Kaduna Governor Uba Sani Links Northern Nigeria’s Insecurity to Deep-Rooted Poverty

 Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani sounded a clarion call facing Northern Nigeria, declaring that pervasive poverty is the primary driver of the region’s escalating violence. Speaking at a security summit in Kaduna, the governor urged leaders to prioritize economic empowerment and education to dismantle the cycle of deprivation fueling banditry, kidnapping, and insurgency.

Northern Nigeria, particularly the North-West and North-East, has grappled with relentless insecurity for over a decade. Kaduna, a strategic state bordering the Federal Capital Territory, recorded over 1,200 kidnappings and 3,000 deaths from banditry in 2024, according to security reports. Sani, a former senator, attributed these crises to systemic issues, noting that 70% of the region’s population lives below the poverty line, with youth unemployment rates exceeding 40%.

He cited the National Bureau of Statistics, which reported that 63% of Nigerians, predominantly northerners, are multidimensionally poor, lacking access to basic education, healthcare, and clean water. This deprivation, he argued, creates fertile ground for criminal networks to recruit vulnerable youths, offering them as little as ₦10,000 to carry out attacks.

The summit, attended by governors from Kano, Katsina, and Zamfara, as well as military chiefs and traditional rulers, focused on coordinating responses to banditry and terrorism. Sani highlighted specific challenges in Kaduna’s Birnin-Gwari and Chikun local government areas, where bandits have displaced entire communities, disrupting agriculture and inflating food prices. He pointed to the closure of over 4,000 schools across the North due to attacks, leaving millions of children out of education and at risk of radicalization. The governor also criticized the lack of investment in rural infrastructure, noting that only 15% of Kaduna’s rural roads are paved, limiting economic opportunities and security patrols.

Sani proposed a multi-pronged approach, including expanding vocational training centers, which have trained 10,000 youths in Kaduna since 2023, and scaling up microfinance programs for women, who constitute 60% of the state’s agricultural workforce. He also called for federal support to establish agro-industrial zones to boost employment and curb rural-urban migration, which overwhelms urban security resources. The governor praised ongoing military operations, such as Operation Hadin Kai, but stressed that kinetic measures alone cannot succeed without addressing poverty’s root causes.

The summit concluded with a commitment to form a regional task force to harmonize security and development policies. Sani urged northern elites to invest in community projects rather than luxury assets, citing his administration’s ₦50 billion allocation for rural development in the 2025 budget. Analysts welcomed his candor but cautioned that entrenched corruption and political rivalries could hinder implementation. As Kaduna and its neighbors brace for another year of challenges, Sani’s focus on poverty as insecurity’s bedrock has set a new tone for regional governance, with calls for measurable outcomes to restore hope to beleaguered communities.