November 23 2025
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Saturday concluded its 25th-anniversary celebrations in Kaduna with the launch of an endowment fund.
The event, which marked the silver jubilee of the premier Northern socio-political organization, featured an address by Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, delivered by his deputy, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, who highlighted the state’s security and development strategies.
The Kaduna State Government reaffirmed its commitment to a holistic “Kaduna Peace Model” as the cornerstone of its development strategy, linking security, governance, and infrastructure to engineer lasting stability.
This announcement was made today by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, while representing Governor Uba Sani at the ACF’s Endowment Fund Launch.
Governor Sani, in his speech, described the Peace Model as a framework that intentionally uses equitable project distribution, participatory budgeting, and urban planning to heal societal divides.
“The Kaduna Peace Model recognizes that peace is not enforced, it is engineered,” the Governor’s address stated.
He credited this approach with revitalizing agriculture, improving security through intelligence-driven operations, and guiding the state’s ₦985.9 billion 2026 budget proposal, which allocates 71% to capital expenditure.
The event served as the climax of the ACF’s week-long 25th-anniversary celebrations. Governor Sani used the occasion to pay tribute to the forum’s founding fathers, including the late Sultan Muhammadu Maccido, Generals Yakubu Gowon, and elder statesmen like Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, praising their vision for a unified North anchored on the principles of “One North, One People, One Destiny.”
He urged the ACF to continue serving as the “intellectual engine of the North” in confronting persistent regional challenges such as insecurity, poverty, out-of-school children, and climate impacts. The Governor called for coordinated regional action and reiterated Kaduna State’s readiness to collaborate with the ACF, the Federal Government, and development partners to build a more prosperous and secure region.
The gathering was attended by high-profile dignitaries, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajuddeen, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as well as several state governors and deputy governors, traditional rulers, and religious leaders. Governor Sani concluded by expressing gratitude to President Tinubu for his “courageous and strategic” leadership and support for the North.
The ACF’s Silver Jubilee celebration, which began on Wednesday, November 19th, 2025, featured a series of activities including a golf tournament, football matches, and vibrant cultural displays, culminating in today’s endowment fund launch.
The 25th-anniversary of the ACF has not only provided a moment to reflect on a quarter-century of advocacy for Northern unity but also served as a platform for the Kaduna State Government to articulate its comprehensive strategy for achieving peace and development, setting a collaborative tone for the forum’s next chapter.