Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned that the North faces prolonged stagnation and worsening insecurity unless its leaders urgently rebuild unity and embrace a clear, development-driven vision for the region.
Speaking at the 25th anniversary dinner of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Kaduna on Friday, Atiku said the forum’s survival through turbulent political seasons underscored its relevance but insisted that nostalgia must now give way to honest reflection and strategic action.
Atiku paid tribute to past ACF leaders who “weathered enormous political and social storms” to sustain the organisation, urging present leaders to uphold their legacy with courage and sincerity.
He recalled that when he assumed office as Vice President in 1999, the North was deeply fragmented along political and ethnic lines, prompting him to initiate a reconciliation effort led by the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, which later unified northern groups under the ACF.
According to him, the forum was conceived not only to harmonise the region politically but also to drive development in line with Sir Ahmadu Bello’s priorities of education, agriculture and industrial growth priorities he insisted remain even more relevant today.
Atiku recounted how the Northern Education Project he initiated in 1999 uncovered alarming deterioration in the region’s schools, leading to reforms that improved teaching standards and doubled enrolment and transition rates in several states by 2003.
He also referenced interventions through the Northern Development Project (NDP), which reviewed agricultural policies, strengthened value chains and addressed climate-related stresses affecting farm yields, while an industrial survey exposed challenges such as power deficits and multiple taxation that still persist.
The former Vice President said these lessons from the past were not meant for lamentation but to “wake the North from complacency” and spur leaders to build on foundations already laid.
Warning that technology, disinformation and fear are being deployed to deepen divisions in the region, Atiku urged Northern leaders to learn from diverse countries like India and China, which have managed their differences to achieve economic transformation.
Asking tough questions on population growth, food security, education and jobs, he said the North must urgently define the kind of future it wants, insisting that “the time for unity and decisive leadership is now,” and praying for God’s guidance as the region confronts its challenges.
