The Emir of Shonga, Dr. Haliru Yahaya yesterday underscored the need for clear vision and unity of purpose to address the many challenges facing the Northern Nigeria.

He stated this while delivering a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the ninth Northern Nigerian Literature Conference being hosted by the Kwara State University (KWASU).

The conference, jointly organised by KWASU and Bayero University, Kano (BUK), has as theme, "Literature and Integration in Northern Nigeria."

The Emir of Shonga examined the pre-colonial (pre-jihad; jihad and caliphate years); colonial period from 1900 to 1960; and the post-colonial era.

He identified disunity as the greatest problem confronting the Northern Nigeria.

Other problems, according to Dr. Haliru Yahaya, included pervasive poverty, low literacy level, ignorance, poor health status, insecurity, massive unemployment caused by low skills, youth restiveness, and sectarian divisions.

"Perhaps, the greatest challenge at the moment is insecurity and its attendant consequences, internally-displaced persons (IDPs) and degradation of self-esteem. Although, the North shares these problems with the rest of Nigeria, nearly all indices are worse in the region," he said.

The Emir of Shonga stated that for the region to regain its lost glory, proper attention must be paid to maintenance of peace and security, and zero tolerance for corruption and impunity.

"We need massive sustained orientation to change our attitude. Our attitude determines our altitude," he submitted.

Earlier in his welcome address, KWASU Vice-Chancellor, Professor AbdulRasheed Na'Allah, expressed optimism that the conference would lead to joint research efforts between KWASU and the Bayero University, Kano.

Na'Allah remarked that this year's conference was unique, as it also attracted secondary school students, pointing out that this would help build the culture of reading and writing in the students.