Retired Colonel Abdulmumini Aminu, a former military governor of old Borno State, has called on northern Nigerians to overcome growing divis...
Retired Colonel Abdulmumini Aminu, a former military governor of old Borno State, has called on northern Nigerians to overcome growing divisions along ethnic and religious lines, urging a return to the unity that once defined the region.
Col. Aminu made the call on Monday during a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Prof Adamu Ahmed. The retired military officer, who now serves as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council at Federal University Birnin Kebbi, met with university leadership to discuss issues affecting the North.
Speaking passionately, Col. Aminu decried what he described as the deepening polarisation of the North, saying it had become a major obstacle to the region’s progress.
“Today, we are not serious at all as a region. We are so polarised, so divided; we don’t respect each other,” he said. “We fear each other, and we have also discovered that we are no longer as strong as we used to be.”
“Until we get this off us, we cannot go anywhere as a region. So we need to restrategise in the interest of the North and Nigeria as a whole,” he added.
The former military administrator, who served Borno between 1985 and 1988, emphasized the need for mutual respect among ethnic groups, calling on Northerners to rekindle the sense of unity that once held them together.
He also advocated for improved parental guidance as a critical tool for societal transformation and value reorientation.
“There is a need for parental guidance, which is more impactful in shaping the attitudes and values of our youth,” he stated.
Col. Aminu further stressed the importance of quality education, particularly at the primary and secondary school levels, as a foundational solution to the region’s challenges.
In response, the Vice-Chancellor of ABU, Prof Adamu Ahmed, represented by Prof Ahmed Doko Ibrahim, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), welcomed the former governor and expressed appreciation for his insight.
Prof Ahmed echoed the concerns raised, describing the North as the “architect of its own problems.”
“The North is poor, and we have accepted to be so,” the Vice-Chancellor said. “The region’s polarisation has deeply affected the entire country.”
Prof Ahmed thanked the retired military leader for the visit and acknowledged the value of his experience, stating that the university would extend an invitation for him to address a broader audience in the near future.
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