Northern leaders, political stakeholders, traditional rulers, and civil society actors on Wednesday made a sharp u-turn and commended President Bola Tinubu for delivering on his campaign promises.
They hailed the president for what they described as “high and commendable” delivery of electoral promises in key sectors, while calling for sustained citizen engagement, equity, and national dialogue to build unity and prosperity.
This was in contrast to the tone of the event which began on Tuesday where leaders after leaders accused the president of marginalisation and threatening to torpedo his reelection in 2027.
At the end of the 2-day high-level interactive session on titled ‘Assessing Electoral Promises: Fostering Government-Citizen Engagement for National Unity’, held at the Arewa House in Kaduna between July 29 and 30, 2025, under the auspices of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, they hailed the president but called his attention to the menace of out-of-school children in the North.
The two-day engagement featured deliberations across thematic sectors including security, economy, education, infrastructure, and agriculture, ending with a communiqué calling for a more transparent, inclusive and accountable governance structure across the federation.
“We acknowledge the high performance of the current administration in delivering on many of its campaign promises, particularly in the areas of security, infrastructure, and economic reform,” the communiqué declared.
President Tinubu, though absent, was represented by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, while Vice President Kashim Shettima was represented by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar.
Kaduna Governor, Uba Sani, played host to a high-powered delegation of federal officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, the National Security Adviser, cabinet members, northern security chiefs, and top agency heads.
Also present were the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, the former Niger State Governor and Chairman of the Foundation, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, and Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).
According to the communique, the session was a continuation of its engagement with national leadership, which began with presidential candidates in 2022, prior to the 2023 general elections.
“This is part of our effort to deepen dialogue and drive inclusive decision-making,” said the Director-General of the Foundation, Dr. Abubakar Gambo Umar, who read the communiqué, on Wednesday.
In his keynote address, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN and former President of the UN General Assembly, Prof. Tijjani Mohammed Bande, said the North must negotiate its interest within the Nigerian project with a focus on holistic national development.
According to him, “Nigeria is not alone in confronting global challenges such as insecurity, poverty, and educational deficits,” but the country has shown resilience despite its complex landscape.
The communiqué noted that Northern Nigeria “remains central to the country’s political stability and economic growth,” especially given the overwhelming electoral support the region gave President Tinubu in the 2023 elections.
According to the communique, participants expressed concern about the lingering challenges of out-of-school children, especially the Almajiri system, insecurity, and inequality in resource distribution.
“The issue of Almajiri and the rising number of out-of-school children in the North is a ticking time bomb.”
The conference praised the Tinubu administration’s infrastructure drive, citing major highway projects, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, Kolmani oil exploration, and rural irrigation schemes as significant achievements.
It also lauded ongoing economic reforms and security initiatives, while urging the government to adopt inclusive, non-kinetic approaches to fighting insecurity and boosting development.
Participants also emphasized the need for equitable resource distribution to address regional imbalances and reduce poverty.
The communiqué concluded with a strong call for sustained national unity through equitable governance and continued engagement between the government and citizens.
“Northern Nigeria acknowledges and commends the administration’s high performance in fulfilling its electoral promises, while also recognizing existing challenges,” it said.
“Participants call for more commitment to transparency, fairness and equity as vital elements for building national unity and sustaining democracy.”
The Foundation ended with a reaffirmation that peace, justice, and prosperity can only be guaranteed through a collaborative approach between government, citizens, and key stakeholders across sectors.
