Weekend Trust Page 3 Comment, August 9, 2025
In recent weeks, the chorus of lamentations from northern Nigeria has grown louder, with prominent regional groups and stakeholders raising the alarm over an alleged marginalisation of the region by the federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Some of these voices, once cautious or muted, are now expressing disappointment over what they describe as lopsided infrastructural development, deepening poverty and growing insecurity in the region.
The groups, including those that were created recently for various reasons, argue that in the last two years, the Tinubu administration has concentrated major developmental projects in the South while the North is left to grapple with crumbling infrastructure, rising unemployment, banditry and socio-economic decay. They lament that while multi-billion-naira projects are being constructed in the South, the North has been relegated to an afterthought despite being the region that gave President Tinubu a significant portion of his electoral victory.
Curiously, some northern politicians holding elective and appointive position have gone all out defending the actions and inactions of the government, a clear indication that something is fundamentally wrong.
Indeed, these claims and counterclaims deserve attention. What is obvious is that northern Nigeria remains the poorest region in the country, with the highest rates of out-of-school children, maternal mortality, food insecurity and insurgency-related displacements. These realities lend credence to the grievances of some of the region’s leaders and stakeholders.
But in the midst of these lamentations, it is important to pause and ask a critical question: What have the governors of the 19 northern states done with the billions they receive from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) every month? Why the deafening silence in the ranks of hundreds of legislators from the region?
Telling the truth makes some people uncomfortable, but it is necessary. For over two decades, successive state governments, legislators and other political leaders in northern Nigeria have failed to address the root causes of poverty and insecurity in the region.
While blaming Abuja is politically convenient, the hard reality is that governance at the sub-national level has been largely wasteful, corrupt and disconnected from the suffering masses.
Reports have emerged of governors embarking on white elephant projects like luxury government houses, glittering flyovers and bridges that lead to nowhere, and sprawling guest houses that serve no economic purpose. It is the same with legislators who are now obsessed with weird constituency projects.
All these are coming at a time when millions cannot afford a single decent meal, let alone three. Hospitals are in ruins, public schools are dilapidated, and children roam the streets as almajirai in numbers too large to ignore. In many rural communities, roads have become deathtraps and people must travel miles to access the most basic health services.
These failures are not recent; they have persisted from administration to administration. Since the return of democracy in 1999, the region has often voted in leaders who are either recycled political figures or individuals without any clear developmental vision. The same names resurface every four years; and the cycle of disappointment continues.
At the heart of the problem is the lack of innovation and commitment to service delivery. Most state governments in the North have failed to harness the agricultural and mineral potentials of their domains. During the agitations for state creation at various times, agitators claimed that the new states would be economically viable due to abundant natural resources. However, with the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that most of the newly created states have become parasitic
We at Daily Trust believe that the North must understand that the solution to its myriad of problems is not entirely in Aso Rock, the South-West or South-South. It lies in the region’s ability to take responsibility and initiate a genuine developmental rebirth from within.
entities dependent solely on federal allocation, unable to generate internal revenue or provide meaningful development for their citizens.
The elite of the region, politicians, business people and opinion moulders must now wake up from their collective amnesia.
In his Eid-el-Kabir message in May this year, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, emphasised that genuine unity and dedication among leaders were essential for finding lasting solutions to national problems.
“Insecurity continues to be a major concern in Sokoto and other parts of northern Nigeria.
“While security agencies are making commendable efforts to tackle these challenges, more needs to be done to turn the tide and consign insecurity to history,” he said.
We at Daily Trust believe that the North must understand that the solution to its myriad of problems is not entirely in Aso Rock, the South-West or SouthSouth. It lies in the region’s ability to take responsibility and initiate a genuine developmental rebirth from within.
It is time to abandon the blame game and look inward. Regional collaboration should be encouraged through the frank revitalisation of the Northern Governors Forum, not just as a talking shop but as a body that must take practical steps towards regional development, first by revitalising the region’s comatose industries by addressing challenges in the electricity sector.
Northern states must prioritise education, security, agriculture and health as the pillars of their governance agenda. Investments in these areas will not only improve the lives of the people but also serve as the foundation for a more equitable and prosperous federation.
Furthermore, civil society groups, religious leaders and the media must intensify pressure on state governments to be transparent, accountable and people-focused. The northern youth must rise above political manipulation and begin to demand more from those who govern them.
President Tinubu and the federal government must also take heed. A lopsided approach to national development will only deepen divisions and reinforce the dangerous perception of exclusion. National cohesion cannot be achieved when a section of the country feels abandoned.
But for northern Nigeria to claim its rightful place in the federation, it must first put its house in order because until the region addresses the rot within, even the most sincere efforts from outside will only scratch the surface.