Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has described the northern states as the region with the highest indexes of social challenges bedevilling the nation.

Jega spoke on Monday during the Maitama Sule Leadership Lecture Series organised by the Coalition of Northern Nigeria (CNG) held in Katsina.

“Whether it is poverty, unemployment, insecurity, infant mortality, out-of-school children, poor girl-child education, or even early marriage challenges.

“Everything you can think of, the terrible statistics always come from the northern part of this country,” he said.

According to him, the fundamental causes of the crises originate from poor leadership and selfishness, with narrow vision and ideas to develop the country.

Jega said that erstwhile northern leaders, such as Maitama Sule and others, led the country at their youthful ages, and each of them did very well in protecting and developing the region and ensuring its integrity.

He challenged northern leaders on good, patriotic and selfless leadership in the mould of the late eminent statesman, Sule.

He described the late Sule, who was the Danmasanin Kano, as a selfless and patriotic Nigerian who served the country well and protected northerners.

“But several decades later while cherishing these heroes passed memories of leaders, what kind of leadership qualities does the North have now?” he asked.

He called on the youth to know that they had a great task of developing themselves through active participation in politics in order not to let vandals destroy the nation economically.

Jega also commended the CNG for its creativity in realising the need to start engaging the youth to salvage Nigeria and in particular the North from the social crises bedevilling the region.

Earlier, the Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Masari on Security Matters, Alhaji Ibrahim Katsina, called for the collapse of the country’s borders since Nigerian borders were poorly managed.