Northern Nigeria's Leadership Crisis Discussed at Conference

At the third edition of the Late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference held at Arewa House in Kaduna, elder statesman Prof. Ango Abdullahi and political economist Prof. Usman Bugaje expressed deep concerns about the decline of values and leadership in Northern Nigeria. Abdullahi, a former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, stated that the region has lost the foundational values inherited from its pioneer leaders, attributing its stagnation to moral and leadership failures rather than a lack of physical development.

He emphasized that despite urban expansion, virtues such as discipline and selfless leadership have diminished. Bugaje echoed these sentiments, highlighting the region's economic decline, insecurity, and institutional collapse, which he linked to a departure from the leadership ideals exemplified by Gen. Hassan Katsina.

He pointed out the alarming decrease in food production, rising poverty, and the collapse of education and healthcare, questioning the current leadership's direction and sanity.