President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said insecurity in Northern Nigeria remains his deepest concern, stressing that the crisis threatens national progress and stability.

He warned that unless trust is rebuilt, security challenges will persist, economic stagnation will deepen, and educational deficits will widen.

The President, represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, stated this on Saturday in Kaduna during the 25th Anniversary (Silver Jubilee) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the launch of the Forum’s Endowment Fund.

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In his address titled ‘A Generation Summoned by a Crisis’, President Tinubu acknowledged that his administration inherited multilayered security challenges but now addressing them with renewed urgency.

“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 every part. We cannot prosper when one limb of the national body is paralysed.

“The layers and sophistication of the security challenges we inherited are daunting, but what should inspire confidence is the urgency with which my administration is pursuing solutions.” he said.

According to him, there has never been a time when the North more urgently needed honest, courageous voices than now.

“Yes, there have been missteps. Yes, there have been moments of drift. But we cannot say the North has failed unless we abandon our responsibility to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.

“We fail the day we sleep comfortably while millions sleep with empty bellies, the day fear becomes a permanent companion for travellers moving from one village to another.

“But let no one believe that hope is lost. The dysfunction inherited over decades fractured bonds and strained unity. Yet the ethnic and religious diversity gathered here today is a declaration of the collective resolve to overcome polarisation and resist any agenda designed to divide.”

Speaking further, the President reiterated his administration’s commitment to restoring peace and prosperity across the region.

He expressed determination to eliminating terrorist and bandit groups tormenting the North and reversing the region’s economic decline.

He also expressed confidence in the North’s future potential, saying he looked forward to the day when the first tankers of crude oil from Kolmani and other Northern oil fields roll out.

Tinubu highlighted ongoing infrastructural efforts aimed at unlocking growth, particularly the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Superhighway, which, he noted, is expected to be inaugurated in Kano “in the coming months.”

Reflecting on the generational responsibility before Nigerians, he observed that each era has its unique challenges. “For some, it was to reclaim this nation from the restraints of colonial domination. For others, it was to design the architecture of a democracy that could hold our diversity together. For yet others, it was to define the moral and social character of a people emerging into modernity.”

He noted that the current generation faces “one of the gravest tests of its endurance, the corrosion of security, the erosion of communal values, and the distortion of the moral compass that once held communities as one family.”

“We came at a time of a jarring rupture in the social ethics of a region whose stability is indispensable to our nation’s collective peace and prosperity,” he added, describing the gathering as a “sacred gathering of conscience and reflection.”

Tinubu also commended the ACF, saying that for 25 years, it has remained a moral and intellectual force in Northern Nigeria. “It has assembled patriots, brilliant minds, moral fortresses, and selfless negotiators whose dedication has ensured that the North remains a central pillar in every serious national conversation.”

in his remarks, the ACF Board of Trustees Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, lamented the gruesome murder of Brigadier General of the Nigerian Army, M.UBa, shown live on social media, and the abduction of schoolchildren in Kebbi and Niger.

“Gunmen also carried out a deadly attack on a Catholic secondary school in Papiri, Niger State, where they abducted 215 secondary school pupils and 12 teachers.

“All these are happening despite the seeming best efforts of our military and others. While we appreciate and remain indebted for their sacrifices, we must understand that, we are enjoining them to do a lot more, even under these difficult circumstances.

“Endless reports of wanton killings, televised slaughter of military officers, mass abduction of school children, and further empowerment of the ETC, are totally incompatible with the security system designed to specifically prevent it.” he lamented.

He urged the government to immediately find a way to end the violence across the country.