A former Military Governor of Niger State, Colonel Lawan Gwadabe (retd.), on Thursday, decried what he described as the “existential backwardness” of the North, blaming poor leadership, corruption, and illiteracy for the region’s woes.
Speaking in Kaduna during a press conference to mark the 30th anniversary of Katsina’s death, Gwadabe described the former Chief of Army Staff as a “humane, patriotic, and visionary leader,” whose leadership ideals remain more relevant today than ever.
Addressing journalists, Gwadabe, who’s the Board of Trustees’s Chairman of the New Vision Development Initiative (NEVDI), painted a grim picture of the current state of the North, noting that the region has become synonymous with poverty, insecurity, illiteracy, and administrative decay.
“Northern Nigeria today is practically under dire straits. We have become the poorest of the poor, with the highest number of out-of-school children. Our educational enrolment is abysmally low. It’s scandalous,” he said.
He, however, noted that NEVDI – a movement was set up to “galvanise patriotic action” and reawaken the leadership ideals of Northern Nigeria’s founding statesmen.
According to him, the initiative was intended to inspire a new generation of leaders by invoking the leadership philosophy of General Hassan Katsina, who he described as a “quintessential Nigerian patriot” and “a man of action, not noise.”
“Our cardinal aim is to promote peaceful coexistence and good governance by reviving the legacy of General Hassan Katsina and other visionary Northern leaders,” Gwadabe added.
“His philosophy was simple: service to humanity. Until his death, he never stopped calling out poor leadership in the North. He personally challenged governors, visited leaders, and mentored upcoming officers. That spirit is what we want to rekindle through NEVDI.”
Born on March 31, 1933, into the Fulani royal family of the Sullubawa clan in Katsina, Hassan Katsina was the son of the 48th Emir of Katsina, Usman Nagogo, and grandson of Muhammadu Dikko, the 46th Emir.
Educated at Barewa College and the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria, Katsina later trained at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, before being commissioned into the Nigerian Army in the colonial era.
According to Gwadabe, the general rose quickly through the ranks, playing critical roles during the Congo crisis and the tumultuous 1966 coups.
“On the night of the January 15, 1966 coup, it was then-Major Hassan Katsina who ordered his men, including Corporal John Shagaya and Sergeant Dantsoho Mohammed, to investigate gunfire at the residence of Premier Ahmadu Bello. That single act helped douse early tension and eventually led to his appointment as Military Governor of the North,” he recounted.
In the aftermath of the bloody coup, Gwadabe said Katsina travelled across the North preaching calm and unity amidst seething anger and violent reprisals, especially against the Igbo community.
“He went from town to town trying to stop the violence, debunk false narratives, and promote reconciliation. Even during the Civil War, he remained humane in his actions.
“As Chief of Army Staff during the war, General Hassan did not see the Biafrans as enemies. He considered them as misguided brothers. He crafted the code of conduct for troops, which was praised by international observers,” he added.
Gwadabe said Katsina’s post-war legacy included initiating the “No Victor, No Vanquished” policy alongside then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, which led to Nigeria’s post-war reconciliation efforts.
“General Hassan did not just sit in an office in Lagos during the war. He was on the front lines. He personally mobilized men and musicians to boost troop morale. He led by example,” he added.
Following his retirement in 1975, Gwadabe recalled that General Hassan turned his Kaduna residence into a hub of political thought, policy debates, and mentoring for younger leaders across the North.
He said, “his home became a court of ideas. Retired generals, technocrats, civil servants, and governors all came to him. There was no problem tabled before him that he didn’t act on immediately.
“Do we have that kind of leadership today? Maybe a few, but they are far and few between.”
Gwadabe also revealed how Katsina pushed tirelessly for the reform of the Almajiri system, which he described as a threat to Northern development.
“He regularly met with scholars like Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, advocating a reformed education system. He believed the Almajiri system, in its current form, breeds poverty and insecurity.
“Today, the system remains unregulated and is synonymous with the out-of-school children crisis. General Hassan saw this decades ago and warned us,” he stated.
Speaking further, Gwadabe expressed cautious optimism over the establishment of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
He, however, warned that without proper funding and implementation, it may amount to nothing more than political window dressing.
“General Hassan advocated for this Commission all his life. But we have it now, and it’s underfunded, poorly executed, and mired in controversy. The Federal Government must show sincerity,” he said.
He called on Northern political leaders to demand accountability and adequate funding for the Commission, urging that “it must not become another moribund institution.”
He warned that the North risks further ridicule and marginalisation if its leaders continue to ignore the region’s socio-economic decay.
He said, “today, the North is the butt of jokes. We are derided as ‘Mallams’ and ‘Abokis’ because of our laid-back attitude and lack of coordinated development strategy.
“The South has overtaken us in education, enterprise, and innovation. It’s time to retrace our steps. It’s time to study the lives and achievements of our past leaders.”
He accused the present political elite of sidelining experienced elder statesmen and technocrats who could provide sound guidance for governance and development.
“We have a vast pool of experienced manpower just wasting away. Many of our political actors today are pretenders. They do not consult, they do not listen, and that is why they continue to fail,” Gwadabe added.
He lamented the lack of recognition given to past leaders like the late Gen. Hassan Katsina, warning that a nation that does not celebrate its heroes sends the wrong message to its future leaders.
“When we ignore our past heroes, we discourage the next generation from making sacrifices. This is why many leaders today are only interested in personal aggrandizement,” he said.
Gwadabe echoed the thoughts of the late novelist Chinua Achebe, who famously said that Nigeria’s problem is “simply and squarely a failure of leadership.”
He insisted that the North, and by extension Nigeria, must now address both bad leadership and complacent followership.
“It takes two to tango. We must admit that followers also enable bad leaders. Leadership is not an entitlement; it is a burden,” he stressed.
“Until we all begin to discharge our responsibilities — whether as teachers, parents, councillors, or civil servants — we will remain stagnant.”
He urged leaders across the board to emulate the selfless, proactive, and people-focused governance style of General Hassan.
“If we must copy the leadership styles of our predecessors, so be it. We cannot keep failing and blaming others,” Gwadabe, who was involved in the alleged phantom coup-de-tat of 1995, warned.
