Kaduna State Governor, Malla Nasir el-Rufai, has listed not less than 10 vices he considers worrisome as they are, according to him, rampant in the Northern Nigeria.
These are:
Drug abuse
Gender violence
banditry
Terrorism
Kidnapping
Widespread poverty
Poor healthcare
Too many children out of school
General backwardness
Development indicators similar to Afghanistan’s.
El-Rufai said this concerning the North when he spoke at a Northern Youth Summit held in the state.
Perhaps those who invited him expected something different but the governor did not mince words as he urged the region to shape up.
”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.”
The controversial governor, however, highlighted North’s strength, including its population and what he considers to be character.
El-Rufai added, ”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.”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.”
