Northern political and traditional leaders presented sharply contrasting views on President Bola Tinubu’s administration during a two-day interactive session organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF) in Kaduna.
Some leaders, notably from the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), criticised the federal government for allegedly neglecting the North despite its significant electoral support in the 2023 presidential election. Others, including northern governors and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, defended the president’s record and dismissed claims of marginalisation.
ACF Board Chairman, Bashir Dalhatu, said the Tinubu-led administration had been indifferent to the North’s concerns, pointing to rising insecurity, poor infrastructure, inadequate funding for agriculture, and deteriorating education and healthcare. He noted that repeated engagements with the Presidency had yielded no meaningful results and accused the federal government of marginalising the North in federal appointments, budgetary allocations, and infrastructural projects.
Dalhatu expressed disappointment that the North, which contributed 64 percent of the total votes that brought Tinubu to power, had been largely sidelined. He warned that the region’s worsening insecurity—characterised by insurgency, kidnappings, and violence—would persist unless poverty and youth unemployment were addressed. He also called on the federal government to increase investment in education, agriculture, and infrastructure.
NEF Chairman, Professor Ango Abdullahi, described the marginalisation of Northern Nigeria as a threat to national development. He cited the high number of out-of-school children in the region, which he said accounts for 80 percent of Nigeria’s total. Abdullahi proposed allocating half of the N15 trillion national budget to education, arguing it would be enough to ensure that no child remains out of school. He also criticised the state of infrastructure in the North, particularly the poor condition of roads in the Northeast, and condemned the relocation of some Central Bank departments from Abuja to Lagos.
However, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, pushed back against the criticisms. He argued that the region’s problems predated the Tinubu administration and blamed years of neglect by northern elites. He said Tinubu had delivered in key areas such as security, agriculture, and education and urged northern leaders to move past blame and focus on working with the federal government to address regional challenges.
Governor Sani, who assumed office in 2023, stressed the importance of accountability among northern leaders, noting that many of the region’s issues were deep-rooted and could not be solved by the president alone.
Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, also defended Tinubu’s administration. He listed several projects across the North, including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, the Kano-Katsina-Maradi rail line, the rehabilitation of the Kaduna Refinery, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline, and the Kolmani Oilfields project, as evidence of federal commitment to the region.
Yahaya said the administration had also made strides in livestock development, youth empowerment, and efforts to tackle the Almajiri crisis and out-of-school children through grants and collaborative programmes. He acknowledged the hardship caused by the fuel subsidy removal but described the reforms as necessary for long-term stability.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by Special Adviser Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar, said the Tinubu administration had prioritised inclusive governance through public consultation and reforms in education financing, taxation, and social welfare. He said the president had shown a willingness to listen and adjust policies based on stakeholder feedback, describing the leadership style as empathetic and responsive.
SGF George Akume urged northern politicians to wait until 2031 before seeking the presidency again. He said Tinubu had governed fairly and achieved significant progress in two years, calling on northern leaders to support the administration’s ongoing reforms. He highlighted federal investments in transportation, agriculture, education, and security and said the North had not been left out of Tinubu’s development agenda.
Akume dismissed claims of marginalisation and described Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda as a genuine effort to restore faith in government. He pointed to the proposed Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway and new road contracts through northern states as examples of projects aimed at bridging development gaps.
Meanwhile, APC chieftain Yekini Nabena responded to recent remarks by former Kano Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, who had criticised the Tinubu administration for favouring the South in project distribution. Nabena accused Kwankwaso of attempting to incite northern voters against the government and said the presidency must remain in the South until 2031 to ensure equity.
Nabena challenged Kwankwaso to compare infrastructure in the South-South with that in the North and insisted that the South’s completion of eight years in power was non-negotiable. He alleged that Kwankwaso’s criticisms were politically motivated and aimed at negotiating influence rather than addressing genuine regional concerns.
The exchanges highlighted deepening divisions among northern leaders over the direction of national governance and the region’s place in it.
