From Femi Mustapha, in Kaduna
The former Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has said that the root cause of Northern Nigeria’s persistent underdevelopment lies not with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but with past Northern leaders who failed to use their time in power to transform the region.
Speaking when members of the Tijjaniyya Grassroots Mobilization and Empowerment Initiative of Nigeria (TIGMEIN) paid him a courtesy visit at his Kaduna residence, Senator Sani said the North gained little during the eight-year administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, despite widespread expectations.
“We had Buhari in power for eight years, but the North remained backward and impoverished. Industries like KTL, UNTL, Nortex, Arewa Textiles, and others were abandoned. Our leaders lacked vision and pursued development only for their families,” he said.
The former lawmaker lamented the dashed hopes of many northerners who believed that electing “one of their own” in 2015 would bring significant improvements. Instead, he said, the region continues to suffer from poverty, insecurity, unemployment, and decaying infrastructure.
According to Sani, it is both deceptive and unjust to blame President Tinubu, who has only been in office for two years, for problems that were long in the making.
“The North’s problems didn’t begin two years ago when Tinubu took over. They stem from selfish power struggles and missed opportunities. Former leaders had the chance to fix education, healthcare, and security, but they failed,” he said.
He accused some of the past Northern leaders of looting public resources, abandoning critical projects, and neglecting to represent the true interests of the region in national development efforts.
“Today, they want to deceive you that Tinubu is your problem. But ask yourself — did these bad hospitals, failed roads, insecurity, and poverty start just 24 months ago? These leaders were in power and failed to act. Some even stopped attending Arewa meetings,” Sani noted.
He also cited neglected infrastructure projects like the Kaduna–Abuja road, Minna–Abuja road, Lokoja–Abuja expressway, Ajaokuta Steel Company, and the Mambilla Power Project as clear indicators of leadership failure.
In a final message, Senator Sani urged the people of the North to resist propaganda aimed at recycling failed politicians, warning that returning them to power would yield no meaningful change.
“No matter how bad things may seem now, know this — your brothers from the North failed you. And if they return to power, nothing will change. The problem is not Tinubu — it is our selfish Northern leaders who had power and wasted it,” he concluded.
Sani, however, commended TIGMEIN for its grassroots empowerment drive, particularly its efforts to equip women and youths with skills for self-reliance and employment, describing it as a critical step towards reducing poverty and promoting peace in the region.
