Northern Leaders Meet In Kaduna To Assess Tinubu’s Two-Year Performance

Prominent political, traditional, and business leaders from Northern Nigeria converged on Arewa House, Kaduna, on Tuesday for a high-level summit to assess President Bola Tinubu’s performance two years into his administration.

Convened by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, the gathering brought together stakeholders across the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory for a two-day session focused on tracking the administration’s fulfilment of electoral promises and fostering improved government-citizen engagement.

The meeting, themed “Assessing Electoral Promises: Fostering Government-Citizens Engagement for National Unity,” is holding at Arewa House — the historic residence of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello — and features a wide array of participants including former governors, ex-ministers, traditional rulers, technocrats, civil society leaders, and religious figures.

According to organisers, the event is part of a sustained effort by the North to constructively engage with the federal government on issues of development, equity, and representation.

Speaking ahead of the summit, the Director-General of the Foundation, Abubakar Gambo Umar, said the meeting was designed to assess President Tinubu’s fulfilment of commitments made during the 2022 pre-election engagement with Northern stakeholders.

“This landmark event builds on the Foundation’s successful engagement on 17th October 2022, where frontline presidential candidates, including then-candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, presented their manifestos and made commitments towards the development of Northern Nigeria,” Umar stated.

“With President Tinubu now two years into his administration, this follow-up session aims to evaluate the progress made on those promises, deepen government-citizen engagement, and promote a clearer understanding of the administration’s policies and programmes.”

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Although public discussions remained measured, insiders at the event told The PUNCH that conversations in closed-door sessions are expected to centre around perceived marginalisation of the North in federal appointments, infrastructure development, and budgetary allocations.

There are also growing concerns about the state of insecurity, rising unemployment, and poverty in many parts of the North — issues that stakeholders say require urgent and targeted federal intervention.

Umar reiterated that the Foundation is committed to upholding the legacy of Sir Ahmadu Bello by ensuring the region remains actively engaged in shaping the national conversation.

“The review will serve as a critical litmus test to measure the federal government’s responsiveness to the socio-economic and security challenges facing the region,” he said.

The summit, which continues on Wednesday, is expected to issue a communique outlining key demands, observations, and recommendations for the federal government as the Tinubu administration enters its third year in office.