A forum organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SAMBF) for leaders from the 19 northern states to engage with federal officials, has begun in Kaduna.
The forum is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Kaduna and will assess how well President Tinubu’s administration has delivered on his electoral promises to the northern region.
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By 10 a.m., high-ranking government officials had started arriving at the venue, preparing to present sectoral reports and progress updates on the two-year-old administration’s projects and programmes. Notable arrivals include the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu; the Chairperson of the National Hajj Commission, Abdullahi Usman; and the Chairperson of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa (rtd.).
PREMIUM TIMES also observed the arrival of former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu and other prominent political figures. State governors and ministers from the region are expected to participate in the deliberations.
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The conference promises robust dialogue on development efforts, policy impact, and the region’s expectations moving forward under the current administration.
Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, and other top presidential aides have also arrived at Arewa House.
Other key figures noticed at the event include Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Communications; Lanre Issa-Onilu, the Director General of the National Orientation Agency; and Tope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.
The forum is themed “Assessing Electoral Promises: Fostering Government–Citizen Engagement for National Unity.”
The event
According to the organisers, the event is a direct follow-up to pre-election engagements held in 2022, during which leading presidential candidates, including then-candidate Tinubu, unveiled their manifestos and made public commitments to advancing development in the North.
“With President Tinubu now two years into his administration, this follow-up session aims to evaluate progress on those promises, deepen government-citizen engagement, and promote a clearer understanding of the administration’s policies and programmes,” said Abubakar Umar, the Director-General of the SAMBF.
The foundation explained that the forum is designed to enable constructive dialogue between federal officials and citizens, address public concerns, dispel misinformation, and strengthen democratic accountability.
“It is meant to bridge the gap between policy implementation and public perception,” the foundation said. “We believe that open and honest discourse is critical to ensuring that governance remains responsive, inclusive, and accountable to the people.”
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