Presidential hopeful and globally recognised businessman, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has called on the North\u2019s political and social elite to take responsibility for the region\u2019s escalating insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also commended the appointment of General Christopher Musa as the new Minister of Defence, describing it as a vital opportunity that must deliver real and measurable results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement issued yesterday, Olawepo-Hashim said he followed Musa\u2019s Senate screening closely and was impressed by the nominee\u2019s honesty, clarity of thought and dedication to national service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI watched General Musa\u2019s Senate screening. He came across as someone genuinely committed to Nigeria\u2019s progress. I hope he gets full executive support to succeed in this crucial role,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, he cautioned that Nigerians\u2014and international security analysts\u2014are losing patience with repeated political assurances. He stressed that citizens now demand swift, decisive action to end killings, kidnappings and the growing territorial ambitions of extremist groups in the North.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is not a season for symbolism; it is a season for action. Nigerians want immediate steps, not publicity stunts. This appointment must translate into policies, programmes and tangible results,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Olawepo-Hashim urged both the executive and the National Assembly to speed up legislation permitting state and local policing, insisting that enduring security reform is impossible without strong, community-based structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that northern leaders must acknowledge decades of governance failures that have pushed thousands of young people into extremist recruitment networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe mass recruitment of extremists is not accidental. It stems from deep poverty created by years of poor governance at the state and local levels. While the wider Sahel crisis has contributed, bad governance at home has made the situation worse,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reflecting on the First Republic, he contrasted the era\u2019s disciplined, service-driven leadership with what he described as the extravagant, disconnected lifestyle of many contemporary northern leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the era of Sir Ahmadu Bello, Aminu Kano, Joseph Tarka and Sir Kashim Ibrahim, the North was safer, more united, and governed with honesty and discipline. Today, too many leaders live like oil sheikhs amid widespread poverty,\u201d he lamented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Olawepo-Hashim concluded with a call for leadership renewal across the North.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is time for the North to replace leaders who enrich themselves while the people remain poor, and who continue to hold onto power through ethnic and religious manipulation,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Presidential hopeful and globally recognised businessman, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has called on the North\u2019s political and social elite to take responsibility for the region\u2019s escalating insecurity. He also commended the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pages"],"yoast_head":"\n