Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has said that poverty and economic exclusion are the root causes of insecurity in northern Nigeria, warning that unless they are addressed holistically, the region will continue to face unrest.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, the governor stated, “I came from the trenches. I fought successive governments in the past, during the military era. I went to detention a few times, fighting for justice and equality”.
Sani said his administration began with a data-driven focus on poverty and underdevelopment, drawing on his experience as a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking.
“When I came in as governor, what I did was to look at the poverty index, not only in the state but of the entire North. I was the chairman of the Committee on Banking. I had the data, the statistics from the Development Department of the Central Bank, from the SDG. I can tell you, sitting here, the poverty index as of 2023, when we came in, was alarming,” he explained.
According to him, more than 60 to 65 per cent of people in the northern region — especially in the North-West — were financially excluded when he assumed office. This, he said, made many young people vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups.
“This problem of insecurity, I can tell you, is largely an economic issue — poverty, unemployment. That is the reason why our people can easily be recruited by these bandits,” he said.
Out-Of-School Children
Sani also disclosed that when he took over in Kaduna State, over 350,000 children were out of school.
“Today, we are addressing the problem gradually. Two months ago, I sat down with the Vice President of the World Bank. We looked at the UNICEF statistics. I can tell you — out of the 18.2 million out-of-school children today, the North is responsible for about 70% of that number.
“There are improvements in taking out-of-school children; the figure is different, and we are addressing the problem gradually,” he said.
The governor warned, however, that solving the crisis would require long-term commitment and realistic expectations. He reflected on years of policy neglect; Sani admitted the region failed to tackle the crisis earlier.
“Things are getting better, but nobody can tell you we can address this problem even in the next ten years — and I will tell you why. Because I’m a very realistic person.
“This problem didn’t start two years ago. It started many years back because we were docile. We did not approach the issue holistically. We had the opportunity to push in the past — but we didn’t do it,” he said.
The governor urged Northern leaders to unite in purpose to tackle poverty and unemployment.
“The North needs to sit down and face this reality if we want to bring back the glory of our zone. But I am happy that everyone, from the ministers to the senators, House of Representatives members, and governors, we are all on the same page for the first time.
“We cannot win insecurity through a kinetic approach, nor through giving people palliatives. We must look at the drivers and symptoms. We have to address the gap in terms of economic prosperity between our people in urban areas and those in rural communities,” he stressed.
The governor also identified infrastructural, educational, and healthcare deficits as major contributors to the region’s poverty.
“When you look at some areas in the North-West, you’d agree that there is a lot of poverty. We have a lot of deficits in terms of infrastructure, education, healthcare, and many other basic issues,” Sani said.
On the issue of local security, Sani said Kaduna has experienced a noticeable reduction in violence.
“Most of the crises we used to have were farmer-herder and religious crises. In the last two years, we have not experienced any. It’s not eradicated, but it has reduced tremendously,” he said.
However, he cautioned that citizens would only trust the government if there is equity. “People will only believe in the government when there is justice and fairness. We are not saying that things are not really bad, but there is progress,” the governor said.
