Byline: Warsame Digital Media Special Report | Garowe, Puntland
August 13, 2025
GAROWE, PUNTLAND – In a rare display of intellectual rigor and political transparency, Frontier University hosted a landmark public forum on Somalia’s fragile state-building efforts Tuesday night, headlined by presidential hopeful Nuradin Aden Dirie.
Organized by the Puntland-based think tank “May Fakeraan“, the event drew academics, civil society leaders, students, and political observers into a spirited three-hour discourse on national reconstruction. At its center stood Deriye—a polyglot diplomat and emerging political force—who issued a stark warning: “Somalia remains mid-process in state formation. If we fail now, we risk vanishing from the map altogether.”
The Man in the Spotlight
Dirie, a Xudur-born veteran of Somalia’s civil service and foreign postings, leveraged his multilingual fluency (Somali, May May Southwest dialect, English, Arabic, Italian, and French, to dissect governance challenges with uncommon precision. His address blended academic depth with charismatic delivery, dissecting institutional reform, federalism, and the urgent need for political maturity.
Beyond Scripted Politics
The forum broke from Puntland’s typically cautious political theater. Deriye’s unfiltered passion ignited a marathon Q&A where attendees grilled him on:
– Tensions between federal and state governments
– Systemic corruption
– Youth exclusion from governance
– Inter-regional distrust
His evidence-backed replies, described by observers as “refreshingly unrehearsed,” drew repeated applause.
Unscripted Impact
Audience engagement defied the clock, with students and policymakers lingering long past the scheduled end—a testament to the discussion’s resonance. Multiple attendees called it “the most substantive political dialogue in Puntland in years,” praising Dirie’s willingness to address “taboo truths.”
What’s Next
“May Fakeraan” confirmed the debate will reconvene tonight, August 14, at Garowe’s Martisoor Hall to be hosted by different actors, and amplifying scrutiny on Somalia’s leadership vacuum. Deriye’s performance positions him not just as a policy voice, but as a credible contender in a nation hungry for change.
End Report
Warsame Policy & Media Network (WAPMEN) 