The Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, expressed concern over the rising poverty rate in the north, despite Nigeria’s overall GDP increasing.
Senator Sabi, who stated this in his remarks at the 17th Pre-AGA Lecture of the ABU Alumni Association held at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, also advocated proactive steps to address challenges in the North.
The Minister, who was represented by the Director-General, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Professor Garba Hamidu Sharubutu, said: “Hunger and economic hardship: A call to return to our roots and embrace innovative agricultural solutions. He gave a lecture on the theme of “Call for Peace” and said the following: He criticized the region for its lack of planning for future generations.
He noted that although Nigeria’s GDP per capital increased by about 19%, that growth had not translated into improved living conditions for many northerners, noting that the poverty rate was lower than when northerners were in power. He claimed that it had gotten worse.
The minister also highlighted UNICEF’s alarming statistics, stating that in 2021, 1,440 children were abducted in 25 school attacks, resulting in 16 deaths and leading to the closure of 618 schools in six northern provinces. revealed that.
“Multiple disasters, including floods and bandit attacks, have displaced more than 2 million people and put them at risk, and more than 1 million children are out of school,” he said. The number of children killed in these conflicts is 350,000. An average of 170 children die every day from violence and its indirect effects, including lack of access to food, health facilities, shelter and clean water. The death toll is predicted to reach 1.1 million by 2030 unless urgent action is taken.
“The North was known for large-scale agriculture, the basis of wealth and prosperity. Northern states were known for their cash crops, ginger, peanuts, soybeans, sesame, cotton, beans, rice, corn, cowpeas, sorghum, yams, It was known for its edible crops such as potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and watermelons.
“The North has Africa’s largest livestock population, with 19.5 million cattle, 72.5 million goats, 41.3 million sheep, 28,000 camels, 145 million chickens, 1.2 million turkeys, and 947,499 donkeys. held the position of
“The reasons and causes of the harsh reality in Northern Nigeria have been the subject of various debates, investigations and studies. But suffice it to say that many of the reasons can be summarized as follows: Trade. and a historical disadvantage for the North in the field of Western education; an economic structure dependent on an agricultural sector that is often based on subsistence; and an economic structure that lags significantly behind in education and human capital development. Governance and corruption. Deteriorating security has destabilized the region. Conflicts of interest due to ethnic and religious diversity and thorny issues of federal allocation and resource control.
“But why is this so? Why should this situation continue? As we consider these questions, let us look at this assessment. It shows that the poverty rate in Nigeria increased by 153.6% during the period. The equivalent number of people living in poverty increased from 39.2 million to 112.47 million.
“This is despite the fact that the country’s GDP per capital has increased by about 19 percent. Unfortunately, the increase in poverty is driven by the northern part of the country. It turns out that this happened during the time when the country was leading the country!
“The factors that caused North Korea to retreat so far are known and widely debated. My purpose here is to remind you of some facts that require urgent attention. So, I want to focus on issues that are along the lines of going back to basics: the bare foundations on which our founding fathers rested and on which they became our legends.”
In his opening remarks, ABU Zaria Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kabiru Bala, stressed the urgent need for alumni engagement to support the university and address the wide-ranging challenges facing education and agriculture in Nigeria. .
Professor Bala disclosed that the school is currently under threat of power outage as it is unable to sustain its monthly bill of N310 million. He called on alumni to always give back to the university to help it overcome its challenges.
In an interview with the press shortly after the event, the Ahmadu Bello University Alumni Association Worldwide Chairman, Mallam Adamu Mamman Kontagora, said the choice of theme was appropriate given the difficult times Nigerians are going through. said.
He appealed for more innovative agricultural solutions as a panacea to food insecurity, while assuring ABU that the alumni would always do their best to donate the allocation allocated to the school.
