Nigeria’s prosperity tied to future of Northern region – Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has emphasized that the future of Nigeria’s prosperity cannot be separated from the progress and development of northern Nigeria.

Speaking through the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, at the Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit (NNIIS) 2025, organized by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) in Abuja, Tinubu said his administration is prioritizing industrialisation projects aimed at transforming the northern region.

The president highlighted that northern Nigeria holds vast economic potential in agriculture, energy, and trade, stressing that unlocking these resources is central to driving national growth and creating sustainable opportunities for millions of citizens.

At the summit, entitled ‘’Unlocking Northern Nigeria’s Mining, Agricultural and Power Potentials (MAP2035),’’ Tinubu said: “The future of Nigeria’s prosperity is inseparable from the future of Northern Nigeria.

‘’If we unlock the North’s minerals, we secure a new era of industrial competitiveness. If we unlock the North’s agriculture, we guarantee food security and global export leadership. If we unlock the North’s power, we ignite a wave of industrialisation that will employ millions of Nigerians.

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“President Tinubu’s economic vision is to build strong, stable and inclusive economy where government clears obstacles out of the way, where the private sector provides the engine of growth and where every Nigerian can rise.

“The North is not just a part of the country, it is the engine of the country. So together, let us seize this moment to transform northern Nigeria into the powerhouse of Nigeria’s prosperity.

“I warmly commend the Northern Elders Forum, the 19 states of Northern Nigeria, for convening this historic summit. The theme, ‘Unlocking Strategic Opportunities in Mining, Agriculture, and Power’, MAP for short, could not be more fitting because these sectors do represent the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and indeed the foundation for industrialization.

“In the second quarter of 2025, that’s just this last quarter, April to June, the GDP of Nigeria grew by 4.23%, the strongest growth in a decade except for the COVID rebound era. The strongest growth in a decade, and since 2023, year-on-year, growth has consistently been above three per cent, outpacing two per cent of the five to eight years previously.

“More critically, industrial growth, where jobs are created, doubled year-on-year, while agriculture and services also expanded robustly. Inflation has begun to ease, 20.12 per cent in August, and it has consistently, month after month, in the last five months been coming down.

“Our trade surplus, $7.4 trillion; reserves risen to $42 billion, and as we know, the naira has not only stabilised, it has even strengthened but this progress is not by chance, it is a result of deliberate, intentional, and strategic policies anchored on the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

‘’The Renewed Hope Agenda is anchored on economic transformation, inclusive growth, and national prosperity but it recognises the interconnected roles of finance, public policy, technology, in unlocking Nigeria’s full potential.

“The key focus areas have been stabilising the macroeconomic environment, creating jobs, reducing poverty, mobilising private sector investment, whether domestic, and focused on digital and financial innovation.

“That’s why the President’s administration’s strategic reforms place mining, agriculture, and power in the north at the heart of our growth agenda. What are those opportunities? As we have just heard, the north holds some of the most valuable mineral deposits in Africa.

Let’s drastically tackle insecurity to attract investors – Zamfara Gov

In his remarks, the governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, called for serious action to tackle current insecurity bedeviling the region in order to attract investors.

He also said what was needed now was to transform potential into prosperity, adding that there was need for the 19 state governments to harmonise their economic policies and work together to achieve the developmental goals of the region.

“The question before us, as leaders, is not what needs to be done, but how we must collectively act to transform potential into prosperity. To attract the investment we so desperately need and to industrialise our region for the benefit of the entire nation, we must move beyond rhetoric and embrace a new paradigm of collaborative action.

“First, we must collectively secure people and investments. Security is the fundamental prerequisite for any meaningful development.

“They will not commit capital where it is not safe. We, as leaders across the 19 northern states, must deepen our collaboration beyond politics. We must integrate our security architectures, share intelligence real-time, and foster greater community policing to create a secure and predictable environment. A safe north is a bankable north.”

Abdullahi Sule to govs: Take responsibility for security

Also speaking at the summit, Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, challenged his fellow governors to use the unprecedented resources at their disposal to transform the economy.

He said the monthly allocations to the three tiers of government had quadrupled under President Bola Tinubu’s reforms, adding that “for the first time in our history, all tiers of government are sharing more revenue than they ever imagined.

Poor infrastructures impeding north’s industrialisation — Prof Ango Abdullahi

In his welcome, the Convener/Chairman of Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Prof Ango Abdullahi, who was represented by Air-Marshal Al’amin Daggash, retd, pointed out that one of the major challenges that had impeded industrialisation of the region was lack of critical infrastructure.

According to him, the summit is not political, neither is it ceremonial but rather a rallying call to action.

He said: “We cannot delay any further. The resources are here, the people are ready, and the time is now. Let us be clear: if the North rises, Nigeria rises.

“If Nigeria rises, Africa rises. This summit marks the beginning of a decade-long journey. The North must walk it with determination, unity, and vision.

“The backbone of northern Nigeria’s economy, from colonial times through the early years of independence, was agriculture and an extensive network of rail lines. These facilitated the movement of groundnuts, cotton, hides and skins, and solid minerals to the coastal states, predominantly Lagos, for export.

(Vanguard)