Nigeria's North faces turmoil amid erosion of moral principles, claims Ango Abdullahi

Prof. Ango Abdullahi, Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum and former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Dr. Usman Bugaje, a political economist, expressed their dismay on Saturday over the decline of the values and leadership principles that once characterized Northern Nigeria, citing the region's worsening insecurity, poverty, and underdevelopment as a result of this decline.

n

Speaking at the third edition of the Late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference, held at Arewa House, Kaduna, with the theme "From Sacrifice to Strategy: Rekindling Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina's Vision for a Prosperous Northern Nigeria," Abdullahi lamented that the North had lost its moral values, which once made it a respected region.

n

Abdullahi stated that the North, once known for its discipline, integrity, and sense of purpose, had lost the moral values that made it a respected region, saying "The North has lost its values, and 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."

n

He emphasized that despite the physical expansion of many Northern cities, the virtues of honesty, sacrifice, patriotism, and selfless leadership that shaped the region's early leaders had steadily declined, leaving the North in a "pathetic situation" where its stagnation could be attributed to the loss of its values.

n

Abdullahi urged Northerners to emulate the legacy of the late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina, who embodied integrity, accountability, and dedication to public service, saying that if the region could revert to those values, it would be significantly different today.

n

Delivering the keynote address, Bugaje said that Northern Nigeria had suffered decades of economic decline, insecurity, and institutional decay due to its departure from the visionary leadership exemplified by Hassan Katsina and his contemporaries, resulting in a region where "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."

n

He noted that insecurity had continued to undermine agriculture, commerce, and livelihoods across the region, prompting him to ask "how much of the North still remains" and "how much of the sanity of the elite, especially those in government, still remains," emphasizing the need for effective leadership and direction.

n

Bugaje criticized sections of the Northern elite for merely lamenting the region's challenges without providing practical solutions, saying that it had become their "pastime to sit in the comfort of their homes and say that the North is in trouble" while doing little to address the issues.

n

Recalling a personal encounter with the late Hassan Katsina, Bugaje shared how the former military governor defended him after the then American ambassador complained about an article he wrote criticizing Western imperialism, demonstrating the kind of leader Hassan Katsina was, who encouraged his people to stand up for what was right.

n

According to Bugaje, Hassan Katsina's generation successfully combined modern education with deeply rooted Northern values, including contentment, discipline, modesty, justice, and commitment to community development, which they embodied through their actions and leadership style.

n

He urged today's political leaders to return to those ideals to reverse the region's social, economic, and security challenges, emphasizing the need for a return to the values that once made Northern Nigeria a respected and prosperous region.

n

The annual memorial conference was organized to celebrate the legacy of the late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina and stimulate discussions on leadership, governance, and the future of Northern Nigeria.