Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and industrialist Aliko Dangote on Friday delivered stern warnings to northern leaders, cautioning that the region risks worsening insecurity, economic stagnation and social collapse unless it urgently resets its priorities and rebuilds unity.
Speaking at the 25th anniversary dinner of the Arewa Consultative Forum in Kaduna, Atiku said the North cannot afford complacency at a time when insecurity, poverty and educational decline are crippling its social and economic future.
He warned that without a clear vision and collective resolve, the region would continue to drift and sink deeper into instability. Atiku commended past leaders of the ACF for sustaining the body through difficult times but insisted that nostalgia must give way to honest assessment and strategic decision-making.
Recalling his role in unifying the region’s divided political blocs after he assumed office in 1999, Atiku said he initiated a reconciliation process led by the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, which eventually birthed the modern ACF. He reminded the gathering that the forum was created not only to foster political cohesion but also to drive development inspired by the vision of Sir Ahmadu Bello.
Atiku cited the Sardauna’s 1961 priorities of education, agriculture and industrial expansion, stressing that they remain even more urgent today. He highlighted past interventions such as the Northern Education Project, which exposed the region’s deteriorating schools and triggered reforms that improved enrolment and transition rates.
He also referenced the Northern Development Project, designed to rebuild agricultural value chains and address climate-related productivity challenges. Atiku lamented that despite these efforts, structural problems such as energy poverty and multiple taxation still hinder northern industries two decades later.
Warning that fear, misinformation and divisive rhetoric were being weaponised by adversaries, Atiku urged the region to emulate countries like India and China, which have achieved economic transformation despite deep ethnic and cultural diversity. He challenged northern leaders to confront critical questions of population growth, food security, education, employment and readiness for a knowledge-based global economy.
According to him, the moment for northern unity and decisive leadership has arrived.
Also speaking at the event, Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, linked the region’s economic stagnation and rising insecurity to decades of policy inconsistency and chronic electricity shortages.
Dangote said many promising northern industries collapsed because government policies constantly shifted, eroding investor confidence. He recalled commissioning Arthur Andersen, now part of KPMG, to study why northern textile giants and other industrialists failed despite solid foundations. The findings pointed largely to unpredictable government policies and unreliable power supply.
He disclosed that the Dangote Group connects to public electricity only in South Africa and Ethiopia due to Nigeria’s unstable grid. Without adequate power, he said, sustainable growth is impossible.
Dangote added that insecurity, youth unemployment and economic displacement in the North are the consequences of long-standing neglect. He urged northern leaders to adopt a coherent, long-term economic plan anchored on education, agriculture and industrialisation, aligning with the transformation agenda outlined by Atiku.
He noted that although the region possesses the landmass and population to become West Africa’s food production hub, poor planning and inconsistent investment have held it back. Without urgent corrective action, he cautioned, the crises confronting the North will affect everyone.
Despite the celebratory mood of the ACF’s silver jubilee, both leaders emphasised that the anniversary should serve as a wake-up call. Their message was clear: the North is at a defining moment, and failure to act could be costly for generations to come.
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