Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu yesterday declared that Nigeria’s prosperity was inseparable from the future of Northern Nigeria, stressing that the region holds the key to the country’s industrialisation drive.

Speaking at the Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit (NNIIS) 2025 in Abuja, Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, said his administration had prioritised critical industrialisation projects in the region.

The summit, themed “Unlocking Northern Nigeria’s Mining, Agricultural and Power Potentials (MAP2035),” was convened under the auspices of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF).

“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.”

He added that the North was not just a part of the country but the engine of the country, urging stakeholders to transform its potential into prosperity.

Edun, in outlining the administration’s economic achievements, disclosed that Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.23 per cent in the second quarter of 2025, the strongest in a decade outside the post-COVID rebound. He said industrial growth had doubled year-on-year, agriculture and services were expanding robustly, and inflation had steadily declined to 20.12 per cent in August.

According to him, Nigeria’s trade surplus rose to $7.4 trillion, foreign reserves climbed to $42 billion, and the naira had stabilised and strengthened. He attributed the gains to deliberate reforms anchored on Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which focuses on economic transformation, inclusive growth and national prosperity.

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, called for urgent action to address insecurity in the North as a prerequisite for attracting investment.

“To industrialise our region for the benefit of the entire nation, we must move beyond rhetoric and embrace a new paradigm of collaborative action,” Lawal said. “A safe North is a bankable North.”

He urged the 19 northern states to harmonise their policies and deepen collaboration in security, intelligence sharing and community policing.

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, challenged fellow governors to deploy the “unprecedented resources” now available to states to transform their economies.

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

Earlier in his welcome address, NEF Convener and Chairman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, represented by former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Al’amin Daggash (rtd), identified poor infrastructure as a key constraint to northern industrialisation.

“The resources are here, the people are ready, and the time is now. If the North rises, Nigeria rises. If Nigeria rises, Africa rises,” he said.

He reminded participants that agriculture and a strong rail network once formed the backbone of the region’s economy, facilitating exports of groundnuts, cotton, hides and skins, and solid minerals.

The summit drew governors, industry leaders and development partners to chart a roadmap for unlocking the North’s mining, agriculture and power potentials.

​