The Coalition of Northern Nigeria Youth Leaders has firmly rejected the Federal Government’s planned engagement in Kaduna, labelling it as politically driven and unrepresentative of the true aspirations of the northern region.
Speaking at a press briefing held at the NUT-End Well Hotel in Kaduna, the group condemned the event as “a government-orchestrated jamboree” designed to showcase a selective narrative of federal achievements, while deliberately sidelining critical northern voices.
“We are not interested in tokenism,” declared Muhammad Isah Imam, Secretary of Media and Public Affairs for the coalition.
“This planned engagement is not rooted in transparency, inclusiveness, or sincerity. It is a calculated political show, not a true dialogue.”
The group recalled the landmark Kaduna Engagement of October 2022, which brought together a wide range of northern stakeholders from youth organizations and traditional leaders to political actors and civil society offering presidential candidates a platform to hear and respond to the North’s core demands.
“That forum was the product of a truly inclusive coalition,” Imam said. “What we see today is the federal government partnering with only the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation just one of the many conveners of that historic engagement. Why are others being sidelined?”
The forum posed a series of questions, demanding public explanation: “Why is the engagement happening now after two years of silence? Why is it being driven solely by government interests? And why are original stakeholders and youth voices excluded from the process?”
The coalition also criticized the silence of northern elders who played key roles in the 2022 forum, accusing them of allowing the current process to be hijacked by external political interests.
“Where are our elders now?” Imam asked. “Why have they gone quiet while a government-led process seeks to undermine the spirit of unity and self-advocacy we once shared?”
Calling for a reset, the coalition urged the Federal Government to provide full transparency on the objectives, agenda, and expected outcomes of the Kaduna event. They also demanded the inclusion of all relevant northern stakeholders — especially youths, women, civil society organisations, and religious leaders.
“The North must lead its own engagements,” the statement emphasized. “The government should play a responsive not directive role in any genuine dialogue with the region.”
