By Bala Mohammed Liman. PhD.
I am a Northerner, forged in the fires of the North—its ideals, values, and way of life. I am Muslim, placing me in the religious majority, but I am also Nupe, which marks me as a minority within the region. So, while outsiders see me as a “northerner,” within the region, I sit on its margins. Still, I will gladly carry the burden for a region that shaped my understanding of the world.
The North of my youth—40 years ago—was peaceful, rooted in friendship, and grounded in strong moral values that governed how we lived and related to one another. But over the years, it has been reshaped—disfigured—by the relentless struggle for dominance in a newly independent Nigeria built on weak foundations. In that scramble for power, the North has abandoned the very values that once held it together. Time is running out.
Today’s North faces a crisis that threatens its very soul. Violence tears through our communities. Insecurity stalks our streets and farmlands. We have almost no industry, creating massive unemployment and poverty. Our educational system lies in ruins, with most of Nigeria’s out-of-school children coming from our region. Our moral foundation crumbles daily. Divorce rates soar. Family structures break down. Children are abandoned. Banditry ravages large parts of the region, destroying livelihoods and crushing hope.
This is Northern Nigeria today: a reality so grim that many cannot see even a faint light ahead. The clock is ticking. Each day we delay action, we lose more ground. Meanwhile, the region faces growing attacks from other parts of the country. The dominant story paints the North as a burden—a parasite holding back the nation’s progress. These attacks are dangerous distractions that pull Northerners away from focusing on the internal problems that demand immediate attention.
Yes, it is true that more presidents and heads of state have come from the North. But can they alone carry the blame for Nigeria’s failures? Probably not. Those leaders did not govern alone. They were advised, supported, and sometimes pressured by elites from every corner of the country. The blame must be shared—not only across regions, but across the entire political and social elite that have collectively failed Nigeria.
We cannot wait any longer. As we move forward, we must demand more from our political class—governors, assembly members at national and state levels. They must remember the powerful words of the Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto when he stated that: “We must not just rule; we must serve. True leadership is measured by the progress of the people”. He then warned that: “I do not want the North to be a hewer of wood and a drawer of water for others. We must stand on our own feet and control our own destiny” and further cautioned that: “Begging from others weakens us. True progress comes when we rely on our own strength, our own resources, and our own people.”
Right now, the North stands on the edge of a cliff. Forces both internal and external are pushing us toward disaster. We have perhaps one generation left to turn things around. We must act now to reimagine the North, building on the foundations that once made it the pride of its people. This new North must be inclusive—welcoming all its children regardless of tribe or faith. It must be secure—protecting every citizen from violence. It must create opportunities for all, especially the youth who currently see no future worth fighting for.
On a final note, in the words of the Sardauna “Development does not come by chance; it comes by planning, hardwork, and sacrifice. We must build our roads, our schools, and our industries.” These words ring truer today than ever before. We must appreciate that northern states cannot generate this development in silos and must form a strong collaboration that cuts across states, religion and ethnicity. Only then can we see the progress that is required.
The choice is ours. We can continue down this path of decline and become true pariahs. Or we can rise up, reclaim our heritage, and build the North our ancestors would recognize with pride. The time to choose is now.
