Get Economic Power Or Be Slaves, Prof Gana Tells Middle Belters
BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – Former President of the Middle Belt Forum, Professor Jerry Gana, has challenged people of the Middle Belt region to work hard towards attaining economic empowerment or end up as slaves.
He said the people must work towards economic empowerment by networking and engaging those with economic power to enhance their economic well-being as a people.
Speaking during the formal change of baton that witnessed the swearing in of Dr Bala J. Takaya as the new MBF leader, Gana lamented that the region was currently witnessing series of attacks that are making life difficulties for the people.
The former presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2007 identified the region’s fertile land as part of the causes of fatal conflicts and called for concerted efforts among all stakeholders to address all worrying issues affected the zone and its people,
He said for the region to effectively tackle its poverty syndrome, those with capital must be engaged to provide sound economic power to the people, adding; “The way things are going, if we as a people do not get economic empowerment, we and our children will end up as slaves. God forbids that. So, we must rise and struggle for economic empowerment so that we can get political power.”
According to the former university don; “Our people have fought a good fight. Eight new states were recommended at the National Conference for the Middle Belt in 2014. Only two were approved for the core north. Even after the current administration was sworn in, we got our delegates to insist on the recommendations of the confab. With unity, the outcome of our people at the 2014 confab shows we can go far if we unite around a common purpose.”
“We were too sure that if these recommendations were implemented, cries of marginalization would become a thing of the past. But the struggle is still on and I implore the new executives to continue from where we stopped,” he said.
He urged the region to apply for mining licences so that the people are not left behind, adding that “those of us with vast land can reach out and get investors for businesses.”
The former Information Minister narrated how he started a sugar plantation of over 16,000 hectares for Golden Sugar, but regretted that various crops and fruits that should be grown in Nigeria are still being imported.
Gana said despite Nigeria’s capacity to produce tomatoes, the country still imports over 80 per cent of its tomatoes requirement, noting that; “This is a potential area that requires investment. With our fertile land, we can get investors to invest and empower ourselves economically.”
