80% OF OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN ARE FROM NORTHERN NIGERIA – NEF CHAIR

80% OF OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN ARE FROM NORTHERN NIGERIA – NEF CHAIR

Chairman of the Northern Elders’ Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has raised the alarm over the growing marginalisation of Northern Nigeria, warning that the continued sidelining of the region in federal budgeting and infrastructure development poses grave dangers to national unity and progress.

Speaking during the ongoing Government-Citizens Engagement Forum organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kaduna on Tuesday, the elder statesman described the region’s situation as nothing short of a national emergency, particularly in the areas of education, infrastructure, and economic inclusion.

Abdullahi, a former vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, lamented the failure of successive administrations to address the North’s growing population of out-of-school children.

He blamed the crisis on inadequate funding and misplaced national priorities.

“We have 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria—80 percent of them are from Northern Nigeria.

“If just half of the N15 trillion national budget were allocated to education, we would have no child out of school.

“That money would provide schools, teachers, and equipment,” he said.

He said, despite the magnitude of the crisis, the North continues to receive a disproportionately low share of education funding.

“This is not just a Northern problem. It is a national disaster. An uneducated population is a threat to all,” he warned.

The NEF chairman, who recently toured parts of the Northeast, also described the region’s road infrastructure as “the worst in the country.”

“Some of the roads are not just bad—they don’t even exist. You can’t talk about national development when a whole region remains disconnected.

“There must be an intentional drive to fix our roads if we are serious about equity,” he said.

He proposed a simple yet bold solution, stating, “Let’s be serious. If we use N7.5 trillion for education and N7.5 trillion for roads in the North, we’d solve two of our biggest problems.”

Abdullahi also expressed strong reservations about the recent relocation of key departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria from Abuja to Lagos, describing the move as suspicious and divisive.

“Why the sudden relocation of CBN departments? Why the mass retirements? And why were 15 new directors recently employed—with only four from Northern Nigeria?” he asked.

He said the decision sends a troubling message to Northern Nigerians, many of whom already feel marginalised under the current administration.

“These are not coincidences. They are decisions with consequences, and the North is watching,” he said.

According to him, the Northern Elders’ Forum will be formally writing to President Bola Tinubu to demand clarification on the recent appointments and policy decisions, which, he said, appear designed to weaken Northern participation in the federal structure.

Abdullahi did not stop at criticism. He also laid out a roadmap for equitable development, starting with the decentralisation of industrial growth.

“If we truly want to develop Nigeria, then Northern Nigeria must be industrialised in line with its natural strengths—agriculture being one,” he said.

He urged the Federal Government to set up agro-allied processing zones across Northern states, arguing that industrialisation anchored on agriculture would lift millions out of poverty and stabilise the region’s economy.

“It is time to spread development. Northern Nigeria cannot continue to serve only as a food basket without also being a value-adding zone,” he declared.

The NEF chairman ended on a strong note of civic engagement, urging Northerners to move from silence to active demand for their rights.

“We must be proactive. We will be asking questions. And this time, we expect answers,” he said.

He called on political leaders, community organisations, and civil society groups to join in demanding accountability from federal policymakers.

“We can no longer afford to be passive. If we do not speak up and insist on fairness, the marginalisation will continue, and our children will inherit a more broken and divided nation,” he added.