Governors and traditional rulers of Nigeria’s Northern region on Monday met at Government House Kaduna, Kaduna State over the worsening insecurity in the country.
The meeting was supposed to hold on Saturday, November 29, 2025 but was rescheduled.
“The meeting aims to develop a unified approach to tackling security concerns affecting the region and discuss the way forward on security matters,” Peter Ahemba, Senior Special Assistant to the Nasarawa State Governor on Public Affairs, had told Daily Trust.
“Due to the security challenges in some northern states, the Nasarawa State government has taken proactive measures by organizing an emergency security meeting, where decisive decisions will be made to prevent any breach of security in the state.
“It is the duty of citizens to help deal with security threats in our country and state. Therefore, citizens must do well by providing security agencies with relevant information about individuals with criminal tendencies.”
Governors attending the ongoing meeting are Uba Sani (Kaduna), Umar Bago (Niger), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), and Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), among others.
Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, Sa’ad Abubakar II, at the meeting called on Governors of the 19 Northern States to listen more attentively to their critics and use constructive feedback to strengthen governance across the region.
He warned that dismissing criticism could slow down efforts to address the region’s challenges, especially insecurity, poverty, and economic hardship.
The Sultan stressed that no leader seeking the people’s mandate would deliberately turn his back on citizens after assuming office.
The Sultan lamented that Governors were often unfairly accused of inaction, despite the enormous pressures they face.
“I always feel bad when I hear that the governor doesn’t want to do anything or the president doesn’t want to do anything. No governor, no President will ask for people’s votes and, when he takes office, all he does is turn his back against the people,” he said.
He urged the Governors to “listen to critics, listen to criticisms also, listen to critiques, and make amendments whenever these arise,” noting that genuine feedback can guide better decision-making.
While expressing confidence in the governors, the Sultan reminded them of the need for unity and intensified collaboration.
He praised their efforts, acknowledging that many of the recent meeting postponements were due to official engagements.
According to him, hard work and coordinated action were essential to securing the North and stabilising Nigeria.
“We are 100% with you in this drive to make the North a better place. You have our confidence, you have our trust. You can reach out to us any time of the day,” he assured the governors.
The Sultan also called for more frequent engagement between governors and traditional rulers across the geopolitical zones, proposing structured meetings to harmonize decisions affecting the North.
He further reaffirmed the traditional rulers’ commitment to supporting the governors.
“Whatever it takes to bring peace and stability to the North and to the country, we will do it. We don’t think we have any other place to run to except our place,” he added.
