Poverty, Insecurity in North a National Emergency, Says Dogara

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, yesterday raised the alarm over rising insecurity and poverty in Northern Nigeria, insisting they should be treated as a national emergency rather than a regional issue.

Dogara spoke in Abuja at a panel session during the Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit (NNIIS) 2025 organised by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF).

He lamented the unending bloodshed across the region, warning that the magnitude of killings has spiritual implications. According to him, “with the level of bloodletting going on in the North, as a person of faith, one will know that the region is operating under a curse because it is human blood.”

The former Speaker stressed that the consequence of such a curse is fruitless labour. “That is why Northerners are sweating without tangible results,” he said.

Dogara urged governors of the 19 northern states to make security their top priority, even if it means pooling their resources to confront the menace. “If not, all our conversations here will amount to nothing,” he warned.

He faulted overreliance on external interventions, saying the North must take its destiny in its own hands through radical and transformative actions.

Dogara further argued that the development of the North is critical to Nigeria’s survival. “If the vast population of the North is not developed, Nigeria will not make progress,” he added.

The summit focused on four key areas: bridging energy deficits through decentralisation and partnerships; transforming agriculture from subsistence to agro-industrial scale; leveraging technology to drive digital economy and innovation; and promoting inclusive, sustainable mining of mineral resources.