Umar Ardo, former Special Assistant on Local Government and State Affairs to ex–Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has stirred national debate with a blunt comparison between Nigeria’s founding leaders and today’s political class.
Ardo said iconic northern statesmen — former Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello — died without personal wealth because their focus was on uplifting their communities, not enriching themselves.
According to him, their integrity stands in sharp contrast to the conduct of many current officeholders who have accumulated immense wealth while the communities they govern sink deeper into poverty.
“We in the North hold political power, but southerners hold economic and bureaucratic power — and that is where the real strength lies,” Ardo said.
He emphasized that past northern leaders lived modestly, often poorer than the people they governed. “Sardauna, Tafawa Balewa and the rest died poor. They were building their communities to be wealthy, not themselves,” he said.
Ardo lamented that modern-day politicians have flipped this principle on its head.
“Today, politicians who were living in rented houses now own estates. Those who never travelled to Kano or Lagos before entering office now fly around the world, taking delegations to Jerusalem and Mecca,” he stated.
He added that some who previously owned only a handful of properties now boast private jets, universities, and vast real estate holdings.
“While they are getting wealthier, their communities are getting poorer. The society they were elected to uplift has moved from poverty to destitution,” he said, stressing that “most of them are Northern Nigerians.”
Ardo’s remarks have once again ignited discussions on political accountability, corruption, and the legacy of Nigeria’s founding leaders.
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