Stakeholders from Northern Nigeria have called for deeper citizen engagement to sustain democratic gains.

This was contained in a communiqué signed by the Director-General of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Abubakar Gambo Umar, at the end of a two-day interactive summit held at Arewa House, Kaduna.

The forum praised the Tinubu administration for what it described as transparency, equity, and high performance, particularly noting progress on key projects such as the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, Kolmani oil exploration, and rural irrigation schemes beneficial to Northern communities.

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Participants affirmed the importance of citizen-government partnerships to drive national unity and sustainable development.

They, however, expressed concern over lingering challenges, including the high number of out-of-school children in the North, unequal resource distribution, and underdeveloped agricultural value chains.

The summit resolved to institutionalize regular citizen engagement platforms at both federal and state levels, with a focus on inclusive policy dialogue.

It also urged greater investment in education, especially reforms targeting the Almajiri system and strategies to reduce the out-of-school population.

In addition, participants advocated collaborative, community-led approaches to security and economic development, and called on civil society, traditional, and religious leaders to play more active roles in public policy advocacy.

 

President Bola Tinubu was represented at the event by the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. Vice President Kashim Shettima delegated Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar, his Special Adviser on Special Duties, while Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, served as chief host.

The summit also had in attendance Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, who participated as a Special Guest.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume led the federal delegation to the summit.

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Also present were the National Security Adviser, key federal cabinet members, heads of strategic agencies, and senior security officials from across Northern Nigeria.

Delivering the keynote, Nigeria’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Professor Tijjani Mohammed Bande, underscored the region’s resilience amid insecurity, poverty, and educational deficits.

He urged Northern leaders to proactively engage national development frameworks to advance the region’s interests for the collective good.

Plenary sessions during the summit addressed critical national priorities, including governance, economic revival, security, infrastructure, agriculture, and human capital development.