Northern Stakeholders Commend Tinubu’s Performance, Demand Stronger Citizen Engagement at Kaduna Summit
Northern Nigerian stakeholders have lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for its commendable progress in fulfilling electoral promises, especially in the critical areas of national security, infrastructure development, and economic reform.
This is contained in a communique signed by the Director General of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Engr. Abubakar Gambo Umar, and issued to newsmen at the end of the two-day interactive session held at Arewa House, Kaduna.
It commends President Tinubu’s administration for its transparency and high performance, while urging continuous commitment to equity, justice, and regional cooperation.
Participants also applauded the administration’s progress on strategic projects such as the AKK gas pipeline, Kolmani oil exploration, and rural irrigation programs that directly benefit Northern communities.
It affirms that citizen-government partnership remains vital to sustaining democracy, national unity, and long-term development.
It also raises concerns about the persistent problem of out-of-school children in the North, the need for equitable resource distribution, and the urgency of strengthening agricultural value chains for employment and food security.
Among key resolutions, the summit called for institutionalizing regular government-citizen engagement platforms, both at the national and state levels.
It also recommends enhanced investment in education, particularly to address the Almajiri system and out-of-school crisis prevalent in Northern Nigeria.
Participants advocated increased collaboration between federal and state governments, supported non-kinetic, community-based strategies for economic and security reforms, and encouraged civil society, traditional, and religious leaders to play stronger roles in public policy advocacy.
President Bola Tinubu was represented at the event by the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. Vice President Kashim Shettima delegated Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar, Special Adviser on Special Duties, while Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, served as the chief host.
Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, attended as Special Guest.
High-level federal government participation featured the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who led the delegation. Other key attendees included the National Security Adviser, federal cabinet members, heads of strategic agencies, and senior security service officials from Northern Nigeria.
In a keynote address, Professor Tijjani Mohammed Bande highlighted Nigeria’s resilience amidst challenges such as insecurity, poverty, and education gaps.
He urged Northern leaders to assert their interests within the national framework by aligning with comprehensive development goals that serve the collective good.
The summit’s plenary sessions tackled pressing national themes including security, governance, economic revival, agriculture, infrastructure, and human capital development.
Communique / Adamu Yusuf
