More than 600 senior academics from public universities across Northern Nigeria have thrown their weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027, but warned that their support is not a “blank check” for the administration.

The academics reached the position at a closed-door political engagement convened by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Kaduna.

The meeting, which brought together representatives of universities across the three northern geopolitical zones, also had several governors, ministers and other All Progressives Congress leaders in attendance.

Presenting the communiqué, Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University, Prof Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, said the scholars reviewed Tinubu’s performance since May 2023 against the economic, security, political and social realities confronting the country, particularly the North. They acknowledged that some government reforms had worsened short-term hardship through rising living and transportation costs and inflation.

The academics, however, credited the administration with progress in areas including education financing, agriculture, infrastructure, business support, compressed natural gas, investment and the digital economy. They subsequently resolved to support Tinubu’s re-election, saying the endorsement followed their assessment of the administration’s record since taking office.

But the endorsement came with clear demands for corrective action. The scholars urged the Federal Government to tackle food and transportation costs, unemployment and insecurity, while calling for greater responsiveness to citizens and legitimate criticism rather than treating their support as an unconditional political commitment.

They also advocated a broader security strategy combining military operations with intelligence gathering, effective policing, community engagement and economic opportunities, alongside increased investment in agriculture, education, healthcare and infrastructure. The development was reported by The Nation, according to the report supplied.