Northern leaders, political stakeholders, traditional rulers, and civil society actors have passed a vote of confidence on the administration of President Bola Tinubu, commending what they described as “high and commendable” delivery of electoral promises in key sectors.
They, however, called for sustained citizen engagement, equity, and national dialogue to build unity and prosperity.
This was the high point of a two-day high-level interactive session on “Assessing Electoral Promises: Fostering Government-Citizen Engagement for National Unity,” held at the historic Arewa House in Kaduna, between July 29 and 30, 2025.
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The interactive session was held under the auspices of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation.
The engagement, which featured robust deliberations across thematic sectors, including security, economy, education, infrastructure, and agriculture, ended 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 Umar.
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, played host to a high-powered delegation of federal officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, 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, Dr Babangida Aliyu, and the Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu.
According to the communique, the session was a continuation of its engagement with national leadership, which began with presidential candidates in 2022, before the 2023 general election.
“This is part of our effort to deepen dialogue and drive inclusive decision-making,” said the Director-General of the foundation, Dr Abubakar Umar, who read the communiqué on Wednesday.
In his keynote address, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former President of the UN General Assembly, Prof Tijjani Mohammed Bande, said the North must negotiate its interests 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 Tinubu in the 2023 election.
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,” it noted.
The conference praised the Tinubu administration’s infrastructure drive, citing major highway projects, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano 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 stressed 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 recognising existing challenges.
“Participants call for more commitment to transparency, fairness and equity as vital elements for building national unity and sustaining democracy,” it said.
The Foundation ended with a reaffirmation that peace, justice, and prosperity could only be guaranteed through a collaborative approach between government, citizens, and key stakeholders across sectors.
