General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, a former military president, has stated that the north can only overcome its many difficulties by working together.
IBB made the claim during a visit to his Uphill Mansion in Minna, Niger State, on Thursday by representatives of the Northern Star Youth Empowerment Initiative (NSYEI), which was headed by a former governor of Sokoto State, the chairman of the movement’s board of trustees, co-chairperson Hajia Naja’atu Mohammed, and its director-general, Dr. Abdullahi Idris.
IBB praised NSYEI’s efforts and cautioned the movement to put in more effort to bring the north and eventually the entire nation together.
“Only through unity can the North overcome its numerous challenges which makes the birth of the Northern Star movement at this time both commendable and timely,” he said.
IBB, however, admonished the movement to be undeterred in the pursuit of its lofty ideals.
Speaking earlier, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, a former governor of Sokoto State and chairman of the movement’s board of trustees, traced the movement’s creation history and stated that its purpose was to bring the north together and advance all of the region’s legitimate interests.
Additionally, Hajiya Naja’atu, the co-chairperson, and Dr. Abdullahi, its director-general, emphasized the value of unity among the diverse northern population, arguing that it was the only way the region could pursue its interests as a single, powerful, and consequential unit of the Nigerian federation.
They pledged not to let the former president and the area down and thanked him for his encouragement and support of the initiative.