Elder statesman Usman Bugaje has warned that Northern Nigeria is facing severe crises that, if left unaddressed, could lead to total collapse. He called for urgent collective action to tackle the region’s worsening poverty, insecurity, and corruption.
Speaking at the Arewa Movement for Good Governance Conference in Kaduna on Saturday, themed “The North and the Dangers Looming on the Horizon: The Need for a New Conversation and a New Narrative,” Bugaje highlighted the dire state of the region.
He noted that nearly 60% of students in tertiary institutions are unable to return to school due to financial constraints, while over 33 million Nigerians—a significant portion of whom are from the North—are on the brink of starvation.
“For over 25 years of Nigeria’s democracy, poverty has more than doubled in the region,” he said, blaming poor governance for the worsening economic conditions. He further pointed out that the minimum wage is now insufficient to purchase a bag of rice, a reflection of the collapsing economy.
Bugaje decried the escalating insecurity, which he said has crippled trade, commerce, and agriculture—the backbone of the northern economy. Public institutions, he added, are deteriorating, failing in service delivery, while infrastructure, particularly electricity, remains unreliable, with neighboring Niger Republic performing better in comparison.
“The social sector is the worst hit. Human capital is dwindling, and unemployment is rampant among the largely unemployable youth. In short, Nigeria is simply not working,” he lamented.
Bugaje also criticized political leaders, accusing them of engaging in self-serving governance, fueled by praise singers, political thugs, and money politics. He warned that the country is on a dangerous trajectory, with 20 million out-of-school children, the majority of them in the North.
He further accused political office holders of weakening traditional institutions and religious leaders of being drawn into a culture of violence and money politics.
Emphasizing that leadership failure is at the root of the North’s problems, Bugaje called for a consensus among northern elites to address the region’s challenges, warning that history will not forgive them if they fail to act.
Chairman of the Organizing Committee and former Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Tom Maiyashi, echoed Bugaje’s concerns, warning that the North is on the verge of collapse.
He urged northern elites to wake up and take responsibility for addressing the region’s problems for the sake of future generations.
“Northern elites must come back to their senses and address the challenges of the region,” he said.