Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, says poverty and economic exclusion are the architect of insecurity in northern Nigeria, warning that unless they are addressed holistically, the region will continue to face unrest.

The governor made this known while appearing as a guest on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television on Sunday.

Sani said his administration started with a data-driven focus on poverty and underdevelopment, drawing on his experience as a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking.

“I came from the trenches. I fought successive governments in the past, during the military era. I went to detention a few times, fighting for justice and equality.

“When I came in as governor, what I did was to look at the poverty index, not only in the state but of the entire North. I was the chairman of the Committee on Banking.

“I had the data, the statistics from the Development Department of the Central Bank, from the SDG. I can tell you, sitting here, the poverty index as of 2023, when we came in, was alarming,” he explained.

According to him, over 60 to 65 per cent of people in the northern region, particularly in the North-West, were financially excluded when he assumed office as a governor, stressing that the development made many young people vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups.

The governor also revealed that when he took over in Kaduna State, over 350,000 children were out of school.

“This problem of insecurity, I can tell you, is largely an economic issue — poverty, unemployment. That is the reason why our people can easily be recruited by these bandits,” he added.

Sani, who warned that solving the crisis would require long-term commitment and realistic expectations, reflected on years of policy neglect, admitting that the region failed to tackle the crisis earlier.

“Today, we are addressing the problem gradually. Two months ago, I sat down with the Vice President of the World Bank. We looked at the UNICEF statistics. I can tell you — out of the 18.2 million out-of-school children today, the North is responsible for about 70% of that number.

“There are improvements in taking out-of-school children; the figure is different, and we are addressing the problem gradually,” Sani stated.

The governor urged Northern leaders to unite in purpose to tackle poverty and unemployment.

He also identified infrastructural, educational, and healthcare deficits as major contributors to the region’s poverty.