Insecurity: The North Is Sitting On A Bomb – Malumfashi Warns

An academic don, Professor Mansur Malumfashi, has warned that the northern region of Nigeria must tackle insecurity if it wants to make any progress.

The scholar warned that the North at the moment is sitting on a bomb with the number of out-of-school children caused by the security situation in the region, and efforts must be fast-tracked to tackle the menace.

According to him, solving the challenges of the region is a collaborative effort and all hands must be on deck to make it happen.

Malumfashi made his position known in Katsina State recently while delivering a lecture as the Guest Speaker at the occasion to mark the week of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kastina State Council.

Speaking on the topic: 58 Years Without Sir Ahmadu Bello: How The North Can Rise Again, the University don said the region must have the courage to tackle insecurity headlong.

“If we want the North to rise again the issue of insecurity must be tackled headlong,” he argued.

“Insecurity demands for collective resolve and collective actions. It is like a contagious decease. If one states works in isolation it will spread to neighbouring states.”

He commended the courage of the current Katsina governor for spearheading the move to bring security to the state and the northwest subregion.

“Security is the basis of peace and without peace there will not be any development,” he said.

The Professor lamented that available statistics show that the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria are from the north.

“Insecurity has forced Borno, Yobe and Adamawa to Close 802 schools, 497 Classrooms were damaged but repairable in 2022 from the three states 4.2m children needed education as at July 2022.

“By UNESCO report there were 10.2m children out of primary schools and 8.1m children out of Junior Secondary School in Nigeria 12.7m children in Nigeria (5-14) have never attended, any school and 5.9 had dropped out of school permanently, 55% of all this is in the north.

“This figure accounted for 15% of the global out of school children.

“It is an understatement to say that the North is sitting on bomb. How can the north rise again under this condition? UNICEF reported that Bauchi, Katsina and Kano States have the highest number of out-of-school children. In 2021 for example Bauchi had 1,239,759 children, Katsin a 873,633 and Kano had 837,479 children. In Bauchi state alone: OSC by Gender stand at: 488,300 Males and 732,458 Females.”

He also called on political leaders to see governance as a call to service and not an opportunity to enrich themselves.

“Where there is good governance there must be good fellowship,” he reasoned.

“Our political orientation must be directed at service as Maitama Sule, the Dan Masani Kano one stated: people should be in politics to serve and not be served.

“Politics in Nigeria today is a commercial venture, you invest to make profit. We should have more Sir Ahmadu Bello in the North.

“He had no personal house in Kaduna. Our democracy is too expensive therefore we must reduce the cost of governance to the barest minimum. Let our lawmakers at the both state and national live on 50% of their wages and re-invest in security.

“Our security architecture must involve the indigenous leaders including the emirs, the district, village heads and other officials, trade, artisan and other professions.”