President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described insecurity as his most pressing concern, warning that Nigeria risks deeper security crises, economic decline, and growing educational disparities if national trust is not rebuilt.
Speaking through the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, at the 25th Anniversary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the launch of its Endowment Fund in Kaduna, the President delivered an address titled “A Generation Summoned by a Crisis.”
Tinubu said his administration inherited significant security challenges but is confronting them with urgency and determination.
“Nothing troubles me more gravely than the security crisis bedevilling Nigeria, especially Northern Nigeria. Affliction in any part of the country is a setback for all,” he said, emphasizing that although the scale of insecurity is daunting, it remains solvable.
He charged Northern leaders to show honesty and courage in addressing the crisis, stressing that the region must not fail its most vulnerable citizens. “We fail the day we sleep comfortably while millions sleep hungry—the day fear becomes a permanent companion for travellers,” he warned.
The President acknowledged that decades of dysfunction have strained unity across the North, but maintained that the region’s ethnic and religious diversity remains a source of resilience and strength.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment, Tinubu vowed to dismantle terrorist and bandit networks and steer the North away from economic stagnation. He expressed optimism about the region’s future, noting hopes for crude oil production from Kolmani and other emerging oil fields.
Tinubu also highlighted ongoing federal investments in critical infrastructure, including the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Superhighway, which is expected to be inaugurated soon in Kano.
He noted that every generation faces defining challenges, adding that the present duty is to confront the North’s security decline and the erosion of communal values.
Tinubu commended the Arewa Consultative Forum for 25 years of steadfast advocacy and its role as a stabilizing force in national discourse.
