The Gamji Heritage Association has accused Northern leaders of being unable to develop the area since the death of the late Premier of the defunct Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello.

The association’s national president, Ahmed Abdullahi, raised concerns at the Sir Ahmadu Bello Annual Memorial Conference.

“This was caused by a near total betrayal of the North by no one other than the North itself,” he said.

Abdulahi stated that since the death of Ahmadu Bello, there have been few achievements in the region compared to others. He added that the North has the potential for development.

“Where are the Northern industries, Bank of the North, academic institutions, agricultural and livestock industries?”

“But it is thrown into chaos, killings and kidnapping, with intra-ethnic and religious conflicts. The late Sir Ahmadu Bello built a united and prosperous Northern region with no discrimination against each other.

“It’s sad indeed, some leaders after the Sardauna betrayed us by underdeveloping the states and injecting poverty, promoting killings and hunger,” Mr Abdullahi added.

He, mentioned that the Gamji Heritage, as a Sardauna legacy, would embark on advocacy for the restoration of the Sir Ahmadu Bello development agenda to salvage the North from collapse.

The director-general of the Centre for Democratic Studies, Development and Training (CEDDERT), Abubakar Siddique-Mohammed, stated that contemporary Northern Nigeria is a “victim of bad governance.”

He cited the ongoing insurgency in the North as a deliberate attempt to kill the area by previous and present leaders of the region.