failed to do”.
Babangida, in his address as
Chairman of the occasion, argued that “the security, peace and progress we
aspire for ourselves and our families are not attainable if the majority of the
citizenry remain locked in the traps of ignorance and poverty.”
“The choice before us, according
to him, is very stark; opt for peace,progress and happiness by contributing to
the proper education of the younger generation of Nigerians; or invite anarchy
that would end up consuming us all. We must therefore not insist that our
governments at various levels wake up to the challenges in the education sector,
but we must also, as individuals, find ways of making our contributions to this
great task”.
Source: Guardian
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