Gov Sani blames poverty, unemployment for insecurity in Northern Nigeria

The Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has attributed the escalating insecurity in Northern Nigeria to poverty and unemployment and not the perceived economic exclusion of the region by the federal government.

Sani spoke on Channels Television programme on Sunday night.

He noted that if the root causes of insecurity in the region is not addressed holistically, the region would continue to face unrest.

According to Sani, poverty and unemployment have 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,” the governor said.

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“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.

“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 also noted that infrastructural, educational, and healthcare deficits are 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 added.

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