Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has called on northern Nigerian politicians to apologize to the people for their failure to address the region’s persistent underdevelopment.
In an interview with TRUST TV, Sani expressed deep concern over the state of northern Nigeria, attributing the region's current challenges to decades of mismanagement and neglect by political leaders.
Sani, who served as a senator before becoming governor, admitted that the region’s struggles did not begin recently, but are the result of systemic issues that have been allowed to persist for over 20 years.
He stressed that political leaders, especially those from northern Nigeria who have held office in recent decades, must take collective responsibility for the situation.
“We all need to look at ourselves in the mirror and apologize to the people of northern Nigeria. We let them down,”; Sani said, acknowledging that, as part of the political system, he too shared in the responsibility for the region's challenges. He emphasized that the problems facing the north were not a result of recent policies but were deeply rooted in a long history of underdevelopment.
Sani also highlighted the widespread poverty and financial exclusion that continue to plague the region, citing data from his time as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. Despite the billions spent on social intervention programs under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the governor pointed out that northern Nigeria continued to suffer due to the exclusion of the majority of its population from economic opportunities.
“70% of the population in northern Nigeria, especially the masses, were completely financially excluded,”; Sani noted, emphasizing that such systemic exclusion has perpetuated the region’s economic struggles.
The governor further defended the right of citizens to criticize the government but insisted that criticism must be constructive and focused on the interests of the people, rather than motivated by personal ambition or a thirst for power. He also expressed respect for critics who speak truthfully and maintain ethical principles.
“I have no problem with people criticizing the government—people like Dan Bello Galadanchi,”; Sani said. “Those individuals have the moral right to criticize this government. But those who were part of the rot and are now claiming to have repented—that’s wrong.”;
