Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State cautioned that the 19 northern states in Nigeria face a critical situation due to the region’s rapidly growing population.
He mentioned that the Northern Governors’ Forum will soon address this concern. Governor Mutfwang shared these insights during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
He highlighted worries about the insufficient infrastructure to support the youth population in the region, which could lead to increased instances of banditry and terrorism.
Additionally, he suggested that external forces were behind the disruption of the recent #EndBadGovernance protests in the state.
He further stated, “We don’t have an option. At this point, we must take the bull by the horn. I am pretty sure that a lot of the northern elite do not have their children on the streets; they send their children to elite schools locally and internationally.
“If that is the situation, it is not so much about how many children you give birth to, but that we must be able to put measures in place that if you give birth to children, you must take responsibility for those children. It must be a carrot-and-stick strategy that we’ll put in place.
“I don’t want to say this is the maximum number of children you must have. That is a dialogue that is beyond me but I can assure you that from the Forum of Northern Governors, we are going to initiate this dialogue. We are going to make sure we broaden it to a national consultation.
“We must know that religion has a responsibility to society and we must ensure that religion does not become a setback to society. We must then be able to bring religious leaders in tandem with global realities.”
