North in Crisis Due to Loss of Values, Says Ango Abdullahi

Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has blamed the North's worsening insecurity, poverty and underdevelopment on what he described as the erosion of the region's traditional values and leadership ideals. Speaking at the third Late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference in Kaduna, Abdullahi said the North has drifted away from the principles of integrity, discipline and selfless service that once defined its leaders.

According to Abdullahi, while many Northern cities have witnessed physical development, the region has suffered a moral decline that has contributed to its current challenges. He argued that the virtues of honesty, sacrifice, patriotism and accountability inherited from earlier generations have steadily diminished, leading to stagnation despite visible infrastructural growth.

Also speaking at the conference, political economist Dr. Usman Bugaje said Northern Nigeria has experienced decades of economic decline, insecurity and institutional decay because it has moved away from the visionary leadership exemplified by the late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina and his contemporaries. He highlighted declining food production, widespread displacement, rising poverty and weakened education and healthcare systems as evidence of the region's deepening crisis.

Both speakers urged Northern leaders and residents to embrace the values of integrity, accountability and responsible leadership demonstrated by past leaders. They argued that rebuilding those principles is essential to addressing insecurity, reviving the economy and restoring the region's long-term development.