A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has urged political leaders, traditional rulers, intellectuals and youths in Northern Nigeria to prioritise human development, accountability and economic empowerment, warning that the region risks missing another opportunity to transform its fortunes.
Showunmi, in an open letter titled A Letter to This Generation of Arewa: Will the North Miss History Again?, a copy of which was made available to journalists on Saturday, said persistent poverty, insecurity, educational challenges and inadequate economic opportunities demanded urgent action from the region’s political class and citizens.
He argued that Northern Nigeria could not achieve meaningful progress if regional identity continued to be used to shield political leaders from scrutiny or discourage citizens from demanding accountability.
According to him, the region must move beyond political loyalty and assess its leaders based on measurable improvements in the lives of the people.
He said, “Today, when I look at the scale of the challenges confronting Northern Nigeria, I cannot help but ask myself: What happened to us? How did we arrive at this point? And why have we not summoned the collective courage to confront those responsible for the decisions and failures that brought us here?
“I cannot look at the child who should be in school but is not, and feel indifferent. I cannot think of a farmer who should be cultivating his land but is afraid to return to his farm. This mother struggles to feed her children, the young man who has become vulnerable to recruitment into violence because opportunity has abandoned him, or the family forced to flee its home, and pretend that these are merely statistics.
“Behind every statistic is a human being. Behind every percentage point is a life. Behind every development ranking is a child whose opportunities may have been narrowed before that child even understood what opportunity meant. And behind the enormous human-development challenges of Northern Nigeria are questions of leadership, public policy, institutional responsibility, and the choices that generations have made or failed to make.”
Showunmi maintained that Northern Nigeria possessed the human and material resources required to achieve substantial progress but had yet to realise much of its potential. He attributed the region’s challenges partly to leadership decisions, public policies, institutional weaknesses and the failure of successive generations to address longstanding problems effectively.
He questioned how political leaders could celebrate electoral victories while many communities continued to face insecurity, inadequate education and limited economic opportunities.
“The tragedy of Arewa is not that its people lack potential. The tragedy is that so much of that potential remains unrealised while the cost is paid by generations who had no part in creating the circumstances that constrain them,” he said.
The letter also reflected on the legacies of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and former Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, urging the present generation to assess its performance against the aspirations associated with the founding leaders.
Showunmi questioned what explanations contemporary Northern leaders would offer for the region’s persistent development challenges if they were called upon to account for their stewardship. He added, “This region must focus on building institutions, improving governance and expanding opportunities for its people instead of relying on historical achievements to justify its present circumstances”.
He urged Northern Nigerians to place the long-term welfare of the region above partisan interests and the political ambitions of individual leaders. He said the region’s future depended on its willingness to confront uncomfortable truths, demand accountability and seize opportunities to improve the lives of its people.
On President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Showunmi acknowledged that the Federal Government had embarked on major economic reforms intended to address structural weaknesses in the economy, while noting that the measures had also imposed significant immediate hardships on vulnerable households.
He said the reforms should be assessed based on their implementation, measurable outcomes and ability to improve the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians. Among the questions he raised were whether the policies would stimulate investment, improve productivity, strengthen public finances, expand employment opportunities and enable the government to fund essential infrastructure and public services.
Showunmi said Northern Nigeria must also prepare its people to benefit from any economic opportunities arising from the reforms.
