Gov. Uba Sani of Kaduna State says the North-West geopolitical zone has the potential to become a hub of agricultural productivity, agro-processing, commerce and skilled labour.
Delivering a keynote address at the North-West Stakeholders’ Development Summit in Kaduna on Saturday, the Governor advised that the summit must go beyond diagnosis.
‘’Our people are not short of reports; they are short of results,’’ he pointed out, urging the summit ‘’to focus on actionable roadmaps, clear timelines, and measurable outcomes.’’
Sani, represented by his Deputy, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, also admonished the gathering to ‘’identify areas for immediate collaboration.
“Clarify the roles of federal, regional, and state actors. Establish mechanisms for accountability and learning.’’
Organised by the Joint Senate and House Committee on the North-West Development Commission, he said that the theme of summit, ‘Advancing a Coordinated Regional Development Agenda for North-West Nigeria’, was at the heart of the zone’s collective responsibility.
The Governor argued, ‘’for too long, development planning in our region has been pursued in silos. Yet the challenges we face are inherently regional.
‘’Insecurity does not recognise state boundaries.
“Educational deficits in one state weaken labour markets in another. Economic shocks in a commercial hub reverberate across adjoining rural communities.”
According to him, Kaduna State has learnt that development accelerates when institutions work together and policies are anchored on evidence and inclusion.
‘’ This is why we see the North-West Development Commission not as a competitor to state governments, but as a strategic partner; one that can harmonize priorities, reduce duplication, and unlock economies of scale that no single state can achieve alone,’’ he pointed out.
The governor further advised that human capital development must be the cornerstone of the North-West Development Commission’s regional agenda.
‘’Education must be aligned with the needs of a modern economy. Skills acquisition must lead to real jobs and enterprise.
‘’Agriculture must move beyond subsistence to value-added agribusiness. Industrialization must be pursued not as an abstract aspiration, but through practical linkages between infrastructure, finance, and markets,’’ he counselled.
According to him, the people of the North-West zone were the greatest assets of the geo-political zone, adding that it was characterised by one of the youngest demographic profiles in the country.
The governor argued that this demographic reality mandates the North-West to ‘’invest deliberately in education, skills, and productive opportunities, thereby transforming our youthful population into a demographic dividend.’’
He warned that if the zone failed to do so, frustration, unemployment, and social dislocation would undermine the stability of the North-West.
The governor commended President Bola Tinubu for establishing the commission, underscoring the fact that ‘’enduring regional disparities cannot be resolved through fragmented, centrally driven interventions alone.’’
According to Sani, such disparities ‘’require purpose-built institutions, endowed with clarity of mandate and a long-term outlook.’’
He said that in spite of the region’s immense contributions to Nigeria’s agricultural output, commerce, and human capital, it had lagged in critical infrastructure, industrial development, and social investment.
The governor added that the commission was ‘designed as a vehicle for structural transformation; one capable of addressing interconnected deficits in infrastructure, economic opportunity, education, healthcare, and skills development in a coherent and sustained manner.’
He said, ‘’The success of the North-West Development Commission will not belong to any single administration or institution. It will belong to the millions of citizens whose lives it improves.
