Northern socio-political groups including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and Northern Reconciliation Forum (NRF) have said that the North has never remained the same since the assassination of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, describing his death as a major turning point that fractured the region’s unity and stability.

The groups also lamented worsening insecurity, poor leadership, and socio-economic decline in the region, six decades after the murder of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria.

They spoke on Thursday in Kaduna at a press briefing to announce a planned conference titled “Sixty Years Without the Sardauna”, scheduled for the first week of April 2026.

The text of the briefing was read by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ACF, Bashir Dalhatu, on behalf of other northern institutions, including the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Arewa House, CEDDART, Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP), Arewa Defence League, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), among others.

Dalhatu recalled that Sir Ahmadu Bello and some of his colleagues were murdered exactly 60 years ago by what he described as “rogue elements of the Nigerian military,” an event which he said plunged the country into a chain of crises, culminating in the 30-month civil war and the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.

“Although Nigeria marks today as Armed Forces Remembrance Day and rightly celebrates the sacrifices of our military personnel, key elements of our history must also be remembered, especially those that define major turning points in our lives as Northerners and Nigerians,” he said.

According to him, the Sardauna occupies a special place in the hearts of Northerners for his visionary leadership, commitment to unity, integrity in public office and massive investments in education, health, infrastructure and economic development.

He cited the establishment of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, as one of the enduring legacies of the late leader, noting that Sardauna laid the foundation for hundreds of educational institutions that gave equal opportunities to children of both the rich and the poor.

Dalhatu said late Premier ran an inclusive administration that respected the region’s religious and ethnic diversity, prioritised the welfare of the poor, and balanced free enterprise with social responsibility.

“Sixty years later, more than 70 per cent of Northerners are under the age of 60 and never experienced that era of leadership. To many of them, the achievements of the Sardauna sound like tales, especially in the face of today’s realities,” he noted.

He lamented the rise in the number of out-of-school children, the Almajiri phenomenon, the high cost of governance following the creation of 19 states from the old Northern Region, worsening inter-communal conflicts and daily loss of lives due to insecurity.

“When young people hear that the Sardauna left behind only one personal house, they find it difficult to believe, given contemporary narratives of leadership,” Dalhatu added.

He explained that the planned April conference would not be an exercise in nostalgia but a deliberate attempt to critically assess the North’s past, present and future, with a view to charting practical strategies for rebuilding the region.

The conference, he said, would bring together elders, traditional and religious leaders, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, women, and youths, and would focus on security, economic development, governance, and peaceful coexistence.

“The North must speak to itself honestly, listen to criticism, identify its weaknesses, and harness its strengths. Our goal is to rebuild a North that works for the farmer, the teacher, the entrepreneur, and the youth,” Dalhatu said.

He expressed hope that the conference would mark the beginning of a “productive reversal of fortunes” for the region and appealed to the media and Nigerians at large for support. (Daily Trust)