By Nnaoke Ufere, PhD
For decades, Northern elites have been widely criticized for their benign neglect and failure to effectively tackle the pressing issues of educational deprivation, economic stagnation, poverty, insecurity, and the growing population of the underclass in the region.
This neglect has entrenched a significant portion of the population—especially the youth—in cycles of illiteracy, unemployment, deepening poverty, and despair.
Among the approximately 120 million people residing in the Northern states, it is estimated that over 90 million are illiterate and living in poverty—a staggering statistic that underscores the deep-rooted and unresolved challenges plaguing the region.
The poverty rate in the North, at over 79%, is nearly twice the average of 40% in other regions, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. This stark contrast reveals a decades-long pattern of neglect and indifference by the Northern political class, business elites, and religious leaders.
It is no surprise that across the North, the streets are crowded with young men and women who, lacking skills and opportunities, are left to loiter aimlessly, their time and energy squandered as they wait for opportunities that never arrive. As such, the underclass have been systematically relegated and denied their right to education and the chance for a productive life.
This is a national disgrace and a crisis of leadership, reflecting the deep failure of governance and the neglect of the region’s most vulnerable populations.
In this dire situation, many Northern youths find themselves trapped in a cycle of poverty, leading to poor health outcomes, reduced life expectancy, and higher mortality rates compared to other regions. This condition continues to hold the people back from realizing their full potential, depriving them of the opportunity for a better life for themselves and their families.
The region’s human capital is also severely impacted, as a significant portion of the population is unable to contribute fully to society due to limited opportunities and lack of skills. This has long-term implications for the North’s development, as the region struggles to harness the potential of its vast youth population.
This situation has persisted for far too long, and addressing its root causes is crucial to promoting inclusive growth and development. It’s essential to acknowledge the complexity of this crisis and work collaboratively to find solutions, not blame, that promote education, economic empowerment, equal opportunity, and social mobility for all. This status quo cannot continue—it must change.
Therefore, I stand in solidarity with fellow citizens in denouncing this destructive cycle of poverty and underclass, which has entrapped many of our fellow Nigerians in deplorable socio-economic status.
To shatter the cycle of inequality and unlock social mobility and prosperity in the North, and everywhere else in the country, we demand courageous leadership, precision policy interventions, and a fundamental transformation of the power dynamics that perpetuate injustice and suffering.
Our nation cannot afford to leave these millions of citizens behind. Therefore, I have outlined strategic imperatives and action steps later in this space that are necessary to effectively address and resolve this crisis.
Let me be clear: the prevalence of poverty and the growth of the underclass is common across all regions of the nation, not just in the North. However, nowhere is it more extensive, entrenched, and pervasive than in the Northern region. Nowhere are the consequences more dire, nor the need for a remedy more urgent.
Nowhere else is the culpability of the elites more glaring than in the North. Despite the region producing nine out of the 16 individuals who have held the highest office in the country, as well as numerous top National Assembly members, cabinet officials, and heads of parastatals, the conditions for the Northern underclass have remained stagnant—or have even worsened.
This stark contrast between the region’s political dominance and the persistent suffering there highlights a profound failure of leadership. The Northern elites, who have had ample opportunity and power to effect change, have instead allowed the cycle of poverty and deprivation to continue, leaving millions trapped in a life of hardship with no clear path to improvement.
Successive leaders, from Yakubu Gowon to Muhammadu Buhari and now Bola Tinubu, have made half-hearted attempts to address poverty and improve education in the region, with little meaningful progress.
These initiatives have often fallen short, crippled by a lack of understanding of the root causes, flawed strategies, corruption, religious and cultural resistance, and poor implementation.
Notable efforts, such as Ex-Governor Kwankwaso’s initiatives to address educational challenges for millions of out-of-school youth, have shown promise. However, a comprehensive approach addressing these multifaceted issues is necessary to break the cycle of poverty in the North.
Canary in the Coal Mine
Ironically, President Tinubu has exposed to the rest of the world the Northern elite’s longstanding neglect of millions of destitute and desperate youth in the region. His economic blunders have lit the fuse on a powder keg that the Northern elites can no longer contain. The explosion is not a question of if, but when.
The #EndBadGovernance protests marked the dawn of a new awakening—a canary in the coal mine, foreshadowing the deeper unrest that looms on the horizon. Never before in the history of the North have we witnessed such a direct challenge to the elites’ power structure by the underclass as we did during those brief but powerful protests.
But this isn’t solely Tinubu’s responsibility. The Northern elites’ recent tendency to place all the blame on him is a convenient excuse. Tinubu is simply an accelerant; the fire was ignited long ago by the negligence of the Northern elites.
For years, these political, economic and religious elites, have sedated the impoverished masses with a deceptive cloak of political rhetoric and manipulation, exploiting their obedience and ignorance to advance their own political agendas and personal economic gain.
The growing realization that their obedience and votes have been exploited for political and economic gain is igniting a deep sense of betrayal and anger in poverty-stricken states across the North. The resentment is palpable.
Deliberate Strategy or Unintended Consequence?
Concerns have been raised that this situation has been intentionally perpetuated by some leaders to maintain a deep dependency of the underclass on the ruling elites. By keeping the population uneducated, subservient, and impoverished, these elites have effectively ensured their continued control and dominance over a vulnerable and dependent populace.
