Economic Hardship More Severe In The North Than Southern Nigeria, Says NSGF

Posted by Isah Kabir Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Monday, October 28th, 2024

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) has stated that the region is worst hit by the economic hardship in the country than southern Nigeria.

Mohammed Yahaya, governor of Gombe state and chair of the NSGF, stated this on

Monday in Kaduna when the forum had a meeting with Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff, and traditional rulers concerning insecurity, and power outages in the region.

“We must continue to work with the federal government and relevant agencies to provide the necessary support and relief to those affected”, Yahaya said.

“As we gather today, our collective resolve is being tested by the ongoing challenges that we face.

“These include but are not limited to terrorism, banditry, kidnap for ransom, farmer-herder clashes, drug abuse, the menace of Almajiri and out-of-school children, poverty and unemployment.”

According to Yahaya, the youths are now due to the economic hardship and increase in insecurity in the north.

“The recent EndBadGovernance protests that took place in August serve as a wake-up call for all northern leaders,” he said.

“Youth restiveness is a growing concern, driven by illiteracy, poverty, and lack of economic opportunities. Our young people are calling out for change and it is our responsibility to listen and act.

“We must scale up efforts to tackle the root causes of youth restiveness by investing in education, skills development and job creation.

“Let us focus on creating pathways for the youth to channel their energy into productive ventures, thereby reducing their vulnerability to crime and social vices.

“The economic hardship faced by many Nigerians today is undeniable and considering the north-south disparity in economic inequality, it is even more pronounced in northern Nigeria.

“This calls for urgent intervention. It is essential that we, as leaders, adopt measures to alleviate the suffering such as targeted social welfare programmes, support for small and medium enterprises, and policies that attract investment to our states.”

“As we speak today, most of our Northern states are in darkness due to vandalisation of electricity transmission infrastructure,” Yahaya added.

“This not only underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure but also the need to build additional transmission lines and diversify our energy supply so as to better connect our region and improve our energy resilience.”