Sixty Years After: ADG Invokes Sardauna’s Legacy to Demand Unified Action Against Northern Insecurity
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On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the passing of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the first Premier of Northern Nigeria, the Arewa Discussion Group (ADG) has issued a stark warning: the region must reclaim the Sardauna’s principle of unity or face total collapse under the weight of escalating insecurity.
In a solemn commemorative statement released in Abuja on January 14, 2026, the ADG reflected on the enduring legacy of the Sardauna of Sokoto, while simultaneously calling for an immediate regional pact to dismantle the criminal networks currently crippling the North.
A Crisis of Fragmentation
The ADG noted that the peaceful, industrial North envisioned by the Sardauna is currently “under relentless siege.” The group highlighted that the piecemeal security strategies employed by individual states have proven inadequate against the trans-border nature of banditry, insurgency, and kidnapping.
“Sir Ahmadu Bello’s foundational principle—’What unites us outweighs what divides us’—is not a historical footnote; it is the critical formula for our survival today,” said Dr. Garba Abari, spokesperson for the ADG. “We face common enemies that recognize no ethnic or state boundaries. Our response must be equally unified.”
The Economic Toll of Insecurity
The group, led by its Chairman, Alhaji Maisudan Muhammed Bello (Tafidan Dutse), emphasized that the region’s socio-economic fabric is being shredded. The insecurity has resulted in:
Mass Displacement: Millions of citizens forced into IDP camps.
Agricultural Paralysis: Farmers abandoning fields due to fear of abduction, threatening national food security.
Educational Decline: Schools remaining under constant threat, hindering generational advancement.
The ADG argues that no meaningful investment or development can occur until the “climate of risk” is neutralized through a harmonized strategy.
An Urgent Call for a Regional Security Pact
Moving beyond rhetoric, the ADG has demanded a high-level summit of Northern political, traditional, and religious leaders to forge a concrete Regional Security Pact. The proposed roadmap includes:
Harmonized Strategy: Moving away from ad-hoc meetings toward a centralized intelligence and operational framework.
Community Solidarity: Rebuilding trust between security agencies and local populations to isolate criminal elements.
Resource Mobilization: Ensuring the North speaks with a singular, powerful voice to secure the federal resources required for its specific developmental needs.
The Path Forward: A Final Warning
The statement concludes with a grim assessment of the crossroads facing the region. The ADG maintains that the North can either choose continued fragmentation and decline or follow the path of its founding father toward a unified reclamation of its destiny.
“We must choose, decisively, to be our brother’s keeper,” Dr. Abari concluded. “The Arewa Discussion Group is committed to being a catalyst for this essential unity. Our collective future depends on the courage we show today.”
By PRNigeria
