Northern Elders Forum Calls for Return to Core Values

At the third edition of the Late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference held at Arewa House in Kaduna, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum and former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, and political economist Dr. Usman Bugaje lamented the decline of values and leadership ideals in Northern Nigeria. Abdullahi stated that the region has lost the moral values that once made it respected, attributing its current state of insecurity, poverty, and underdevelopment to this loss.

He emphasized that despite physical expansion in Northern cities, virtues such as honesty and selfless leadership have diminished. Abdullahi urged a return to the values embodied by the late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina.

Bugaje echoed these sentiments, highlighting the economic decline, insecurity, and institutional decay in the North, questioning the current leadership and direction in the region. He noted the significant challenges facing the North, including decreased food production and increased poverty.