North ready to wake up from economic slumber, says NEF spokesperson

Abubakar Jiddere, spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), says the north has resolved to embark on an economic regeneration.

He spoke on Tuesday on Channels Television’s ‘Morning Brief’. 

On September 22, Jiddere announced during a press conference in Abuja, that NEF will host an investment and industrialisation summit in collaboration with the 19 governors in the north and the New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC). 

He relayed that the summit will be held in Abuja from September 29-30, 2025. 

The spokesperson said the summit has become necessary to create awareness among the northern governors, local and international investors, and development partners across the world, on the need for a new chapter in the development of the region.

Jiddere bemoaned the decline in economic viability of the north, driven largely by the collapse of industries that once thrived in the region. 

“Right from the colonial era, the north contributed immensely to the development of Nigeria. Unfortunately, so many challenges started arising, particularly the problem of insecurity, low investment, and the collapse of many industries in the north, especially textile and other manufacturing industries, and this has created youth unemployment, insecurity, and general social challenges,” he said. 

Jiddere added that even though the insecurity challenge in the region has persisted, northern governors and the federal government are doing their best by deploying kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.

“In Katsina state, negotiations with bandits are ongoing, and they have started releasing some of their captives with the promise to put down their arms and accept reconciliation,” he said. 

He also posited that the region is ready for an economic regeneration.

“Let me demystify the assumption that majority of northerners are uneducated. That is erroneous and completely wrong. Most of the people you see in the north are highly enlightened. They are only facing economic crisis,” he stated. 

Salisu Mohammed, NEF deputy director general, who was also on the programme, noted that the summit would mark a turning point by fostering federal and state government collaboration to drive healthy competition in the country.

“NEF knows the responsibility of elders in society. This is our contribution to how governors can be assisted to have a productive environment that will make northern Nigeria solve its own problem,” Mohammed said. 

“The time has come for us to concentrate on economic regeneration and reactivate our industries, many of which are actually in a very serious state of decline.

“And this is not helping matters concerning the social climate we are seeing everywhere.”

Mohammed dismissed allegations of a political undertone to the summit, stating that NEF is a non-governmental organisation with no political affiliation.