Participants at the two-day session on government-citizens engagement, which was concluded in Kaduna on Tuesday, have urged the government to make substantial investment in education to address the out-of-school children crisis, especially in the North.
Hosted by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF), the interactive session also called for increased and accelerated infrastructural development in Nigeria.
According to a communique by SABMF’s Director General, Engr. Abubakar Gambo Umar, participants appealed that agricultural value chains and livestock development should be strengthened, while also calling for the establishment of agro-allied industries for economic diversifications.
The forum called for continued support for economic and security reforms with inclusive, community-driven, non-kinetic methods.
It recommended institutionalised periodic government-citizen dialogue platforms at the national and state levels, and commended the government’s high performance in delivering electoral promises in many areas, especially security, infrastructural development.
The session equally praised the government for the increased equitable resource availability to subnational authorities.
It recommended the engagement of civil society, traditional, and religious leaders in policy advocacy and public mobilisation, and the promotion of responsible media practices to enhance public trust and national cohesion.
Participants also resolved the promotion of regional collaboration among Northern states to drive greater interface with the Federal Government.
According to the communique, through the summit, Northern Nigeria acknowledged and commended the current administration’s high performance in fulfilling its electoral promises in many areas.
It also appreciated subsisting challenges, while participants called for more commitment to transparency, fairness and equity as elements that would foster national unity and sustenance of the country’s democracy.
It further called for continued collaboration among government, citizens, and all stakeholders as the surest path to peace, justice, and prosperity in Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu was represented by the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Governof Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State; while the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar, represented Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani served as the chief host, while the Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, Mallam Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, was the Special Guest.
The engagement featured representatives of the Federal Government, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; and included the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; members of the Federal Executive Council, heads of federal agencies, Chief of Defence Staff and security chiefs, from Northern part of the country.
In attendance also were the leaderships of SABMF, led by a former Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Muazu Babangida Aliyu; and the Arewa Consultative Forum, led by Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu.
The keynote address, delivered by Prof. Tijjani Mohammed Bande, underscored critical regional and national challenges, which, he said, were not in isolation of international events.
Citing examples with other countries, he said that Nigeria had shown resilience in tackling insecurity, poverty, and educational deficits, and advised the North to develop mechanism negotiating its interest within Nigeria that should be anchored on holistic national development goals.
