By Obinna Uballa
Northern governors on Monday delivered their starkest warning yet, declaring that the region risks losing its future to relentless insecurity and worsening poverty unless leaders take bold, immediate action.
Speaking at a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and the Northern Traditional Rulers Council in Kaduna, Chairman of the Forum and Gombe State governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, said the North is now confronted with “the grim reality of insecurity and poverty that seeks to undermine our very existence.”
The two-day meeting, held at the Kaduna State Government House, drew all 19 northern governors, first-class traditional rulers, security chiefs and civil society groups, a gathering described as a last-ditch effort to forge a united front against terrorism, banditry and social collapse in the region.
Yahaya said northern leaders would be judged not by the structures they build but by whether they succeed in “bequeathing to future generations a Northern Nigeria they can truly call home.”
He commended President Bola Tinubu for what he called “strong leadership and steadfast commitment to Nigeria’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” especially in ongoing operations to rescue abducted schoolchildren.
The governor also extended condolences to families of pupils kidnapped in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Kano, Niger and Sokoto states, as well as communities hit by recent Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe. He described the growing assault on education, “the bedrock of our children’s future”, as an attack on the North’s destiny.
Warning that insecurity “spares no one – poor or rich, Muslim or Christian,” Yahaya urged northern leaders to put aside partisan rivalry and confront a crisis driven not only by criminality but also by chronic underdevelopment, illiteracy, climate pressures, mismanagement of resources and the abandonment of millions of Almajiri and out-of-school children.
High on the agenda was a renewed demand for state police. Reaffirming its May 10, 2025 communique, the NSGF insisted that state policing remains “a critical and effective mechanism” for tackling current security threats and urged the National Assembly to accelerate the necessary constitutional amendments.
Traditional rulers were urged to intensify their stabilising role within communities, while religious leaders were cautioned against inflammatory sermons. Political leaders, the Forum said, must refrain from exploiting ethnic or religious sentiments for personal gain.
The meeting also charged security agencies to strengthen surveillance and rapid response systems, and appealed to the judiciary to ensure timely justice in criminal cases.
In a joint declaration, the northern governors pledged to deepen collaboration with the Federal Government under President Tinubu “to turn the tide and ensure lasting peace and stability for our region and the nation at large.”
