1000’s of northern stakeholders, underneath the aegis of Northern Progressives Coalition, NPC, converged in Abuja on Thursday to endorse President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for re-election in 2027.
The NPC represents a broad spectrum of democratic forces throughout the 19 northern states.
In a press release launched in Abuja, NPC Convener Usman Abdullahi stated the stakeholders determined to endorse the Tinubu-Shettima administration as a result of it’s the “most reliable management” in Nigeria’s 65 years of independence.
Abdullahi stated the administration has sparked a socio-political renaissance that has considerably uplifted Northern Nigeria by way of focused reforms and inclusive insurance policies.
The stakeholders embrace representatives of conventional establishments, political leaders, civil society organizations, in addition to ladies and youth coalitions.
Based on Abdullahi, the Tibubu-Shettima administration is successfully addressing decades-long challenges, together with systemic underdevelopment, political marginalization, financial disenfranchisement and infrastructure neglect.
He stated, “For too lengthy, the North has been depicted in sterile knowledge that fails to seize the cruel realities from Bauchi to Zamfara, Taraba to Sokoto.
“But, in lower than two years, Tinubu and Shettima have introduced a ray of hope, delivering visionary insurance policies that prioritise the North as an important pillar in Nigeria’s nationwide structure.”
Additional highlighting key achievements of the administration, NPC emphasised unprecedented Northern illustration in federal appointments.
“For the primary time, Northern technocrats occupy strategic portfolios in safety, commerce, oil regulation, and schooling reform, not as tokens however as co-architects of Nigeria’s renaissance,” Abdullahi said.
He went forward to checklist initiatives together with the commissioning of a sophisticated oncology heart in Katsina underneath a nationwide most cancers care growth coverage. Based on him, the middle has lowered the necessity for most cancers sufferers from the North to journey to Lagos or Abuja for therapy.
“The Nationwide Scholar Mortgage Scheme, financing over 396,000 college students, has seen Northern college students account for 55% of beneficiaries, receiving over N45 billion of the N77 billion disbursed by the Nationwide Training Mortgage Fund (NELFUND).
“Training reforms have been a cornerstone, with over 120 studying facilities established throughout Northern senatorial districts, outfitted with solar energy and protected water programs. The partnership with the Common Primary Training Fee (UBEC) has revitalized 101 Almajiri and Tsangaya schooling facilities in states like Bauchi, Niger, Kaduna, and Kano.
“The Nationwide Fee for Almajiri and Out-of-Faculty Kids Training (NCAOOSCE) has drafted a nationwide coverage, whereas the proposed Almajiri Well being Scheme goals to supply medical insurance to enrolled youngsters, aligning schooling with wellness,” Abdullahi added.
He equally highlighted infrastructure improvement, noting that initiatives just like the N740.79 billion Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway, the 1,068km Sokoto-Badagry Freeway, and the N305 billion Abuja-Lokoja-Benin Highway dualization had showcased the administration’s dedication.
Abdullahi additional confused that the dredging of the River Niger round Lokoja and the BUA Group-funded Bode Saadu-Kaima-Kosubosu Highway has boosted mobility and commerce within the North.
“These will not be mere guarantees however initiatives with budgetary backing and visual progress,” he stated
The Northern teams added that the removing of the gasoline subsidy has uncovered corrupt cabals, unlocking funds for native manufacturing and decentralised development. The coalition in the identical vein hailed the administration’s tax reforms, together with incentives for agro-processors and VAT exemptions for small-scale merchants, which has empowered the North’s agricultural base.
Abdullahi added that empowerment packages underneath the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs have reached grassroots communities in Sokoto, Niger, Kebbi, Taraba and Yobe, supporting victims of insecurity and fostering financial dignity.
Calling for continuity, the coalition warned that 2027 election should not be a “12 months of political experimentation”.
Abdullahi emphasised the necessity for stability to maintain financial reforms like subsidy removing, naira floatation, and tax restructuring, which require multi-year cycles to yield full advantages.
“No different president-vice president pairing has understood the North’s developmental wants like Tinubu and Shettima,” he stated, praising Shettima’s strategic perception as a former governor and banker.
The NPC dismissed opposition candidates as missing imaginative and prescient, accusing them of exploiting the North throughout elections with “deceitful guarantees”.
Nevertheless, the coalition additionally proposed suggestions to additional progress.
Particularly, the teams known as for the growth of agro-processing zones, institutionalization of a Northern Academic Renaissance Scheme underneath NELFUND, rehabilitation of grazing reserves, institution of youth tech hubs and creation of a Northern Ladies Enterprise Assist Fund.
Additionally they urged tighter oversight of Northern appointees to make sure service-oriented management.
“The North has suffered sufficient from political manipulation and financial sabotage. We’re not on the margins however on the epicenter of governance,” Abdullahi confused whereas calling on governors, lawmakers, conventional rulers and youths to unfold the “Renewed Hope for the Northern Renaissance” agenda.
He additionally urged them to advocate for a renewed Tinubu-Shettima mandate in 2027 to safe Nigeria’s and the North’s future prosperity.
