By Muhammad Suwidi Yusha’u
Introduction
Good day, my fellow Arewa people. Do you know? On October 29, 2025, at the International Conference Centre in Akure, Chief Bisi Akande, a respected Yoruba elder statesman and former interim chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), delivered a keynote address that, on the surface, celebrated national reform and economic diversification.
But beneath the surface, “Restructuring for Maximum Opportunities” was more than a policy speech; it was a declaration of a new phase of regional awakening and a subtle warning to Nigeria’s other regions, especially the North (Arewa).
The speech marked a defining moment in Nigeria’s ongoing political evolution: the return of regionalism, not by constitutional change, but by economic design and administrativedecentralisationn.
1. The Rebirth of Regionalism Through the Back Door
Chief Akande’s narrative is straightforward: Nigeria’s original federal balance was distorted by military rule.
The centralized system that emerged after 1966 weakened regional autonomy and created a dependent culture sustained by oil revenue and federal allocations.
Now, according to Akande, Tinubu’s government is quietly restoring federalism, not through the National Assembly, but through the creation of Regional Development Commissions across the six geopolitical zones
These commissions, including the Southwest Development Commission (SWDC) he praised, are framed as “grassroots-focused institutions” that will empower regions to take charge of their development.
For Akande, this represents the “quiet restructuring” Nigeria has long demanded: a transfer of developmental responsibility from the center to the regions, allowing each to manage its resources, define its priorities, and compete for progress.
2. The Yoruba Political Philosophy:
Self-Reliance Through Structure
The Akure summit revived the Yoruba political philosophy of Afenifere and Action Group, built on self-reliance, regional collaboration, and institutional discipline.
Akande reminded his audience that the Southwest once led Nigeria in education, broadcasting, and industrialization, citing icons such as Liberty Stadium, the first TV station in Africa, and the University of Ibadan.
The message was clear:
> “We built before, we can build again, and this time, we won’t wait for Abuja.”
This is not just rhetoric. It reflects a new form of federal competition where each region’s success will depend on its governance capacity, innovation, and unity.
It’s a strategic recalibration:
The Southwest intends to lead Nigeria’s new development order.
3. Tinubu’s Economic Reforms as the Vehicle of “Silent Federalism”
Akande described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the architect of the “quiet restructuring.”
By pursuing fiscal reforms, tax harmonization, and diversification, Tinubu is, in effect, reshaping Nigeria’s economic architecture, moving away from oil rent-sharing toward productivity-based development.
For the Yoruba elite, this is more than national policy. It’s a homecoming project aligning perfectly with their long-standing regional ideology of decentralization and merit-based governance.
Thus, Tinubu’s presidency is presented as both a Yoruba vindication and a vehicle for restoring true federalism without political warfare.
4. What This Means for Arewa
For Northern Nigeria, this speech carries serious implications.
It signals a new phase of Nigerian politics, one in which economic competence, regional organization, and innovation will matter more than population, landmass, or political history.
a. Regional Competition Has Begun
By celebrating regional commissions as “development engines,” Akande’s Southwest has accepted the challenge of regional competition.
Each zone must now define its path to growth.
If the North continues to rely on federal allocations and political patronage, it risks becoming the least prepared region in Nigeria’s new economic order.
b. Power Is Shifting Silently
Tinubu’s approach to restructuring is administrative, not constitutional.
That means there will be no referendum, no dramatic political announcement, yet, through these commissions, economic power, budgetary influence, and donor partnerships will increasingly flow directly to regional bodies, bypassing the federal bottlenecks.
Regions that are cohesive and organized, like the Southwest, will dominate these new channels.
Those that are divided, like the Northern zones currently operating in silos, will fall behind.
c. The Illusion of Equal Opportunity
While Akande frames the commissions as symbols of equality, the reality is that not all regions are equally prepared to manage autonomy.
The Southwest has a common language, a shared educational advantage, and a stronger institutional culture.
Arewa, on the other hand, remains fragmented, politically, ethnically, and administratively across Northwest, Northeast, and North Central zones.
Without coordinated vision, Northern commissions could become redundant bureaucracies, while the South uses theirs as instruments of real transformation.
5. The Strategic Risks to Arewa
If Arewa leadership ignores the underlying message of Akande’s speech, the following risks loom large:
1. Economic Disadvantage:
Regional commissions in the South may attract more federal and foreign funding due to better governance, reducing Northern share of development resources.
2. Political Marginalization:
As Tinubu’s “quiet restructuring” progresses, influence will shift from population-based politics to productivity-based governance.
Northern political dominance will weaken if it isn’t backed by strong regional economies.
3. Loss of Youth Opportunity:
With the South driving innovation, digital economy, and agro-industrial expansion, the North may face a widening unemployment and education gap.
4. Ideological Defeat:
The North, which long opposed restructuring on fear of disunity, now faces restructuring in practice, done quietly and favouring the South.
6. The Way Forward for Arewa
Chief Akande’s message is not a threat. It is a challenge that Arewa must meet with strategy, unity, and foresight.
If the South can transform its regional identity into a platform for progress, nothing stops the North from doing the same, except for disunity and inertia.
a. Unify Northern Development Commissions
The North must harmonize the Northwest, Northeast, and North Central Development Commissions under a common Arewa Development Council (ADC) for strategic planning, shared research, and investment coordination.
b. Prioritize Agro-Industrialization
Arewa has the largest arable land and youthful population in Africa.
Transforming agriculture into industry, through processing zones, mechanization, and export hubs, must become the core of its regional strategy.
c. Invest in Knowledge and Innovation
The era of oil rent is over.
Regions that dominate education, technology, and entrepreneurship will shape the next 50 years.
Arewa must rebuild its human capital through regional universities, technical institutes, and digital training programs.
d. Strengthen Political Coordination
Arewa governors must rediscover the legacy of the old Northern Governors’ Forum under Sir Ahmadu Bello, not as a talking platform, but as an economic bloc with a unified development agenda
7. My final opinion: let’s think from Reaction to Reawakening
Chief Akande’s Akure address was not merely about the Southwest, it was about Nigeria’s future under silent transformation.
He has, intentionally or not, drawn a new political map of Nigeria, one that rewards readiness, competence, and regional unity.
For Arewa, this is the time to wake up, not with fear, but with purpose.
The South is not waiting for permission to rise; neither should the North wait for sympathy to recover.
The “quiet restructuring” can either rebuild Nigeria’s balance or bury the old North in its comfort of political nostalgia.
The choice belongs to Arewa’s thinkers, governors, and youth.
SUMMARILY:
Chief Akande’s speech in Akure represents a philosophical shift in Nigeria’s power structure.
It marks the beginning of a new federal competition, where development replaces politics as the measure of regional relevance.
If Arewa embraces this moment with strategic unity, it can turn this restructuring into a renaissance.
But if it continues with disunity and reactive politics, history will record this period as the moment the North was quietly left behind.
ALLAH YASA MUYI ABINDA YAKAMATA.
