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From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Isah Abubakar, has criticised the composition of the newly constituted Board of Trustees of the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund (NNSTF).
President of the Council Isah Abubakar, described the appointment of predominantly retired military, police and public service officials as a misplaced approach to addressing the region’s security challenges.
The criticism followed the release of the 19-member Board of Trustees, which comprises former senior military officers, retired police chiefs, ex-public servants and other prominent northern leaders during the routine meeting of the Northern Governors Forum and Northern Traditional Council in Kaduna.
The board is co-chaired by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Mahmoud Yayale Ahmed and former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai (retd).
Reacting to the development, Abubakar alleged that those now being entrusted with mobilising resources to tackle insecurity were part of the leadership class that failed to prevent the region’s current security crisis while they held influential positions.
“Entrusting a group of older leaders with resolving the very crises they created during their prime is the height of delusion.
“Having failed to fix these issues when they held absolute power, they now return to raise funds for their own legacy of mismanagement,” he said.
According to him, the composition of the board reflected a recurring pattern in Nigeria’s governance, where the same individuals who previously occupied key positions are repeatedly called upon to address long-standing national challenges.
“It highlights a painful irony in our national governance: we are treating the authors of our problems as their saviours,” he added.
The NYCN president called for greater inclusion of young professionals, security experts, innovators and community leaders in initiatives aimed at addressing insecurity in Northern Nigeria, insisting that fresh ideas and new leadership perspectives were needed to confront the region’s evolving security threats.
The Fund is expected to mobilise resources including the promised N1 billion monthly contribution by the 19 states, and support efforts to strengthen security across the 19 northern states.
However, the composition of its newly inaugurated board has already sparked debate over whether retired public office holders should continue to dominate strategic national assignments.
