This piece marks the beginning of a year-long journey into the heart of Arewa. Over the next twelve months, I will publish one reflection each month, 12 in all, exploring different dimensions of our reality: from our history and politics to education, women, culture, and the economy. Together, these essays will form a mosaic of thought, a search for answers, and perhaps a call to action for the Arewa of tomorrow. This is Part One: a reflection on the moral compass of our youth, and why their choices today will shape our collective destiny.
In every society, the youth are the mirror of tomorrow. They are the ones who inherit the legacies of their fathers, but more importantly, they are the ones who redefine what the future will look like. In Arewa, the vast and diverse Northern Nigeria, the youth represent not only a majority of the population but also the deciding force of what the region will become in the next two decades. Whether Arewa rises to reclaim its lost glory or continues on the path of underdevelopment depends largely on the moral compass of its young people today.
The North has been well acquainted with its great cultural heritage, religious identity, and legacy of great leaders in politics, business, and academia. However, this heritage. over time has been weakened by poverty, insecurity, bad leadership, and loss of values that once united communities together.
Today, the youth of Arewa stand at a crossroads. On one side lies the path of discipline, learning, hard work, and moral uprightness -- the values that sustained earlier generations. On the other side lies a dangerous culture of dependency, idleness, crime, drug abuse, and blind loyalty to failed politicians.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the destiny of Arewa rests on which path this generation chooses. In 20 years, many of today's political actors will be gone, some retired, some deceased. But the young men and women who are in their teens and twenties today will then be the leaders, professionals, parents, and citizens shaping society. What they carry in their hearts now is what the North will harvest in the future.
One of the most harrowing realities of Arewa youth life at the moment is that they are clinging to politicians who have consistently disappointed them. All over, youths expend energy on the defence of leaders who have offered nothing but promises. They rally for them in elections, cheer for them on the streets, and even fight for them.
What many do not realise is that in 20 years, these politicians will be living quietly, enjoying wealth accumulated during their time in office. Their children will be educated in the best schools, often abroad, and will inherit positions of influence. Meanwhile, the loyal youth who defended them will still be struggling with poverty, joblessness, and insecurity.
The harsh truth is no politician will arrive to save Arewa. The future of the region lies in the ability of its youth to break free from blind loyalty and hold leaders accountable while also taking responsibility for their own lives.
Equally dangerous is the moral decline visible among many young people in Arewa. A growing number are consumed by drug abuse and thuggery. Others are trapped in materialism -- desiring quick wealth, luxury, and influence without effort or merit. The once-cherished values of honesty, discipline, respect for elders, and community service are fading.
This erosion of values is not just a private issue; it has deep social consequences. A youth population without discipline cannot sustain schools, hospitals, or industries. A generation addicted to shortcuts will not build lasting legacies. Without morality, the political class will continue to exploit and manipulate young people, knowing they are too distracted to demand accountability.
Education is often described as the foundation of development, yet Arewa continues to lag behind. Millions of children remain out of school, and many who are in school do not receive quality education. Universities and polytechnics produce graduates who are not adequately skilled to compete in the global economy.
But beyond certificates, the real challenge is mindset. A young man or woman with education but without integrity is as dangerous as one without education at all. Skills without values produce selfish elites; values without skills produce helpless followers. Arewa youth must, therefore,
seek both: the hard skills to compete in a changing world and the moral values to use those skills for the collective good.
One of Arewa's greatest strengths is its strong Islamic identity. Religion has always been a guiding light, shaping families, communities, and public life. The religion of Islam uplifts societies; it does not keep them stagnant. It calls for justice, honesty, respect for human dignity, and a pursuit of knowledge.
For the youth, this means embracing faith not as a cage that limits their potential but as a compass that directs their energy toward meaningful progress. When Islam is properly understood and practiced, it becomes a force for innovation, compassion, and service to humanity.
Therefore, what must the youth of Arewa do? The answer begins with self-reflection. Every young person must ask: what values am I living by? Am I building a future or destroying it? Am I preparing myself to lead or allowing myself to be used?
Change will not come from government alone; it must begin within families, communities, and friendships. Youth must surround themselves with peers who inspire discipline, creativity, and progress. They must reject the desire of quick money and instead embrace the dignity of hard work.
Equally important, youth must begin to redefine leadership. Leadership is not just politics; leadership is service. A teacher shaping young minds, a nurse saving lives, a/ farmer feeding families, or an entrepreneur creating jobs. Every one of these is leadership. By embracing this wider vision, Arewa youth can break free from the myopic politics that has long trapped the region.
In 20 years, when today's teenagers are in their thirties and forties, Arewa will either be a region known for poverty, insecurity, and decline or a region that rose against the odds to reclaim its strength. That outcome depends less on external forces and more on the moral compass of its youth.
If young men and women choose discipline over idleness, accountability over blind loyalty, and integrity over shortcuts, then Arewa will flourish. If they continue down the road of dependency, immorality, and self-destruction, then the region will sink deeper.
The choice is clear. The time is now. The youth of Arewa are not just the leaders of tomorrow -- they are the builders of today. Their hands will either raise the foundation of a stronger future or dig the grave of a wasted one.
In the next episode of this twelve-part series, we will turn from the present to the past revisiting Arewa's lost glory and asking how the lessons of history can guide us toward a renewed promise.