The growth indicators of Northern Nigeria are comparable to those of war-ravaged Afghanistan and should be a source of concern for its rulers, said Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of the Kaduna State.
During the Northern Youth Summit organized by the Northern Hibiscus Initiative in Kaduna, Mr El-Rufai spoke on Saturday. The summit theme was ‘ Awakening the Spirit of Arewa. ‘
The Nation newspaper released details of Mr El-Rufai’s speech.
The governor of Kaduna said that Nigeria consists of two nations: the developing South and a backward, less trained and unhealthy North.
”Nigeria consists of two countries; there is a backward, less educated and unhealthy northern Nigeria, and a developing, largely educated and healthy southern Nigeria.
“We have to speak the truth to ourselves and ask why is it that northern Nigeria has development indicators similar to Afghanistan, a country still at war?
“We have the largest number of poor people in the world, most of them in northern Nigeria. Nigeria also has the largest number of out of school children, virtually all of them in Northern Nigeria.
“Northern Nigeria has become the centre of drug abuse, gender violence, banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism. We have also been associated with a high divorce rate and breakdown of families. This is the naked truth that we have to tell ourselves,” Mr El-Rufai said.
This newspaper revealed how eight out of Nigeria’s 10 million kids in 10 Northern Nigerian states are out – of-school. Health indexes from different health organizations also indicate that Northern Nigerian states are the most threatened by health challenges. States in Northern Nigeria also dominated a list of cholera ‘ hotspots’ in Nigeria, areas most prone to cholera owing to bad hygiene.
Many analysts have attributed poor administration to the problems of development in Northern Nigeria, a factor that Mr El-Rufai wishes to address.
However, the governor of Kaduna rejected the concept that Northern Nigeria is a Nigerian economy parasite.
”Which is not entirely true”. he said, ”Because northern Nigeria still feeds the nation. The richest businessman in Nigeria is still Aliko Dangote, not someone from Southern Nigeria, thank God for that.”
Mr El-Rufai is part of a crop of Northern Nigerian elites who think that the region’s management needs to do more to address the problems of growth there. Others such as Kano’s Emir, Lamido Sanusi, raised comparable issues.
Mr El-Rufai advised the 19 Northern State Governors on Saturday to work together to address the issue.
He also called on the youth to be proud of their culture, tradition, and demographics, giving the area a strong tool for political negotiation.
He said northerners are usually deemed more honest and less corrupt than other Nigerians, despite the adverse things said about the region.
”You hardly can find someone from northern Nigeria convicted of 419 or being a Yahoo boy. That is something we should be proud of,
”In addition, our demographic superiority gives us a very powerful tool to negotiate in politics. And that is something we should be proud of and we should preserve. So, we have every reason to unite and not be divided.”
The governor called on the youth as future leaders to take up the challenge.
”I, therefore, call on you the youth, you account for 80 per cent of the northern population and the future of this region lies in your hands; not in the hands of dinosaurs like me.
“I’m 59 and among the oldest five per cent of the northern population. I shouldn’t even be governor; I should have been governor 10 years ago. But ‘na condition make crayfish bend’, so we are here.”