WorldStage– The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has emphasised the need to promote education and human capital development in Nigeria especially in the northern region.
Speaker Abbas stated this when he hosted the Sir Ahmad Bello Memorial Foundation in Abuja on Thursday.
While noting the attraction of several educational institutions and skills acquisition centres beyond Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, the Speaker stressed the need for the political elite in the northern region to emulate the first and only Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, in terms of practical development.
He said, “Sir Ahmadu Bello understood that institutions outlive individuals. He invested in education because knowledge gives people the power to improve their own lives. The Foundation honours that legacy best when remembrance leads to research, scholarships, and measurable results.
“Northern Nigeria’s education gap is a national challenge. A child who remains outside school weakens the productive and peaceful future of the whole country. Access matters, but quality matters just as much. We need safe schools, capable teachers, useful skills, and clear learning outcomes.”
He added, “The finest memorial to Sir Ahmadu Bello is not a ceremony. It is a child in school, a graduate at work, and a community united by opportunity. The House is ready to engage with proposals that are practical, transparent, and capable of changing lives.”
Recalling the exploits of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, in the First Republic, the Speaker noted that the northern leader chose Zaria for the establishment of major public institutions not because of population or political reasons but geographical considerations, being the most central location in the North.
He also noted that while the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) is the most popular of such establishments, Premier established several other institutions, including the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria, the first aviation school in the North. “He did it for a reason: the centrality of Zaria,” he said.
Speaker Abbas, therefore, urged leaders from the North to emulate “our father and our hero,” noting that the Sardauna inspired him to attract about seven different higher institutions of learning to Zaria, with the intention that the benefits will not be limited to Zaria people.
He added that as Speaker of the House, he has established skill acquisition centres and empowerment programmes in Zaria.
The Speaker added that he has sponsored scholarships for students in all the seven states in the North-West geopolitical zone, with several thousands already benefiting.
Speaker Abbas also noted he renovated several schools in Zaria while he recently distributed motorcycles to 2,200 teachers in the constituency.
“The issue of education is something very dear to me… due to the solid foundation that we had, which was made possible by our leaders in the past, in particular Sir Ahmadu Bello. It is an area that I want to assure you that we are taking seriously,” he said in part.
The Speaker assured the Foundation that he would reach out to the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima and the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin “to see how the three of us can come together and support you in a big way.”
Former governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, who is the Chairman Board of Trustees of the Sir Ahmad Bello Memorial Foundation, earlier announced Speaker Abbas as one of the Grand Patrons of the Foundation.
He said, “For us, you are the northern leader. I know, given the way things are, many people will not understand that. But you are the indisputable leader for us because you are the Number 4 citizen in the country and you are the one that we can relate more with.
“And I am happy that your personal character has shown in your constituency, because everybody in Zaria is happy with what you have been doing, and unless you don’t want it, they will continue electing you.”
Ex-governor Aliyu recalled that the Foundation was established in 2009 under the auspices of the Northern Governors’ Forum, adding that the creation was as a result of what was happening in the northern region.
The former governor said the Foundation is out to use the birth, life, and death of Ahmadu Bello to unite the North and to remind the people about how the Sardauna united the region regardless of ethno-religious and political differences. “We need to remind the people and bring them together,” he said.
