…Plans April convention to tackle insecurity, shape future
Northern leaders and civic groups have raised alarm over what they describe as a steady decline in leadership quality, governance standards and social cohesion in Northern Nigeria, 60 years after the assassination of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto.
The concerns were jointly expressed on Thursday in Kaduna by a coalition of Northern organisations, including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Arewa House and several others, alongside a similar announcement on Friday in Abuja by the Rebuild Arewa Initiative for Development, (RAI4D).
At a joint press briefing at the ACF Secretariat in Kaduna, the groups announced plans to convene a major regional conference in April, titled: “Sixty Years Without the Sardauna”, aimed at confronting the North’s political, social, economic and security challenges.
The Coalition includes: ACF, NEF, Arewa House, the Centre for Democratic Development Research and Training (CEDDART), Arewa Defence League, Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and other stakeholders.
Reading the communiqué, ACF Board Chairman, Bashir M. Ɗalhatu, recalled that January 15 marked exactly 60 years since the assassination of Sir Ahmadu Bello and his associates, an event he said plunged Nigeria into a chain of crises, including the civil war. While January 15 is observed nationally as ‘Armed Forces Remembrance Day’, the groups stressed that it also represents a defining turning point in Northern Nigeria’s history.
The Northern leaders described the Sardauna as a model of visionary, disciplined and accountable leadership, noting that his legacy contrasts sharply with present realities. They cited enduring investments in education, healthcare and infrastructure, including the establishment of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, and the expansion of access to education across social classes. “Although they were human and vulnerable as leaders, their commitment to the people, competence in governance and transparent integrity remain unmatched standards”, Ɗalhatu said.
However, the groups lamented that such legacies now feel distant to most Northerners, particularly the youth. With over 70 percent of the region’s population under 60, they said many young people struggle to relate to the values and achievements of past leaders amid worsening poverty, insecurity and unemployment.
The briefing painted a grim picture of the contemporary North, pointing to the fragmentation of the old Northern Region into 19 states, rising costs of governance, deepening inter-communal conflicts and persistent insecurity. “We are dealing with unbearable costs of governance, complex communal relations, daily conflicts and violence that reflect poor leadership and weak management of public affairs,” Ɗalhatu said, adding that millions of young people remain trapped in poverty, including large numbers of Almajirai with limited prospects.
Echoing these concerns, the Rebuild Arewa Initiative for Development (RAI4D) announced plans to hold a parallel non-partisan regional convention in April, ahead of the 2027 general elections, to forge a unified Northern agenda on security, development and inclusive governance.
Speaking in Abuja, RAI4D’s Director of Communications, Comrade Bitako Abubakar Umar, said the convention would bring together political, traditional and religious leaders, alongside women, youth groups, professionals, civil society and business leaders from across the North.
Umar warned that rising insecurity – marked by banditry, terrorism, kidnappings and farmer-herder conflicts – poses a serious threat not only to the North but to Nigeria’s overall stability. He blamed the situation on weak prosecution of criminals, poor governance, a culture of impunity and the failure to effectively implement social policies, particularly in education.
He criticised the payment of ransom to kidnappers and the poor implementation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) policy, which he said has fuelled the growing number of out-of-school children vulnerable to recruitment by criminal and extremist groups.
RAI4D Secretary, Kabiru Duhu, also called on Northern elders and leaders to emulate the Sardauna’s values of integrity, unity, institution-building and long-term planning, warning that “silence is not golden” in the face of growing insecurity and social decline.
Both the ACF-led coalition and RAI4D said their April gatherings are not intended as exercises in nostalgia but as platforms for honest self-assessment and collective action. The conferences are expected to produce actionable strategies on security, economic development, education reform and peaceful coexistence, while helping the North reassess its role in Nigeria’s democratic development.
The groups expressed hope that the initiatives would help restore values of service, discipline and accountability that once defined Northern leadership and place the region on a path toward reversing its declining fortunes.
