Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, on Monday expressed concern over the high rate of poverty, out-of-school children and general insecurity in the North, declaring that the region faces an existential threat.

The development, the governor added, was quite disturbing and must worry all those who still care for the North and Nigeria in general.

Sani highlighted the challenges facing the North, including poverty, insecurity, and poor education, citing statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF.

He spoke on Monday while welcoming a delegation from the Arewa Consultative Forum, led by its Chairman, Mamman Mike Osuman, to Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House in Kaduna.

Sani noted that the National Bureau of Statistics’ “survey revealed that 63% of persons living within Nigeria (that is about 133 million people) are multi dimensionally poor. 65% of the poor (that is 86 million people) live in the North, while 35% (nearly 47 million) live in the South.

“The North is not faring any better in the area of education. The United Nations Children’s Fund puts the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria at 18.3 million. Of this outrageous number of out-of-school children, about 70% are in the North of Nigeria.

“This is quite disturbing and must worry all of us who still care for the North and Nigeria in general. Insecurity in the North has retarded developments in the critical sectors, a lot of farmers cannot access their farms.

“Food insecurity now confronts us directly. Child and maternal mortality are on the increase. Our infrastructure have decayed. The moves to address our infrastructural deficits are equally threatened by insecurity.

“From this very disturbing picture, it is clear that northern Nigeria faces an existential threat. This is therefore a time for all hands to be on deck to pull the region back from the brink.

“It is a time when our people must close ranks, fashion a Marshall Plan for the North and move decisively to change these negative.”

Sani emphasised the need for collective action to address these issues, urging the ACF to refocus attention on development rather than politics.

He commended the ACF for promoting and protecting the interests of northern Nigeria, despite the region’s diverse composition.

He, however, countered the claim that President Bola Tinubu was against the North, attributing such narratives to political manipulators.

“The government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been giving uncommon support to state governments in the North to address their myriad challenges.The narrative that President Tinubu is against the North is false, absurd and unbecoming.

“It is the handiwork of elements who are experts at political manipulation. They are only interested in feathering their political nests, not the development of Northern Nigeria,” he added.

The governor expressed willingness to partner with ACF on initiatives that benefit the North and handed over documents for an office complex donated by the Kaduna State Government.

He emphasized the importance of leadership in uniting the North and mobilizing its people for a brighter future.

Governor Sani encouraged collaboration to develop a “Marshal Plan” for the region’s development, expressing optimism that the North would rise again.

Earlier, the Chairman of the ACF, had highlighted the forum’s commitment to promoting peace, unity, and progress in northern Nigeria, acknowledging the region’s challenges with poverty, insecurity, and poor human development indices.