Why northerners live in abject poverty - Shehu Sani

Outspoken Senator Shehu Sani has revealed why poverty has continued to plague the northern part of Nigeria despite the number of ‘big’ men the region boasts of.According to the senator representing Kaduna Central district, many northern people live in abject poverty not just because of laziness, but because those who are wealthy in the region only care about themselves.He also accused the region of having the mentality of the current federalism in the country which makes states depend on the federal government for monthly allocations.

The senator who spoke while hosting the leaders of Women Connect Initiatives (WCI) in his office in Abuja, asked state governors in the region to lead by example and be less dependent on the centre for handouts.

“Nigeria is moving into a new phase in its history as a country and as a people. The era of oil money is almost over. The federal system we have today is one in which people go to Abuja to collect money. This should not be the case.

“Northerners who have oil wells use the money for themselves and keep the poor impoverished. The only people who have benefited from the structure we have today are the elites, both in the north and south.

“All parts of Nigeria must be involved in generating revenue for the country. This would make everyone have a sense of belonging.

“We cannot live in a society where one part contributes and the other does not. That is injustice. The agitation by people of the Niger Delta is right.

“If there is oil in the northern part of Nigeria, other people have the right to demand for justice in the same country.“The poverty and degradation in the Niger Delta is a colossal injustice to the people of that part of the country. But, unfortunately, the poor people in the north have also not benefited from the oil revenue.

“Until we amend the constitution to force all regions in the country to make equal contribution to the national purse, the agitation by indigenes of the Niger Delta may not stop and this would affect the growth and development of the nation,”as reported by Daily Post.