-Northern Govs Reaffirm Support for Tinubu, Urge Citizens’ Engagement
-North Feeling Marginalised Under Tinubu — ACF Chair
- Boko Haram Attacks, Banditry have reduced in the Last 2 Years – Ribadu
By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo
Kaduna—Prominent political and traditional leaders from the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume and other Federal Government officials on Tuesday gathered at the Arewa House in Kaduna to deliberate on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, two years into its tenure.
Convened by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, the meeting brought together former governors, ex-ministers, traditional rulers, technocrats, civil society actors, and religious leaders to evaluate the impact of federal policies, especially on the Northern region.
Themed “Assessing Electoral Promises: Fostering Government-Citizen Engagement for National Unity”, the high-level forum is scheduled to continue on Wednesday, with discussions expected to highlight progress, lapses, and expectations from the Tinubu-led government.
Speaking ahead of the event, the Director-General of the Foundation, Abubakar Gambo Umar, recalled that the initiative builds upon the Foundation’s October 17, 2022 interactive session, where then-presidential candidate Tinubu and other aspirants shared their manifestos and development pledges for Northern Nigeria.
“With President Tinubu now two years into his administration, this follow-up session aims to evaluate the progress made on those electoral promises, deepen government-citizen engagement, and promote a clearer understanding of the administration’s policies and programmes,” he stated.
He described the review as a “critical litmus test” for measuring the federal government’s responsiveness to the region’s socio-economic and security challenges.
Northern Govs Reaffirm Support for Tinubu, Urge Citizens’ Engagement
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum has reaffirmed the North’s continued support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, citing visible progress in infrastructure, security, and economic reforms.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day interactive session organized by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kaduna, Governor Yahaya said the North remains committed to deepening democracy through citizen-government engagement. The session, themed “Assessing Electoral Promises: Fostering Government-Citizen Engagement for National Unity,” brought together leaders across the region to review the President’s performance.
Yahaya listed key projects under Tinubu’s administration, including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, Kano-Katsina-Maradi rail line, Kaduna Refinery rehabilitation, and Kolmani oilfield drilling, as evidence that the “Renewed Hope Agenda” is delivering results in the North.
He noted that security has improved, with over 300 bandit and terrorist leaders neutralized, and praised the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development as a major step toward addressing herder-farmer clashes.
On the economy, the governor defended the fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate reforms, acknowledging the hardships but describing them as necessary for long-term stability.
He called on stakeholders—governors, traditional and religious leaders, and civil society—to complement federal efforts at the grassroots. He also emphasized continued unity between the North and Southwest as a stabilizing force for national cohesion.
“The North delivered over 60% of the votes for Tinubu. By the measure of performance and delivery, he has earned our continued support,” Yahaya declared.
Tinubu Keeping Faith with North — Gov. Uba Sani
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has remained committed to fulfilling his electoral promises to Northern Nigeria, especially in the areas of security, education, health, infrastructure, and economic inclusion.
Speaking at the two-day interactive session organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kaduna, the governor stressed that electoral promises are not mere campaign slogans but solemn covenants with the people.
Governor Sani highlighted massive strides under the Tinubu administration, including support in tackling Kaduna’s security crisis, revitalisation of healthcare and education, and major infrastructure projects like the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway and Kaduna–Kano rail line.
He also praised the President’s student loan scheme, agricultural transformation efforts, and digital skills initiatives, noting that Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda was translating into real impact across the region.
“Let us not blame President Tinubu for deeply rooted problems that have festered for decades. Instead, let us partner with him to fix them,” Sani said.
The Governor added that Tinubu’s administration had shown inclusiveness by appointing Northerners into key leadership roles, describing it as a step towards national cohesion.
He called on Northern leaders to move from rhetoric to action in honouring the legacy of Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto, by promoting justice, inclusion, and development.
North Feeling Marginalised Under Tinubu — ACF Chair Bashir Dalhatu
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Bashir M. Dalhatu, has expressed deep concerns over what he described as growing marginalisation of Northern Nigeria under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking at the high-level interactive session between Northern civil society groups and senior officials of the federal government in Kaduna, Dalhatu recalled the region’s strong electoral support for President Tinubu, contributing over 64% of his total votes in the 2023 presidential election.
