Elder statesman and former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has expressed concern over the erosion of values and leadership in Northern Nigeria, saying the region’s current challenges are largely the result of abandoning the principles upheld by its founding leaders.
Naijaonpoint reports that Abdullahi spoke on Saturday at the third edition of the Late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference held at Arewa House, Kaduna.
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.
The conference had as its theme, “From Sacrifice to Strategy: Rekindling Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina’s Vision for a Prosperous Northern Nigeria.”
The former ABU Vice-Chancellor said the North had moved away from the values handed down by its parents and pioneer leaders, arguing that the region’s stagnation was more about moral and leadership failure than a lack of physical development.
‘The North Has Lost Its Values’
Abdullahi said the decline in values such as discipline, honesty, sacrifice and selfless leadership had contributed significantly to the problems facing the region.
“The North has lost its values. You may not want to hear this, but that is the case today. If we have not lost the values we inherited from our parents, from our pioneer leaders, the North will not be where it is today,” he said.
He noted that although many cities in the region had witnessed physical expansion, the moral qualities that once defined the North had gradually disappeared.
According to him, the development of buildings and infrastructure would not solve the region’s fundamental problems if its people continued to neglect the values that once guided its leaders.
“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 said.
Abdullahi urged present-day leaders to study and emulate the life of the late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina, whom he described as a symbol of integrity, accountability and selfless service.
“If we can go back to those values, particularly by remembering those who inherited them and practised them, there is no doubt in my mind that the North would have been different today,” he added.
North Facing Economic, Security Crisis – Bugaje
Delivering the keynote address, former presidential candidate and political commentator, Dr Usman Bugaje, said the North had endured years of economic decline, insecurity and institutional decay.
He attributed the situation partly to the region’s departure from the leadership ideals represented by the late Gen. Hassan Katsina and other leaders of his generation.
Bugaje painted a grim picture of the situation, saying declining food production, mass displacement, poverty and the collapse of key public services had worsened the condition of millions of people in the region.
“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,” he said.
He said the worsening insecurity had also affected agriculture, business activities and social life across the North.
Bugaje questioned the ability of the region’s current leaders to provide solutions to the growing challenges.
He asked whether the North still had leaders who could provide the direction and courage needed to address the problems facing the region.
“It is indeed time to ask how much of the North still remains. Or better still, how much of the sanity of the elite, especially those in government, still remains? 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.
The keynote speaker also criticised sections of the Northern elite for what he described as complacency.
He said some members of the elite had become accustomed to complaining about the region’s problems without taking practical steps to address them.
“It has become the pastime of the elite to sit in the comfort of their homes and say that the North is in trouble. Some even scream that the North is finished. These comments only betray the complacency or even the complicity of the northern elite,” he said.
Bugaje also recalled an encounter he had with the late Gen. Hassan Katsina, saying the former military governor encouraged him to remain committed to speaking out on issues he believed were important.
He narrated how the then American ambassador had travelled to Kaduna to complain about an article he wrote criticising Western imperialism.
According to Bugaje, rather than reprimanding him, Hassan Katsina read the article and encouraged him to continue writing.
“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,” he said.
Bugaje said leaders of Hassan Katsina’s generation combined modern education with strong Northern values, including discipline, modesty, justice and commitment to their communities.
He said those leaders were known for their contentment, respect for rules and procedures, modesty and dedication to public service.
“General Hassan’s generation had an infusion of a high dose of our value system. We saw it in their contentment, commitment to their communities, respect for rules and procedures, modesty and decorum, and their vision of a prosperous North where every Northerner became his brother’s keeper,” he said.
Call For Return To Old Values
Bugaje urged current leaders across the region to return to the values that guided previous generations of Northern leaders.
He said doing so would help the region confront its growing security, economic and social challenges and restore hope among its people.
