REKINDLING THE SPRIT OF NORTHER REFORM: A Response to Engr. Bello Gwarzo Abdullahi’s “The Reformers Who Redeemed Tradition”

 REKINDLING THE SPRIT OF NORTHER REFORM: A Response to Engr. Bello Gwarzo Abdullahi’s “The Reformers Who Redeemed Tradition”

By Tijjani Sarki

Good Governance Advocate and Public Policy Analyst

I read with deep admiration and reflection the article by Engr. Bello Gwarzo Abdullahi, “The Reformers Who Redeemed Tradition.” His piece beautifully captures the essence of Northern Nigeria’s great reformers, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Mallam Aminu Kano, and Alhaji Abubakar Imam, three men who stood tall in their time and redefined what leadership meant for an emerging nation. Engr. Abdullahi’s tribute, is not just history retold it is a timeless reminder that leadership once meant integrity, courage, and moral conviction.

His portrayal of Balewa’s patient persuasion, Aminu Kano’s revolutionary zeal, and Imam’s intellectual awakening took me back to an era when leadership was about service, not self, about justice, not privilege. The trio’s ideals gave Northern Nigeria its moral foundation rooted in empathy, humility, and the belief that power belongs to the people.

However, as inspiring as Engr. Abdullahi’s reflections are, they also stir a deep sadness in my heart. Because what became of the North after these great men is a story of betrayal betrayal of ideals, of purpose, and of conscience. Those who took over the reins of leadership after Balewa and his contemporaries seemed to have completely abandoned the principles on which the region was built. They traded vision for vanity, and service for sycophancy.

Today, the Northern political landscape is a far cry from the noble path laid by the reformers. Leadership has lost its moral compass. Instead of reformers, we now have praise-singers, instead of visionary builders, we have opportunists. The politics of ideas and progress has been replaced by politics of stomach infrastructure and blind loyalty. The voices that once rose to challenge injustice are now silent, while those who dare to speak truth to power are branded enemies of the state.

Our people the very talakawa whom Aminu Kano fought so hard to empower have been reduced to pawns in a cynical political game. They are remembered only during elections, when their dignity is bought for a few thousand naira. ₦5,000 handouts and ₦20,000 “empowerment” grants are paraded as achievements, while poverty, illiteracy, and hopelessness deepen by the day. This is not empowerment, it is manipulation dressed as mercy.

Meanwhile, the North bleeds in silence. Communities lack safe drinking water. Our schools are collapsing, our hospitals are ill-equipped, and the few doctors and teachers who remain are poorly paid and demoralized. Security is fragile, unemployment is rising, and corruption has become a culture rather than a crime. Appointments are no longer based on competence but on connections. Loyalty to individuals has replaced loyalty to the nation. Even our lawmakers both at the state and national levels seem deaf to the cries of their constituents. They hear only when it serves their political interests.

It pains me to say this, but the legacy of Balewa, Aminu Kano, and Abubakar Imam has been thrown into the trash bin. The principles of justice, humility, and service that guided their leadership have been replaced by greed, arrogance, and hypocrisy. What we have now are leaders who speak of the people but never listen to them, who use religion and culture not as instruments of progress, but as shields to hide their failures.

Engr. Abdullahi’s article could not have come at a better time. It reminds us that the soul of Northern Nigeria is slipping away, and that silence is complicity. The younger generation must rediscover the moral compass our forefathers left behind. We must question authority, not worship it. We must seek competence, not connections. And we must restore the values of honesty, accountability, and compassion that once defined leadership in this region.

If Balewa, Aminu Kano, and Imam were alive today, they would weep at what their North has become,but they would also challenge us to rise, to rebuild, and to redeem ourselves. Their vision was not for one generation but for all who believe that leadership is about service and sacrifice.

Northern Nigeria must return to that path. We owe it to them, and to ourselves, to reclaim the principles that once made our region the conscience of the nation.

Tijjani Sarki

Good Governance Advocate and Public Policy Analyst

writing from zawaciki, Kano

24th October,2025