This approach may have enabled the ruling class to maintain power with minimal resistance, securing their dominance at the cost of the broader community’s progress and empowerment.
This view is strongly supported by influential Northern figures like Prof. Usman Yusuf, Senator Shehu Sani, and Prof. Attahiru Jega, who have each highlighted the Northern leadership’s complicity and failure to tackle the region’s severe poverty and educational shortcomings.
These leaders argue that the Northern elites have benignly sustained this bleak status quo as a means of retaining power, all while sacrificing the future of their own people.
We Know the Root Causes
The root causes of poverty in the Northern underclass are well-known and deeply entrenched, stemming from a complex mix of leadership failures, historical challenges, socio-economic disparities, religious influences, and governance issues.
- A significant factor is the lack of access to quality education, particularly for the most vulnerable. Despite efforts like the Nomadic Education Program, poor implementation has limited its impact.
- Economic underdevelopment also plays a major role, with the North historically lagging behind other regions in industrialization and infrastructure, leading to fewer opportunities and higher unemployment.
- Poor leadership, governance failures, and corruption have worsened these issues, as resources meant for development are often mismanaged or siphoned off by elites, leaving the broader population without basic services.
- Social and cultural practices, such as early marriage and adolescent pregnancies, further contribute to high poverty rates by limiting educational and economic opportunities, particularly for women.
- Moreover, ongoing insecurity, driven by insurgencies like Boko Haram, has deepened poverty by disrupting economic activities and displacing communities.
Urgent Strategic Action Is Required
The problem of the underclass is an intergenerational crisis that demands urgency in finding a permanent solution. Addressing the root causes in the North, and everywhere else in the country, requires a comprehensive approach, including investments in education, healthcare, and economic empowerment programs.
To address the problems, political leaders can take the following concrete actions:
1. Invest in Quality Education
Expand Access to Education: Initiate an aggressive campaign to build and fully fund schools in underserved areas, particularly in rural communities. These schools should be equipped with well-trained teachers, modern facilities, and up-to-date educational materials.
Enforce Mandatory Schooling: Implement and strictly enforce laws that mandate school attendance for all school-age children, regardless of religious or cultural barriers. Criminalize early or underage marriage, recognizing it as a violation of a child’s right to education, and ensure these laws are rigorously applied.
Establish Residential Schools: Provide residential schools for the most vulnerable children, where they can be sheltered from familial, religious, and cultural pressures that hinder education. Offer free food, transportation, and housing to support these students, ensuring they have every opportunity to succeed academically.
Launch Adult Literacy Programs: Roll out extensive adult literacy programs aimed at improving the education and skill levels of the existing underclass. Focus on vocational training that directly enhances employability, enabling adults to contribute more effectively to the economy and break the cycle of poverty.
2. Create Sustainable Employment Opportunities
Agricultural Revitalization: Invest in modernizing agriculture by providing farmers with access to improved seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation systems. Subsidize farmers and farm cooperatives who employ members of the underclass as farm hands.
Skills Development and Entrepreneurship: Establish skills acquisition centers throughout the region that provide training in a variety of trades, including carpentry, tailoring, commerce, mechanics, cobbling, and ICT.
These centers will equip individuals with practical skills that can lead to sustainable employment and economic empowerment. Provide start-up grants and microloans to graduates of these programs to kickstart small businesses.
3. Strengthen Social Safety Nets
Direct Cash Transfers: Implement targeted direct cash transfer programs to the most vulnerable families, ensuring they can meet basic needs while other long-term measures take effect. In the short term, the Tinubu administration must act swiftly to address the hardship and discontent spreading across the nation.
Subsidized Healthcare: Provide subsidized healthcare services, particularly focusing on maternal and child health, to reduce the healthcare burden on impoverished families and improve overall well-being.
4. Address Religious and Cultural Manipulation
Promote Religious Tolerance and Education: Work with religious leaders to promote messages of peace, tolerance, and the importance of education. Encourage religious institutions to support the government’s development programs rather than undermine them.
Cultural Reform Initiatives: Initiate campaigns that challenge harmful cultural practices that perpetuate dropout from schools, poverty and underdevelopment, advocating for progressive cultural norms that support education and economic participation for all, particularly women and girls.
5. Enhance Political Inclusion
Inclusive Governance: Involve representatives from the underclass in decision-making processes at the local and state levels, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs addressed in policy formulation.
Transparency and Accountability: Establish mechanisms for transparent governance, where resources allocated for development are tracked, and leaders are held accountable for mismanagement or corruption. Publicize these efforts to rebuild trust with the populace.
6. Implement Comprehensive Security Reforms
Community Policing: Strengthen community policing efforts to ensure security and stability, particularly in regions prone to violence and insurgency. Engage local communities in security efforts to foster trust and collaboration.
Rehabilitation Programs for Former Militants: Develop rehabilitation and reintegration programs for individuals who have been involved in militant activities such as members of Boko Haram or kidnapping gangs, offering them education, vocational training, and psychological support to re-enter society constructively. Former efforts failed because of lack of trust and corruption.
By breaking the cycle of poverty and the underclass, the North, along with the rest of the nation, can unlock the full potential of its citizens and build a more equitable and prosperous society. This progress benefits the entire country, as no Nigerian should be left behind. Together, as a unified nation, we can thrive and create a brighter future for all.
