Who is a Boko Haram looking person? Well some persons the Federal Government should dialogue with, according to Mallam Adamu Ciroma, a one-time CBN Governor and former minister of Finance from Yobe.
The Northern elder said peace and economic prosperity were out of reach in the North Eastern region unless governors of the States that make up the region begin to dialogue with the “traditional rulers”, “learned people”, “Boko Haram looking people” and other “important groups”.
He made the remarks at the ongoing North-East Economic Summit holding in Gombe State.
“Security has collapsed and you cannot farm, trade, you cannot do anything without security,” said Mr. Ciroma.
He added: “All of you here are already well-to-do people, because God has enabled you to go to school to become what you have become. But the fact is that without peace, no production is possible, no economic improvement is possible.”
The septuagenarian also disclosed emotionally to the forum that the once informed the governor of his home state, Ahaji Ibrahim Gaidam to call a meeting of the important stakeholders in order to waddle out of the security mess in the State. Ciroma said he was shunned as Gaidam never responded.
His words: “At the beginning of this year, I sent a friend to talk to the governor of my state, and I advised him and I am repeating before all of you, Your Excellencies. I advised him that he should call a meeting of all the traditional institutions in the area. With the learned people and with the Boko Haram-looking people, everyone who matters, each governor should call them for a meeting in the North-East. And [you have to] point out that the situation has worsened and they need peace, if they need peace and want to see things [done] properly. If they want to see improvement in agriculture, then all of them must agree to cooperate to re-establish peace in the area. The traditional rulers, the malams, everybody, Boko Haram-looking people, all of them should cooperate and establish peace so that security and peace will begin. Up to now, I have not heard from him. So you governors here, you have not heard from me, because if my governor didn’t hear me, why should I think you will hear me?”