The Future of Nigeria is Regional
By Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim
The future of Nigeria is regional. This is not an argument for a return to the political regionalism of the First Republic but a call for developmental federalism—a framework that places national growth on the mutual reinforcement of regional strengths. Under this model, the six geopolitical zones are remodeled as geo-economic zones, each cultivating its unique advantages, not merely for internal prosperity but as contributions to the Nigerian project.
The logic is simple: the North complements the South, the SouthWest supports the SouthEast, and the chain of interdependence continues until these complementarities consolidate into a formidable global economic power called Nigeria. For this to work, however, each zone must pursue self-development with urgency and purpose. Regional integration, therefore, is not an option; it is an existential necessity.
In Northern Nigeria, the need for integration is particularly urgent. The challenges—ranging from insecurity and unemployment to industrial decline—transcend state boundaries. They are regional in character and cannot be solved in isolation. What the North needs is a collective approach: a strategy of economic collaboration that leverages scale, pools resources, and builds shared infrastructure for shared prosperity.
This conviction has driven my advocacy for Northern regional economic integration. Over the years, I have argued consistently that the North must rise above fragmented efforts and embrace coordinated policies. In 2022, I warned in an essay on the AKK Pipeline that without a robust regional industrial base to offtake the gas, the project would be underutilized. I called for an Arewa Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit to craft a shared policy framework. In another piece on VAT, I pointed out that as long as the North exported raw materials only to import them back as finished products, it would remain structurally disadvantaged. The solution, I argued, was regional industrialization and value-chain transformation.
My essays were not mere commentaries; they were part of a deliberate advocacy to nudge the North towards integration. That vision gained traction in September 2024 when the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), through its Director of Political Affairs, Dr. Nastura Ashir Shariff, formally adopted the idea of a regional economic summit based on a concept note I transmitted. The NEF recognized that only its moral weight and authority could convene the broad coalition of governors, policymakers, and stakeholders needed to make such an agenda a reality.
The process that followed was deliberate. The concept note was refined into a roadmap focusing on three strategic sectors of comparative advantage: Mining, Agriculture, and Power (MAP). Pre-summit sessions defined the pillars of integration and produced a social charter articulating the shared aspirations of Northern communities. In parallel, a vibrant youth platform—the Northern Economic Agenda (NEA) initiative led by my brother, Khalil Nur Khalil—was shaping the discourse from a youth perspective, mobilizing ideas, and sustaining digital engagement.
My involvement in both tracks created the opportunity for a strategic partnership between the NEF and NEA. The result was an intergenerational coalition where elders provided legitimacy and gravitas, while youth contributed energy, innovation, and technical expertise. Together, we laid the foundation for what culminated in the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialization Summit 2025 (NNIIS25).
On 30th September 2025, history was made at the Ladi Kwali Conference Centre, Abuja Continental Hotel. Over 400 delegates—including all 19 Northern governors, federal ministers, investors, academics, and industry experts—convened under the theme “Unlocking Strategic Opportunities in Mining, Agriculture, and Power (MAP).”
The highlight of the summit was the signing of the Northern Nigeria Integrated Economic Development Charter by the 19 governors, represented by the chairmen of the three sub-regional governors’ forums. This singular act symbolized a consensus unprecedented in recent memory: a collective commitment to regional economic integration. The 19 Northern Investment Promotion Agencies immediately adopted the charter as a binding framework for coordinated investment facilitation across the region.
Equally significant was the formal presentation of NEA’s compendium of bankable ideas to the NEF, reinforcing the intergenerational character of the process. This summit embodied the model I had long envisioned: elders and youth, states and citizens, leaders and civil society, united in pursuit of a common destiny.
From the summit also emerged a governance architecture for sustaining this momentum. The Northern Nigeria Economic Development Council (NNEDC) is to be created as the coordinating body, jointly overseen by the NEF and the Northern Governors’ Forum, with executive backing from all 19 state governments. A comprehensive Northern Nigeria Economic Development Masterplan (NNEDM) will follow, consolidating strategies in mining, agriculture, power, industrialization, and technology. In the interim, a Joint Implementation and Monitoring Taskforce (JIMT) will develop an action plan within 30 to 60 days to operationalize the NNEDC.
The journey has only just begun. But what we witnessed at NNIIS25 was a turning point. The North, often portrayed as divided and dependent, demonstrated unity, purpose, and vision. For me, it reaffirmed a lifelong conviction: that the region’s future lies not in fragmentation, but in cooperation. If sustained, this momentum will transform Northern Nigeria into a pillar of developmental federalism and a model for the entire federation.
The story of NNIIS25 is, therefore, more than the account of a summit. It is the story of a region finally embracing the imperative of integration, guided by the principle that Nigeria’s destiny depends on the collective self-strengthening of its parts. For this, we owe profound gratitude to the Northern Elders Forum for their historic leadership, and to the youth movement for their unwavering commitment.
Our task now is to build on this foundation and to remain steadfast—in service to God, to country, and to the North.
Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim, an economist and public policy enthusiast, writes from Kaduna and can be reached via [email protected]