By Halimah Nuhu Sanda
This is not a ceremonial appeal, and it is not another polite engagement with power. It is a direct and necessary question to every individual who has held, currently holds, or seeks to hold political office in Northern Nigeria. From councillors to governors, from current officeholders to those preparing for 2027, the question is simple and unavoidable. What exactly is your plan for Arewa between 2027 and 2031?
This question is no longer optional because the condition of the North no longer allows for ambiguity. For decades, leadership in the region has rotated among a familiar circle of individuals. Titles have changed, offices have shifted, alliances have evolved, but the lived reality of the people has remained largely the same. Entire generations have come of age under this system of governance. Many of them cannot point to any meaningful transformation that reflects the promises repeatedly made in their name.
It is important to be clear. This is not an attack on the North as a people or a culture. It is a call to account for leadership. The North remains a region of immense potential, rich in human capital, history, and influence. Yet it continues to struggle with some of the most basic indicators of development. Children are still out of school in alarming numbers. Primary healthcare systems remain weak or inaccessible in many communities. Maternal and child mortality rates are still unacceptably high. Insecurity continues to disrupt livelihoods, education, and movement. These are not new problems. They are longstanding challenges that have persisted despite years of political control and influence at both state and national levels.
This is why the question of a plan matters. Not a vision framed in general language, but a clear, measurable, time-bound strategy. Between 2027 and 2031, what will change? How will outcomes improve in ways that are visible and verifiable? What will be different in the daily life of the ordinary Northerner?
For decades, political engagement in the Arewa has relied on rhetoric that does not translate into results. Campaign periods are marked by strong declarations and emotional appeals, but governance periods often fall short of those commitments. The gap between what is promised and what is delivered has become a defining feature of leadership in the region. That gap must now be confronted directly.
It is no longer sufficient for leaders to speak in broad terms about development. The issues facing the North are well known, and so are many of the solutions. Education systems require expansion and quality improvement. Primary healthcare needs consistent investment, staffing, and accountability. Economic opportunities for young people must move beyond temporary engagements and into sustainable job creation. Security challenges require not only forceful responses but also coordinated strategies that address root causes. None of these areas are new, and none of them lack policy options.
What appears to be lacking is urgency, discipline, and accountability.
The people of the North deserve to know whether their leaders are satisfied with the current state of affairs. It is a difficult question, but it must be asked. Can any leader genuinely say that the region is on a satisfactory path? Can any leader confidently claim that they have done all that was within their power to improve the conditions they inherited? Or has governance, in many cases, been reduced to maintaining political relevance rather than delivering measurable progress?
These questions are not intended to provoke defensiveness. They are intended to provoke reflection and, more importantly, action. Leadership carries a responsibility that goes beyond occupying office. It requires the ability to translate authority into impact. Without that translation, political power becomes an exercise without purpose.
The next electoral cycle presents an opportunity, but it also presents a test. Between 2027 and 2031, four years will once again be placed in the hands of elected leaders. Four years is not an insignificant period. It is enough time to begin meaningful reform, to implement targeted interventions, and to demonstrate a clear shift in direction. It is enough time to produce outcomes that can be measured in classrooms built, health facility equipped, Jobs created, roads completed, and lives improved.
The expectation, therefore, is straightforward. Every leader seeking public trust must present a coherent plan for those four years. That plan must go beyond general intentions. It must include specific targets, defined priorities, and a clear approach to implementation. It must also be open to scrutiny, because without scrutiny, accountability cannot exist.
Citizens are no longer passive participants in the political process. They are increasingly informed, increasingly aware, and increasingly unwilling to accept explanations that do not align with their lived experiences. They can see the gap between potential and performance. They can observe the contrast between what is possible and what is currently delivered. This awareness changes the nature of the relationship between leaders and the people. It introduces a demand for clarity that cannot be ignored.
The North does not lack capable individuals. It does not lack ideas. What it requires now is a shift in how leadership is understood and practiced. It requires leaders who approach governance with seriousness, who recognise the scale of the challenges before them, and who are willing to be evaluated based on outcomes rather than intentions.
There is also a need to move away from the normalisation of underperformance. When poor outcomes are repeatedly explained away, they gradually become accepted as inevitable. This acceptance is dangerous because it lowers expectations and weakens the demand for better governance. The North cannot afford this. Its population is growing, its challenges are deepening, and the cost of inaction is increasing.
This is why the focus must remain on the immediate horizon. Not on distant projections or long-term aspirations that may never be realised, but on the tangible period between 2027 and 2031. What will change within that timeframe? What will improve in ways that people can see, feel, and measure?
Every leader who seeks to represent the North must be prepared to answer these questions with honesty and precision. General statements will no longer suffice. The region deserves clarity. It deserves direction. It deserves results.
The future of Arewa cannot continue to be shaped by recycled promises and familiar patterns of governance. It requires a deliberate break from the past, anchored in planning, execution, and accountability. That break will not happen by chance. It will happen only if leaders choose to act differently and if citizens insist on that difference.
As 2027 approaches, the message to Northern leaders is firm but fair. Present your plan. Define your priorities. Show how you intend to deliver measurable change within four years. Anything less will only reinforce the concerns that have brought us to this point.
The North has waited long enough. The question remains, and it will not go away. What is your plan for Arewa between 2027 and 2031?
Halimah Nuhu Sanda can be reached via halimahwrites@romzaibfoundation.org 8100000137 (Text only)