INSECURITY: Nigeria competing with bandits to recruit unemployed youths—Tinubu

….Explains why he chose Kano for colloquium

By Bashir Bello

NATIONAL Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday, disclosed that the country is competing with bandits to recruit unemployed youths.

Tinubu also explained his choice of Kano State as the venue for his 12th colloquium and 69th birthday, saying it was to prove to Nigerians that the Yoruba and Fulani people are united.

The colloquium was themed: Our Common Bond, Our Common Wealth: The Imperative of National Cohesion for Growth And Prosperity’.

His words: “Why are we in Kano for this colloquium? Why? It is because there is a Fulani man, a herder man, who gave out his daughter to the family of a Yoruba man. Dan Fulani, Dan Yoruba. And some people are agitating wrongly and I say if a colleague can encourage and support me to go and spend a couple of days with my brother and in-law in Kano and demonstrate that he has not quarreled with me and has not seceded from Nigeria.

“I don’t need a passport or visa to get to Kano, so maybe others would have peace of conscience and live in peace and harmony. That is what Ganduje and I are representing to show to Nigerians. And that is the purpose of the colloquium.

“The Fulani man and Yoruba man can show the entire nation that perseverance, great understanding is common blood that is flowing in our veins.

“Part of the reasons why herdsmen are moving around is because of extreme climate change. This is not the harmattan period.

“We better spend on our economy and make sure we tune our economic programmes.

“This is the time to put stimulus expenditure in place, this is no more time for austerity. This is not the time to constrain the economy but the time to create the opportunity.

“If you hear the United States of America spending $1.9 trillion and they are not looking back and they are still asking for $3 trillion for infrastructures, for renewal and creating of job and your unemployment rate is at 33 per cent. And you ask us to keep on fasting, we are fasting no more. The one we are fasting spiritually is voluntary. We have been fasting for many years.

“I hope the National Assembly, the President himself, would not pay attention to austerity.

“Sovereignty is that of Nigeria and it is only the Federal Government that has that sovereign power and must use it for the benefit and development of Nigeria.

‘“It is time, we are under police and we are competing with armed robbers and bandits to recruits from…