A northern group has enjoined Central Bank governor Godwin Emefiele to declare for 2023 presidency, saying his antecedents shows he will grow the economy.

The group known as Unified Northern Nigeria Youth Forum made the declaration when it took its advocacy for Mr Emefiele to political stakeholders in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital.

“Emefiele is the right person for Nigeria now, surely, he will improve our economy, create wealth for the nation, all sectors of the economy will be working, Nigeria will flourish,” said Aliyu Sani, the group’s spokesman. “He will unite Nigeria and we will be each other’s brother’s keeper, we will progress together as a nation and there will be peace, progress and prosperity.”

Mr Emefiele is yet to publicly declare his intention to join politics though his posters for presidency flooded the nation’s capital during the last national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Albeit, concerns and criticisms continue to mount over Mr Emefiele’s probable partisanship as he oversees the country’s financial sector.

The group said Mr Emefiele, through his policies as the apex bank chief, has been “working round the clock” to make Nigeria’s economy better “against all odds.”

“We need pragmatic leaders who already have a blueprint on how to move the nation forward through peace, progress and prosperity.

“The masses of this country, irrespective of our tribe, religion or ethnicity, have benefitted from Emefiele’s policies, because they are directly for the masses and they have helped in the creation of wealth,” the group claimed. “Today, many of us are proud farmers and owners of different kinds of businesses. All these are possible because of policies initiated by Emefiele.”

The spokesperson added that in each state in the North, the masses have been busy generating wealth by engaging in one crop production or the other, providing food security for the country, because Mr Emefiele believes that Nigeria should feed itself by producing what it consumes.

“With all these interventions targeting the poor, one doesn’t need a soothsayer to say that as Northerners, this is where our direction is, this is where we belong, this is where we can achieve our dreams.”

According to him, most Nigerians have made up their mind to move to the next level of peace, progress and prosperity with Mr Emefiele as the Nigerian leader.

“It is a clarion call, and our visit to Jigawa is to consult with relevant stakeholders to lend their voices and speak louder for Emefiele to contest for the president, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Therefore, I am appealing to all the stakeholders of Jigawa state to call on him to contest and to remind him that the national interest supersedes personal interest,” Mr Sani added

(NAN)