Northwest Nigeria’s Human Development Indices Comparable To Afghanistan —el-Rufai
GOVERNOR Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has raised serious concerns about the state of human development in the Northwest geopolitical zone, saying the region’s indicators are closer to those of Afghanistan. Speaking at a Human Capital Development (HCD) Communication Strategy meeting in Abuja, the governor said the Northwest is grappling with extreme poverty, widespread insecurity, and alarming numbers of out-of-school children.
The meeting, organized by the National Economic Council (NEC) under the chairmanship of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, aimed to unify understanding among stakeholders regarding the objectives of the HCD programme. Vice President Osinbajo was represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr. Ade Ipaye.
According to Governor el-Rufai, “Our region is afflicted with the highest number of out-of-school children, the highest poverty rates, and school dropout rates in the country.” He also noted that the security situation in the region has further worsened the educational crisis, as several schools remain closed due to ongoing threats to students and staff.
“When you disaggregate the national data into zones and regions, you’ll find that most of Southern Nigeria has human development statistics akin to middle-income countries, while the Northwest’s figures resemble those of Afghanistan,” he said.
Governor el-Rufai stressed that the region’s large population is both an asset and a liability. “It can be a blessing if we invest in education, healthcare, and skills training. But it becomes a curse if these people are left uneducated and without hope,” he added.
He also linked the insecurity in the region to the failure of past policies, stating that many of the bandits arrested have never attended school and lack religious or moral foundations. “If we don’t invest in human capital, our situation will continue to deteriorate,” he warned.
The governor urged political leaders to prioritize long-term investments in education and healthcare over short-term visible projects like roads and buildings, which often take precedence due to political motivations.
“In my view, the most important audience for this message is our political leaders. Why are we not allocating at least 25% of our budgets to education and healthcare as recommended by international bodies? And even when the funds are budgeted, why aren’t they spent effectively?”
He commended Vice President Osinbajo for his political will and leadership in advancing human capital development and called on fellow leaders to make difficult but necessary decisions to secure a better future for the country.
KADUNA State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai on Tuesday in Abuja, said the North- West geo-political zone of the country had human development indices closer to those of the Afghanistan, saying region was afflicted with the highest number of out-of-school children and the highest poverty rate in Nigeria.
Governor el-Rufai, who spoke at the Human Capital Development Communication Strategy meeting organized by the National Economic Council, NEC, under the chairmanship of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said the North-West region was in crisis.
Prof. Osinbajo, who was represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Dr Ade Ipaye, said the meeting’s objectives were to ensure that stakeholders have shared understanding of the Human Capital Development, HCD, programme objectives and its importance to Nigerians among others.
According to Governor el-Rufai, “I represent the northwest zone in Human Capital Development Council. As you know, our part of the country is afflicted with the highest number of out of school children, some of the highest poverty rates and some of the highest drop-out rates in our schools.
“As if that is not enough, many of our schools are now closed due to the insecurity around our boarding schools. In most of the states of the Northwest, schools have been closed for a while, while security operations are taking place making our educational situation worse.
“Our health statistics are not better. When you disaggregate the national data into zones and regions, it is clear that most of Southern Nigeria have statistics that are middle income country while most of the Northwest have human development indices that are closer to those of Afghanistan. Our region is in crisis.
“This is why you will notice that only the Northwest has the highest representation of governors or deputy governors here. the deputy governor of Katsina State is here because this subject is very important to us. It keeps us awake at night.
“We have the largest population of any geopolitical zone in the country. That is both a blessing and a curse. Our large population is a blessing, if we keep the population healthy and educate the children and give them skills for the future and a curse if they are not educated.
“This is what we are seeing with our insecurity. Most of the bandits we arrested have never gone to school. They have no notion of religion, whether Christianity or Islam, and they have no hope. If we do not invest in education, healthcare, nutrition, our situation will just get worse.”
Emphasising the need for political leaders in the country to always “do the right thing” while providing governance, Governor el-Rufai, commended Prof Osinbajo for providing the political will as well as being in the forefront to facilitate attention needed to address the challenge.
He said, “Because it is all about political will. We have spoken here, there is a clear strategy and all talk about implementation. If we all agree that human capital is so important, why are we so backwards?”
“Why are state governments not budgeting at least 25 percent, 26 percent for education and for health care, as recommended by you the United Nations (UN) agencies? And when these monies are budgeted, why are the money not spent in the right way that politicians have a four year election cycle?
But it takes 30 years for the result of investment in education to show. But building roads, building secretariats are clearly evident.
“Politicians tend to ignore education and healthcare, the results show long after you leave office. In my humble opinion, the most important target of this message is our political leaders. The strategy is clear, the communication can be improved. We can work on the demand side of human capital development services, we can work on the supply side, but until and unless our political leaders realise the imperative of taking very difficult decisions for today, so that generations will benefit.
“I want to call on all of us to continue this conversation and continue to put pressure not just on the demand and supply sides of human capital, health, education, nutrition and so on. But on the political leaders that ultimately make the decisions, on budgeting, on spending, and on getting results, ” he added.