Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, on Tuesday, called out northern political leaders, urging them to stop blaming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the region’s challenges and instead take responsibility for years of neglect and silence that have worsened the North’s decline.
Speaking at a government-citizen engagement session organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation in Kaduna, the governor said the forum was a call to deep reflection, not a ceremonial gathering.
He stressed that electoral promises must not be reduced to campaign rhetoric but seen as sacred commitments between leaders and the people.
Governor Sani said President Tinubu had honoured many of the pledges he made prior to the 2023 elections, particularly in areas of security, education, agriculture, and economic inclusion.
He, however, warned that no president, no matter how visionary, could succeed in isolation without the collaboration of regional leaders and citizens.
“As a governor of Kaduna State, former senator, and a proud son of the North,” he said, “I offer this response not from a point of political partisanship… Yes, he has doggedly kept faith with the North.”
He argued that the real issue lies in the failure of northern leaders over the last two decades.
He criticised the long silence from influential voices in the region, pointing out that while poverty, insecurity, and illiteracy worsened, most leaders chose to remain quiet.
He said it was hypocritical to now heap blame on the Tinubu administration, which has only been in office for two years, for problems that had festered for more than 20 years.
Speaking further, the governor recalled the dire state of insecurity in Kaduna when he assumed office in 2023, describing how banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping had taken over several communities, including the infamous Abuja-Kaduna highway.
According to him, if the same conference had been held last year, “the hall would have been empty” due to fear and instability.
He revealed that his administration responded by introducing the “Kaduna Peace Model” — a multi-layered strategy involving active security operations, community engagement, local vigilante support, and institutional alignment.
He credited this approach, alongside federal support, for the gradual return of peace across the state.
Sani also highlighted efforts to reduce financial exclusion in the North. He said that upon taking office, more than 65% of people in the Northwest were excluded from the formal financial system.
To address this, he issued an executive order to integrate 2.5 million vulnerable citizens into financial services, in partnership with banks, fintechs, and civil society.
He described financial inclusion as a tool of dignity and empowerment, not just economic statistics.
On education, he acknowledged Tinubu’s reforms including the student loan scheme and vocational training initiatives which, he said, were already yielding results by helping youth acquire relevant skills and reduce dependence on government jobs.
The governor also credited the president’s agricultural policies for improving rural livelihoods, saying northern farmers now have access to better tools, irrigation, and market opportunities.
“No president in the history of Nigeria has supported subnationals in agricultural transformation as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing at the moment,” he said.
Sani was particularly emphatic about the level of federal government engagement, noting that ministers, security chiefs, and other top officials were physically present at the conference — a development he described as unprecedented and promising.
“This is the first time in the history of Nigeria officials from the federal government are sitting together in one hall to look at the problem of Northern Nigeria.
“We have no reason to complain. We just have to put our heads together,” he said .
He invoked the legacy of Sir Ahmadu Bello, calling on northern leaders to not only remember his vision but also embody it through inclusive governance, bold reforms, and genuine engagement with citizens.
“Let us not merely recall his legacy. Let us renew it, elevate it, and embody it today,” he said.
