Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged northerners to form a single force to fight poverty and destitution irrespective of their political affiliations, religious persuasion, tribal or sectional backgrounds.

Mr Shettima made the call when he hosted a delegation of Southern Kaduna stakeholders on a thank-you visit to the Presidential Villa on Tuesday.

The southern Kaduna stakeholders, led by Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, were at the villa to thank President Bola Tinubu for approving the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Science, Kachia, Kaduna State.

The vice president declared that the people of the North had no business fighting one another, saying, “What binds us together supersedes whatever divides us.

“Let’s unite and fight the scourge of poverty, destitution and backwardness.”

Mr Shettima said Mr Tinubu had directed the Minister of Education to capture the new Federal University of Applied Science, Kachia, in the 2025 budget to enable the institution to start academic activities by September.

He also emphasised the need for northerners to accommodate and tolerate one another for the common good of the region.

“We should learn to accommodate and embrace one another because, for us in the North, we are all united by our common heritage of poverty and destitution.

“The North is the poverty capital of the world. Of the 22 million out-of-school children, 20 million are from the North. So, we have no business fighting one another.

“We are essentially the same people. The Nok culture is one of the most celebrated cultures in Africa,” said Shettima.

The vice-president commended Mr Sani for the ongoing reconstruction of some major artery roads in Southern Kaduna.

Mr Sani assured that the Kaduna State government would issue the certificate of occupancy of the Southern Kaduna University, Kachia, land within seven days.

On his part, Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, said the university would bring new opportunities to the youth and women in the state and across the country.

“The president has mandated that the first set of students of the university should be admitted during this academic session.

“I have commissioned a team of senior staff at the Federal Ministry of Education as well as the National University Commission to go right there immediately to do the verification of the asset that is there,” said the minister.

(NAN)