“Despite our support and goodwill, the feeling in the North is, to put it mildly, completely mixed. Key infrastructural projects, budgetary allocations, appointments, and policy decisions have largely sidelined Northern Nigeria,” Dalhatu said.
He cited critical areas of neglect including insecurity, agriculture, transport infrastructure, power supply, education, healthcare, and the abandonment of strategic projects like the Ajaokuta Steel Plant and Kolmani oil exploration.
On insecurity, he decried the rising wave of terrorism, banditry, and kidnappings, urging the President to take “strong, audacious and sustained” action, especially by addressing root causes like youth unemployment and poverty.
In the area of agriculture, Dalhatu noted the sector received less than 5% of the national budget in the past two years, far below the FAO’s recommended 25%. He warned that the government’s decision to approve duty-free food imports had triggered a collapse of local agro-industrial businesses, particularly rice mills.
Turning to federal infrastructure, he pointed out that out of ₦1.013 trillion allocated to roads in 2025, only ₦24 billion went to the North-East. “Not a single strategic road has been completed or maintained in the North in the past 20 years,” he said, listing over a dozen critical highway routes long neglected.
On power supply, the ACF chair called for a state of emergency in the sector and demanded fast-tracking of stalled projects like the Mambilla Hydro Dam and the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, saying the North’s economy cannot grow without reliable electricity.
Dalhatu also urged the relaunch of the UBE scheme, mass teacher training, and compulsory free basic education to tackle the North’s education crisis, where over 80% of Nigeria’s 20 million out-of-school children reside.
He expressed disappointment over the federal government’s “meagre” commitment to the Ajaokuta Steel Project, despite earlier promises, and warned that the push for public-private partnerships may derail the project’s industrial promise.
The speech also criticised perceived budgetary discrimination, pointing to a May 2025 Ministry of Works release showing allocations of ₦1.394 trillion to the Southwest, compared to ₦105 billion for the Northwest and ₦30 billion for the Northeast.
He concluded by calling for improved communication between the federal government and the North, recommending that the interactive session evolve into a standing ACF-FGN Contact Committee as earlier suggested by President Tinubu.
“The Hausa say: ‘Gyara kayanka bai zama sauke mu raba ba’. We criticise not out of mischief, but for the unity and development of Nigeria,” Dalhatu added.
Boko Haram Attacks, Banditry have Reduced In Last 2 Years – Ribadu
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu said at the event, that the successes recorded in the fight against insecurity is as a result of President Tinubu’s directive to security agencies on a unified security approach.
Ribadu said that Boko Haram attacks, banditry, and communal conflicts in the northern region have reduced drastically in the last two years of President Tinubu’s administration, compared to what the situation was in the last administration.
The National Security Adviser stated that 1,192 people were killed and over 3,348 kidnapped in Kaduna State during the previous administration, while more than 5,000 people lost their lives in Benue State within the same period.
He told the northern leaders that the successes recorded in the fight against insecurity is as a result of President Tinubu’s directive to security agencies on a unified security approach,adding that the various security operations across the North-West have led to the release of 11, 259 hostages as at May 2025.
He also disclosed that several bandit leaders and their gang members have been eliminated by security forces in Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina states.
The NSA commended Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State for initiating the non-kinetic approach in addressing insecurity in Southern Kaduna, Birnin Gwari and other troubled communities in the state.
Nigerian govt to revive Kaduna Textile industry — Akume
On his part, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF),Senator George Akume, said the Federal Government intends to revive the moribund Kaduna Textile to boost the economy of the country.
Sen. George Akume made this known during his remarks at a 2-Day Interactive Season, saying President Tinubu’s desire to develop all parts of Nigeria is sacrosanct and a task that must be achieved.
“Tinubu is doing a lot in about eight different areas to ensure that Nigeria experiences holistic development in all spheres of endeavours.
“The Tinubu administration intends to industrialise the country through diversification. We are looking at those days of Kaduna Textile and many other industrialised areas in the north.
“We intend to revisit those good old days of the Kaduna Textile to further boost and solidify the economy of the country via industrialisation.
“These and many more will be achieved by the administration of Tinubu, who, after two years and two months in office has achieved so much,” he said.
Those at the event were Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaam Suleiman-Ibrahim, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, SA to the President, Sunday Dare,the Managing Director of NAN,Malam Ali M. Ali, the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), prominent politicians, traditional leaders, and academics, among others.
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