Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has criticised the slow development of the North, blaming it on the region’s inability to unite and harness its pool of talented professionals. Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) led by its BOT Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, Sani said Northern leaders must stop “repeatedly complaining” and take decisive action.
He noted that despite having experts in business, academia, medicine, and entrepreneurship, the region lacks coordination. He urged the ACF to help bring key stakeholders together and support its plan for a Central Endowment Fund, especially one that prioritises skills acquisition for youth.
Sani also highlighted high financial exclusion in the North, recalling that his administration’s Executive Order on Financial Inclusion brought over 2.1 million vulnerable residents into the financial system within a year. He called on Northern businessmen to invest in the financial sector, lamenting that more than 60% of local governments lack bank branches.
The governor praised the ACF’s renewed efforts to build bridges with other regional groups like Afenifere and Ohaneze, describing the forum as a neutral platform capable of uniting the North.
Dalhatu earlier briefed Sani on ACF’s 25th anniversary scheduled for November 20–22 in Kaduna, with Vice President Kashim Shettima as Special Guest and Aliko Dangote as keynote speaker. He said the forum planned to strengthen national cohesion and launch an endowment fund to support community development.
