A former governor of Sokoto State and member of the Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, on Sunday, raised concern over banditry in the North-West and the North-East, expressing fear that it might precipitate food shortage crisis.
According to him, the new administration of President Bola Tinubu should consider food security as one of its priorities.
Bafarawa also warned that if stringent measures were not taken to curb insecurity, the North would face severe educational backwardness.
The ex-governor said these in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday.
Bafarawa said, “Instead of talking about cabinet, subsidy and the economy, the government should consider food security because with the rate we are going, in the next three months, we are definitely going to have problems in Nigeria, especially in the North-West.
“The bandits have refused to allow farmers to cultivate their crops. This is a very dangerous situation, not only because the bandits are killing people but also the food scarcity is going to be too serious in the next few months, especially in the North-West and the North-East. So, we want the government to wake up and do something about it.
“Also, with the way education is going, in the next 50 years, we are going to be very backward in education because most of the primary schools in the North have been closed because of banditry. There are no primary schools, no secondary schools and this is a serious disaster. So, we cannot sit down and watch; something must be done right before it gets worse.”
Contact: [email protected]
