Northern stakeholders commend Tinubu for reforms, seek wider engagement

Northern leaders, stakeholders and some federal government officials have lauded the President Bola Tinubu administration for “delivering on electoral promises”.

The commendation arrived at a two-day interactive session on government-citizen engagement organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF) in Kaduna.

The event, which held on July 29 and 30 at the Arewa House, had as its theme: ‘Assessing electoral promises: Fostering government-citizen engagement for national unity.’

Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), represented Tinubu; while Aliyu Modibbo Umar, special adviser to the president on special duties, stood in for Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, served as chief host, with Inuwa Yahaya, chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, attending as special guest.

George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF); Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser; service chiefs from the north; members of the federal executive council; civil society organisations; academics; religious and traditional leaders; development partners; and members of the private sector, were also in attendance.

Muazu Babangida Aliyu, chair of the SABMF board, and Bashir Dalhatu, leader of the Arewa Consultative Forum, also participated in the discussions.

Tijjani Mohammed-Bande, former UN permanent representative and keynote speaker, noted Nigeria’s resilience amid insecurity, poverty and educational challenges.

“The north must develop a mechanism for negotiating its interests in a way that aligns with holistic national development goals,” he said.

Participants noted that the north remains pivotal to Nigeria’s political stability and economic growth, having delivered “substantial support” for Tinubu in the 2023 elections.

The sessions covered national security, economy, agriculture, infrastructure, and human capital development.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the forum, the participants said government has shown a willingness to dialogue and engage citizens.

They described ongoing infrastructure projects — including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline (AKK), Kolmani oil exploration and rural irrigation schemes — as vital.

The summit identified out-of-school children and the Almajiri system as major concerns in the north.

It also called for equitable resource distribution, stronger agricultural value chains, rural industrialisation, and strengthened federal-state collaboration.

The participants resolved to institutionalise periodic citizen engagement platforms at national and sub-national levels.

They also urged increased investment in education, media responsibility, and inclusive, non-kinetic approaches to security.

“There must be greater collaboration among northern states to deepen engagement with the federal government,” the communiqué reads.

“Northern Nigeria acknowledges and commends the administration’s high performance in fulfilling its electoral promises. We also recognise that more needs to be done to promote fairness, transparency, and equity.”

The session ended with a call for continuous collaboration among citizens, government, and stakeholders to achieve peace, justice and prosperity.