Tinubu Says North Will Overcome Insecurity As Abdullahi Blames Region’s Decline On Loss Of Values

President Bola Tinubu has said that the security challenges confronting Nigeria, particularly the northern region, will soon be overcome.
He said that his administration had put in place decisive measures to end the activities of criminal groups across the country.

This is just as the Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, on Saturday lamented the erosion of the values and leadership ideals that once defined Northern Nigeria.

He warned that the region’s worsening insecurity, poverty and underdevelopment stemmed from a departure from the principles of its founding leaders.

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, on Saturday  sought divine intervention for the true repentance of those perpetrating evil in the country.

The president made the remarks on Saturday  during the Third General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Lecture held at Arewa House, Kaduna, with the theme, “From Sacrifice to Strategy: Rekindling Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina’s Vision for a Prosperous Northern Nigeria.”

Tinubu, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari, paid tribute to the late General Katsina, describing him as a symbol of humility, discipline, patriotism and selfless service.
He said the former military governor of the defunct Northern Region and later Chief of Army Staff played a significant role in promoting national unity and strengthening Nigeria during critical periods of its history.
According to the president, General Katsina’s commitment to the country’s unity helped lay the foundation for the democracy and freedoms Nigerians enjoy today.
Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to securing the nation and preserving the legacies of past national heroes.
“While we continue to work day and night to secure our nation, by the grace of Allah, the challenges of insecurity confronting us, particularly in Northern Nigeria, will soon be behind us,” he said.
The president also outlined several initiatives undertaken by his administration to improve education, infrastructure, transportation and energy in the North and other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, Prof. Abdullahi and a political economist, Dr. Usman Bugaje, also spoke at the occasion.
Abdullahi said the North, once admired for its discipline, integrity and sense of purpose, had lost the moral values that made it a respected region.
“The North has lost its values. You may not want to hear this, but that is the case today. If we have not lost the values we inherited from our parents and our pioneer leaders, the North will not be where it is today,” he said.
According to him, although many Northern cities have expanded physically, the virtues of honesty, sacrifice, patriotism and selfless leadership that shaped the region’s early leaders have steadily declined.
“The North is in a pathetic situation. For me, that is the only reason why the North has stagnated. Don’t worry about the buildings you see. The basic issue concerning where the North finds itself today is the loss of our values,” Abdullahi stated.
He urged Northerners to emulate the legacy of the late Gen. Katsina, describing him as one of a generation of leaders who embodied integrity, accountability and dedication to public service.
“If we can go back to those values, particularly by remembering those who inherited them and practised them, there is no doubt in my mind that the North would have been different today,” he added.
Delivering the keynote address, Bugaje said Northern Nigeria had suffered decades of economic decline, insecurity and institutional decay because it had drifted away from the visionary leadership exemplified by Hassan Katsina and his contemporaries.
“The troubles of the North are many and varied. Food production is going down daily, hundreds of thousands are being displaced from their homes, the economy has been shrinking, poverty has nearly tripled, education and healthcare have collapsed, and our human capital has been depleted,” he said.
He added that insecurity had continued to undermine agriculture, commerce and livelihoods across the region.
“It is indeed time to ask how much of the North still remains. Or, better still, how much of the sanity of the elite, especially those in government, still remains? Today, who is there to go to? Where are the General Hassans to complain to? Where exactly is the leadership? Where is the direction?” he asked.
Bugaje criticised sections of the Northern elite for merely lamenting the region’s challenges without providing practical solutions.
 “It has become the pastime of the elite to sit in the comfort of their homes and say that the North is in trouble. Some even scream that the North is finished. These comments only betray the complacency, or even the complicity, of the Northern elite,” he said.

Sultan Seeks Repentance of Perpetrators of Evil in Nigeria 

In a related development, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar, has sought divine intervention for the true repentance of those perpetrating evil in the country.
Speaking while playing host to the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in his palace in Sokoto, the monarch declared that leaders should continue to seek divine intervention, especially for those groups of people who have been perpetrating evil in the land. 
According to him, his prayer was that the evildoers would come to true repentance and live appropriately.
The Sultan commended the First Lady for her various interventions through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), which has touched the lives of millions of Nigerians.

First Lady Hails Monarch for His support of Tinubu’s Govt

On her part, Mrs. Tinubu expressed appreciation to the Sultan for his continued support and constant guidance to the administration of President Bola Tinubu since inception.
The First Lady who went nostalgic about the long years of relationship between the two families noted that the Sultan is always pointing the administration in the right direction.
Mrs. Tinubu explained that the purpose of her visit was to thank the Sultan.
Earlier, the state Governor, Ahmad Aliyu, thanked the First Lady for the visit to the revered monarch, reechoing the impact of the RHI in the lives of Nigerians.

Deji Elumoye  and John Shiklam in Kaduna

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