Former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has attributed the stagnation of Northern Nigeria to the erosion of societal values and leadership failure.
Abdullahi spoke on Saturday at the third edition of the Late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference held at Arewa House, Kaduna.
The conference was themed: “From Sacrifice to Strategy: Rekindling Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina’s Vision for a Prosperous Northern Nigeria.”
According to him, the North would not have reached its current state if it had preserved the values inherited from its parents and pioneer leaders.
“The North has lost its values. You may not want to hear this, but that is the case today.
“If we had not lost the values we inherited from our parents and pioneer leaders, the North would not be where it is today,” he said.
The former ABU Vice-Chancellor said the expansion of cities across the region had not translated into meaningful development because the moral values that once guided the people had declined.
“The North is in a pathetic situation. For me, that is the only reason why the North has stagnated.
“Don’t worry about the buildings you see. The basic issue concerning where the North finds itself today is the loss of our values,” he added.
Abdullahi urged Northern leaders to emulate the late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina, whom he described as a symbol of integrity, accountability and selfless service.
He said returning to the values upheld by leaders of Katsina’s generation could transform the fortunes of the region.
Delivering the keynote address, former presidential aide Usman Bugaje said the North had suffered decades of economic decline, insecurity and institutional decay due to its departure from the leadership ideals exemplified by Gen. Hassan Katsina and other leaders of his generation.
“The troubles of the North are many and varied. 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,” Bugaje said.
He said insecurity had continued to undermine agriculture, commerce and social activities across the region.
Bugaje also questioned the quality of leadership in the North, asking where the region’s leaders were in the face of its growing challenges.
“Today, who is there to go to? Where are the General Hassans to complain to? Where exactly is the leadership? Where is the direction?” he asked.
He criticised sections of the Northern elite for lamenting the region’s challenges without offering practical solutions.
According to him, constantly declaring that the North is in trouble or has been destroyed only reflects the complacency and complicity of some members of the elite.
Bugaje recalled how the late Gen. Hassan Katsina encouraged him to continue writing after the then American ambassador complained about an article he had written criticising Western imperialism.
He said Katsina, rather than reprimanding him, encouraged him to continue expressing his views.
“The American ambassador came all the way to Kaduna to complain about the article. General Hassan read it himself and called me.
“Instead of asking me to stop, he told me to write more of such articles. That was the kind of leader they were. When they knew what was being done was right, they encouraged it,” Bugaje said.
Bugaje described the generation of leaders led by Hassan Katsina as men who combined modern education with strong Northern values, including discipline, modesty, justice and commitment to community service.
He urged contemporary leaders to return to those ideals to address the region’s worsening social, economic and security challenges.
The annual memorial conference was organised to honour the legacy of the late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina and provide a platform for discussions on leadership, governance and the future of Northern Nigeria.
