ABUJA, Nigeria — Northern leaders have called for sweeping reforms to address rising insecurity, poverty, youth unemployment, and governance challenges across Northern Nigeria, warning that the region can no longer ignore deep structural failures affecting its development.
The call was made at the 2nd Liberty Symposium held in Abuja, themed “Re-Imagining the North: Media, Productive Power and the Making of the Next Northern Nigeria,” which brought together policymakers, traditional rulers, security experts, academics, business leaders, and civil society organisations.
In a statement signed by spokesperson Mallam Aminu Imam in Lafia, the leaders said urgent action is needed to confront banditry, economic stagnation, educational decline, and widening social divisions in the region.
“The North remains one of Nigeria’s most strategic assets, yet it continues to underperform despite its vast agricultural, mineral, and human resources,” participants declared.
The symposium warned that insecurity, weak institutions, poor educational outcomes, and youth disenfranchisement have become major threats to the region’s stability and future prosperity.
It also emphasized the need for what it described as a “New Northern Consensus” anchored on truth, productivity, merit, unity, and accountable leadership.
According to the statement, “Northern Nigeria must shift from dependency to productivity, innovation, and responsible governance if it is to remain competitive in a rapidly changing world.”
A major focus of the discussions was the Almajiri education system, which participants described as a critical social challenge requiring urgent reform through integration of modern education, vocational training, entrepreneurship, and technology skills.
The leaders also expressed concern over rising ethnic, religious, and political tensions, warning that fragmentation is weakening collective responses to shared challenges.
They further highlighted the role of the media in shaping development outcomes, investment confidence, and public accountability, while lamenting the marginalisation of Northern-owned media organisations in national advertising distribution.
The symposium also called for stronger national security partnerships and regulation of international broadcasters to protect Nigeria’s information sovereignty and media space.
The event concluded with the unveiling of the Abuja Media Compact for the Next Northern Nigeria (2026–2036), a framework aimed at driving regional transformation, economic growth, and social renewal through coordinated media and policy engagement.
