The Northern Senators’ Forum (NSF) and the 19 northern governors would, on Monday, converge on Katsina State, for a three-day retreat, to deliberate on agitations for restructuring of the country.

Chairman of the forum, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja, that the retreat would also focus on how to improve the security situation in the country.

Adamu, who represents Nasarawa West Senatorial District, said the NSF invited the 19 governors, leading traditional rulers, top politicians and ex-senators from the region to make presentations at the retreat.

He said the gathering would enable senators, as the peoples’ representatives, take a common position on restructuring.

“It is expected that very important stakeholders will be attending. Northern governors will attend in solidarity and very eminent traditional rulers, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, will attend.

“Essentially, we will discuss the impact of the national budget in the North and the issue of restructuring, which is now the main issue in politics; the issue of restructuring that the Senate can develop a position on. It is part of preparing ourselves to face that challenge.

“The issue of security will also be discussed,” Adamu disclosed.

He pointed out that as representatives of the people, it would be expected that with the retreat, they would be better educated, better placed to consider issues related to the subject-matter.

Related News

“We will be better prepared to face the matter and legislate and make laws over them, for the good governance of Nigeria.

“We believe we are there to educate ourselves, to be better informed, to exchange ideas on the subject matter because we make laws, we don’t make laws out of ignorance. We have to be better informed on anything we are talking about,” Senator Adamu, who is also a former two-term governor of Nassarawa  State reiterated.

He explained that meeting in Katsina is not necessarily because of the economic impact it would have on the city and state or how it would energise Nigeria’s politics, “but for some sort of impact  our presence will make. There hasn’t been this retreat over time. We are trying to bring back the culture.

“It makes us have touch with our bases; with people who elected us and feel our pulse; we will relate with them in a better way,” he said.

Last month, amid clamour for restructuring, the Southern Senators’ Forum (SSF) organised a two-day conference tagged “National Unity and Restructuring,” in Calabar, Cross River State.

The keynote address was delivered by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

Led to the retreat by their chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma, the lawmakers said was necessitated by the need to speak clearly on the way forward on restructuring as it relates to national unity.

“As legislators, we are sensitive to the challenges facing our democracy and what we are doing is to see how we can make our own contributions towards finding solutions to such challenges. On this score, we hope that the retreat will rise with a common position on how best to preserve our unity in a restructured Nigeria, where equity and justice is guaranteed to all citizens,”Uzodimma said.