NEF Unveils Investment Summit For North’s Economic Revival

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has declared that the North “cannot stay a sleeping giant,” arsenic it unveiled plans for its concern and industrialisation acme designed to revive the region’s economy, harness its immense resources, and tackle insecurity and unemployment.

Speaking connected Tuesday connected Channels Television’s ‘Morning Brief’, NEF’s spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jiddere, said the North could nary longer disregard its economical challenges oregon beryllium connected others for development.

“The North contributed to Nigeria immensely close from the assemblage era, adjacent politically,” Jiddere said, “But unfortunately, challenges started arising, particularly arsenic a region, the occupation of debased investments, insecurity, and the illness of our industries, peculiarly the textile and manufacturing sectors. This has led to unemployment and wider socio-economic problems. The North cannot proceed similar this; we cannot stay sleeping giants.

“That is wherefore the NEF recovered it indispensable to make this economical and industrialisation acme to make consciousness for our leaders, the 19 authorities governors, and some section and overseas investors to thrust development.”

He stressed that the North remains 1 of Nigeria’s astir resource-endowed regions, with quality superior and earthy resources yet to beryllium harnessed.

“Northern Nigeria is precise blessed to make improvement implicit a abbreviated abstraction of time. We are known worldwide for agriculture and quality resources, yet we person underestimated implicit 160 cardinal able-bodied youth,” helium explained.

“As NEF elders, we person decided to collaborate with our competent governors and the national government. Globally, we person recognised 44 resources that are yet untapped but are disposable successful the North — similar lithium, oil, gas, and golden — to beryllium harnessed truthful that we tin reclaim the glory of the North.”

Also speaking connected the programme, NEF’s Deputy Director-General, Dr Salisu Mohammed, said collaboration wrong the portion and with the South was cardinal to reviving industries and creating caller economical opportunities.

“Collaborations betwixt the North and South person started,” Mohammed said.

“We tin spot what happened betwixt Lagos and Kebbi, however they collaborated for atom production, and the Lake Rice was initiated. There is besides concern betwixt Gombe State and Rivers State, portion the Taraba State politician has progressive investors to kick-start a caller airline. The clip has travel to reactivate our industries.”

The forum maintained that the inaugural would absorption connected reviving agriculture, stimulating investments successful manufacturing, and processing the coagulated minerals assemblage portion tackling insecurity arsenic a large obstacle to growth.