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• North has lost its identity –Northern Elders
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving security, expanding infrastructure, and sustaining reforms across key sectors, saying the challenges of insecurity, particularly in Northern Nigeria, will soon be overcome.
The President made the remarks in a speech delivered on his behalf by his Special Assistant on Political Matters, Alhaji Ibrahim Masari, at the 3rd General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference.
Paying tribute to the late General Hassan Usman Katsina, Tinubu described him as a patriot who exemplified humility, courage, discipline and unwavering commitment to national unity.
He commended the organisers of the memorial conference for preserving the legacy of one of Nigeria’s foremost military leaders.
“General Hassan Usman Katsina embodied the finest virtues of public service. His uncommon commitment to the unity of this country laid part of the foundation for the democracy and freedoms we enjoy today,” the President said.
Tinubu noted that the late military leader served with distinction as Military Governor of the defunct Northern Region and later as Chief of Army Staff during the Nigerian Civil War, adding that his values of patriotism, education and service to humanity should continue to inspire future generations.
The President assured Nigerians that his administration remains committed to protecting the legacies of the country’s past heroes while tackling contemporary challenges.
“By the grace of Allah, the challenges of insecurity confronting us, particularly in Northern Nigeria, will soon be behind us,” he said.
Highlighting his administration’s achievements, Tinubu said more than one million Nigerian students have benefited from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), while reforms such as the removal of tertiary institutions from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) have restored institutional autonomy and contributed to sustained academic stability.
He also said the Federal Government has invested in education infrastructure through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), approved a new national curriculum, expanded technical and vocational education, and established new federal universities and polytechnics across several states.
On infrastructure, the President said work is ongoing on major road projects, including the reconstruction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway, the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, the Sokoto-Zamfara-Kaduna Road, and the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe highway, describing them as strategic investments aimed at boosting connectivity and economic growth.
Tinubu also highlighted ongoing investments in the power sector, including the Kaduna Power Station, the 40-megawatt Kumbotso High Voltage Power Project, rural solar electrification initiatives, and the revitalisation of the 215-megawatt Kaduna Power Plant to support industrial development.
He announced that the Federal Government has approved the upgrade of the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Kaduna into a full-fledged university named after General Shehu Musa Yar’adua, adding that the institution is more than 90 per cent completed and has already commenced academic activities.
The President further said the government is advancing major rail projects, including the Kaduna-Kano and Kano-Maradi rail lines, while funding has been committed for the Kaduna and Kano light rail projects, alongside the rehabilitation of the Abuja Metro Rail and the upgrade of the Abuja-Kaduna train service.
Tinubu said his administration has also made progress in agriculture, food security, youth empowerment and social welfare programmes, describing the initiatives as the foundation of a “new Nigeria.”
He maintained that the administration is matching its promises with concrete actions and expressed optimism that the reforms being implemented would leave lasting benefits for future generations.
The President called for unity and prayers for the nation’s continued progress, urging Nigerians to work together in building a prosperous and peaceful country.
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However, prominent northern elder statesmen have expressed concern over what they described as the loss of Northern Nigeria’s identity, warning that the region’s current social, economic and leadership challenges stem from a departure from the values that once defined it.
The concerns were raised on Saturday at the 3rd General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference, where speakers reflected on the legacy of the late former Military Governor of Northern Nigeria and Chief of Army Staff, urging today’s leaders to embrace the principles of integrity, discipline, accountability and selfless service that characterized his public life.
Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, delivered the strongest message at the conference, lamenting that the region had drifted from the ideals handed down by its founding leaders.
“The North has lost its identity,” Abdullahi declared. “If we have not lost the values we inherited from our parents and pioneer leaders, the North would not be where it is today.”
According to him, while physical development may be visible across towns and cities, the more fundamental challenge facing the region is the erosion of its moral and leadership values.
“The North is in a pathetic situation,” he said. “The basic issue concerning where the North finds itself today is the loss of our values.”
Abdullahi argued that the late General Hassan Usman Katsina represented a generation of leaders who embodied those values throughout their public service, adding that restoring such ideals was essential to rebuilding the region.
“If we can recover those values the way General Hassan Katsina accepted and practiced them from the beginning to the end, the North would have been a different place from what it is today,” he said.
Drawing from his experience as one of the first graduates employed by the former Northern Nigeria Government, Abdullahi also recalled the region’s strong agricultural foundation, noting that agriculture, cotton production and textile industries once created employment opportunities for millions of Nigerians.
He urged governments to revive agricultural development programmes, insisting they remain vital to the future prosperity of Northern Nigeria.
“I am thinking that that programme must not die. If you keep that in your mind and in whatever you do, a lot of things will change for the better future of our children and grandchildren,” he said.
Also speaking, chairman of the occasion, retired Major General Alwali Kazir described the memorial conference as more than a remembrance of an outstanding military officer, saying it was an opportunity to reflect on leadership qualities urgently needed in Nigeria today.
General Kazir was Military Governor of Kwara State, from December 1989 to January 1992 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida
According to him, General Hassan Usman Katsina belonged to a generation that understood that leadership was defined not by privilege or position, but by responsibility, character and service to the people.
He said Katsina’s journey from Barewa College into the Nigerian Army and later to national leadership demonstrated how quality education, discipline and practical experience could produce exemplary leaders.
Kazir noted that as Military Governor of the former Northern Nigeria and later Chief of Army Staff, Hassan Katsina served during one of Nigeria’s most difficult periods, distinguishing himself through professionalism, fairness, commitment to national unity and calm leadership.
He said the theme of the conference, “Reflections on General Hassan Usman Katsina’s Vision: Prospects for Northern Nigeria,” challenged participants not merely to celebrate history but to rediscover enduring principles of ethical leadership, accountability, national cohesion, respect for diversity and commitment to the common good.
“The greatest tribute we can pay to General Hassan Usman Katsina is not merely to remember what he did, but to emulate the values by which he lived; courage, discipline, justice, selfless service, and an unwavering commitment to the unity and progress of Nigeria,” Kazir said.
The memorial conference brought together former military officers, traditional leaders, academics, public officials and members of the Northern Elders Forum to honour the legacy of the late General Hassan Usman Katsina while reflecting on the future of Northern Nigeria.
