Abdulslaami Abdulfatai Sokoto
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) Students Wing has warned that the northern region is experiencing a rapid erosion of values among young people, driven by drug abuse, hate speech, social media hostility and political manipulation, and said urgent action is needed to restore discipline and responsibility.
The warning was issued during a public lecture held in Sokoto, themed: “Building Responsible Student Leadership: Combating Drug Abuse, Thuggery, Hate Speech and Campus Disunity through Positive Values and Mentorship.”
Rather than treating the matter as a routine academic exercise, speakers argued that the North’s social challenges are deeply linked to what happens on its campuses—where future leaders are shaped, and where divisions are increasingly amplified.
CNG National Coordinator, Comrade Jamilu Ali, said the region has moved from leadership excellence to becoming a hub of insecurity, hate and vice.
“Drug abuse is a catastrophe destroying our youths,” she said. “Hate speech is turning our societies violent—Christians against Muslims, tribes against tribes, and even clans against clans.”
He stressed that social media, instead of educating and unifying, has become a platform for insults, religious bigotry and character attacks.
“Northern youths once earned global respect for discipline and integrity. Today we are battling banditry, kidnapping, drug abuse and moral decay,” she added.
For Sokoto State Special Adviser on Student Matters, Abubakar Mohammed Salame, some of the crisis originates from the distortion of student unionism, once seen as a force for democratic consciousness.
“About 65% of those parading themselves as student leaders are not students,” he alleged. “This distortion is undermining genuine youth leadership and national development.”
He argued that the country needs students who embody maturity, truthfulness, patience and empathy to rebuild public trust.
Speakers also highlighted morality, values and self-discipline as the foundations of leadership—concepts they say have been overshadowed by titles and social media fame.
Dr. Buhari Mansur, State Coordinator of AGILE, insisted student leaders must understand that campuses are laboratories for national reform.
“Leadership is not about occupying a post,” he said. “It is about responsibility, conscience and ethical service.”
Another speaker, the Chancellor of Iconic University, argued that any national revival depends on youths rediscovering basic values including honesty, discipline and humility.
The CNG says the campaign, already taken to Niger and Benue states, aims to prepare northern campuses for a new culture of tolerance and cohesion, and to prevent incidents similar to the 2021 religious clash at Shehu Shagari College of Education, which led to a six-month shutdown.
According to Ali, the Nigerian campus space is no longer just a learning arena, but a frontline where national identity, leadership values and interfaith relations are tested.
“If we fail to rebuild our campuses, we fail to rebuild the North,” he said.
Follow the MoneyCentral Nigeria channel on WhatsApp: Click here!
 Students Wing has warned that the northern region is experiencing a rapid erosion of values){kind=link}