Northern Group Urges FG to Reverse Seven Years Embargo on Varsity Licensing

•Calls for scraping of AMCON, says it’s monster, liability

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The Growth and Development of Northern Nigeria Limited, GDNN, has urged the federal government to reverse its seven-year embargo on the establishment and licensing of new universities, saying that such is unnecessary and will deny serious investors to opportunity to contribute their quota to the sector.
In the same vein, the group has also called for the scrapping of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, stating it is a drainpipe and conduit for corruption and escalating cost of doing business in Nigeria.
Also, the group says it is now very clear that allowing only foreign NGOs to be the key players in the menace of out-of-school children in the northern region has proven to be risky and must be removed completely from it.
Speaking yesterday at its quarterly press conference in Abuja, the Acting Secretary in charge of Public Policy Advocacy, Haruna Buhari, stated that on the average, statistical records available to the GDNN reveal that AMCON levies imposed on banks annually ranges between N80.00B to N50.00B per each senior financial institution in the industry, describing it as absolutely nothing but wasteful expenditures.
It said for this reason and more, AMCON should have been winded up several years before now, but has been left to grow into a “monster and liability to the industry” and for the benefit of a collective few.
He said, “The GDNN further calls, once again, for the scrapping of AMCON, an institution that is not only a liability to the financial sector of the economy but a major “Drainpipe and Conduit” for corruption and escalating cost of doing business in Nigeria.
“Statistical records available to the GDNN reveal that AMCON levies imposed on banks annually ranges between N80.00bn to N50.00bn per each senior financial institution in the industry, on the average, and using it to support absolutely nothing but wasteful expenditures.
“AMCON should have been winded up several years before now but connivance with our various Assemblies led to several extensions of the life of this “Monster & Liability to the Industry” to their collective benefits and to the collective disadvantage and peril to the financial sector. We call on Mr. President to close this entity immediately.”
On the moratorium on universities, Buhari revealed that already, the Kaduna State Government under the leadership of Sen. Uba Sani has provided a 60-hectare land for the establishment of the proposed Queen Amina University.
He stated that the GDNN believes that licensing such institutions that fail to meet the set standards given by the government should be the ones to be pursued out and not gating the good ones in.
“The GDNN deliberated on the Federal Executive Council conclusion on suspension of licensing of new universities for the next 7 years and view this as unnecessary as it will not serve any such purpose as intended.
“Instead, it will deny even more serious ones investing in the sector access while the ones for whose inability the decision was designed remain as they are.
“We urge the Government of Nigeria to re-evaluate the decision so as not to make very good cases victims of the failure of others.”
The group called on Gen. T Y Danjuma, Alh. Aliko Dangote, Alh. AbdulSamad Isiaka Rabiu, Alh. Dahiru Mangal and Alh. Muhammadu Indimi, and other notable northerners to join in designing a sustainable solution to the unfortunate situation the young out of school children have found themselves.
“The GDNN invites the attention of the following wealthy Northern Nigerians to the unfortunate plight of stray children roaming the streets and sleeping under bridges, in garages, markets, anywhere, etc and urge them to team up with us (GDNN) to design a solution to the challenges the societal failure has imposed on these unlucky children so that we can work jointly with other similar concerned associations or organizations to transform them into useful citizens of our society.
“It is now very clear that allowing foreign NGO’s” to be the only players is risky as they are indeed facilitating the deterioration than assisting. We must remove them completely from it.”
The GDNN also said it is inviting the attention of all the governors of the 19 northern states including the FCT Minister on the need to explore syndicating a single facility aimed at developing the Regional Railway Network that connects the North-West and the North-East as well as carefully routed through the North-Central States to Abuja.
It said this will be on the long run while in the immediate, the states should consider rehabilitating and putting back to use, the existing rail system that runs on the existing rail tracks to enable costs of haulage of raw materials, goods and other services from sea-port cities.