Sultan To Northern Govs. “Stop Organizing Economic Summits, Shift To Actual Development”

By Ayodele Oni

The Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Nigeria (SCIAN), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has challenged Northern leaders that too many economic summits do not translate to physical development.

Rather, the Sultan charged them to go beyond the tradition of attending economic summits and take concrete steps that will translate into job creation, rehabilitation of industries and infrastructures and partnership with foreign investors.

The Sultan of Sokoto stated this while delivering a goodwill message at the opening of the first International Business and Investment Summit in Bauchi held at the Ahmadu Bello International Conference Centre.

The theme of the economic summit is “Building a Resilient Economy: Optimising Investment and Partnerships.”

He urged Northern leaders to undertake honest review of the numerous investment summits that had taken place across the region over the years and take a definite developmental plans.

“We have attended economic summits in Kaduna, Kano, Taraba, Abuja and many others over the past decade. We have convened countless investment summits in the North.

“We have heard lofty speeches, signed MoUs, and made grand declarations. But where are the results? How many factories have we revived?

“How many youths have found jobs? How many investors who came to our summits actually stayed?”Sultan Abubakar said

The Sultan proposed a comprehensive evaluation of past Northern investment summits, beginning with Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Gombe, and Borno, among others.

He also said that such a review would expose systemic weaknesses — from poor follow-up mechanisms and weak monitoring frameworks to the lack of infrastructure, policy consistency, and security challenges that often scare away investors.

According to him, “We need to track the journey from promise to progress. Every MoU signed must have a visible footprint. Investors should not return home with handshakes alone.

“We must create an environment where investment thrives — with roads, electricity, and security in place.

He commended Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed for driving the summit, saying that the turnout for the summit was encouraging urging him to ensure that before he leaves office in 2027, he organise a follow up  in order to consolidate whatever positive outcomes.