Arewa and The Challenge of Governance -By Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim

It is clearly evident that Nigeria’s biggest problem is poor leadership. This analysis will focus specifically on the challenges of bad governance in the northern states.

The recent multidimensional poverty index ranking Gombe State third on its list of poverty-ridden states, raises serious concerns. What is more worrisome is that eight of the top ten states on this list are in the North. Although the data dated back to 2022, it portrays the reality in Arewa today.

Released by The Cable on September 8, 2025, the multidimensional poverty across states are Sokoto: 90.5%, Bayelsa: 88.5%, Gombe: 86.2%, Jigawa: 84.3%, Plateau: 84%, Yobe: 83.5%, Kebbi: 82.2%, Taraba: 79.4%, Ebonyi: 78% and Zamfara: 78%. Is this a coincidence or a clear leadership failure? It’s time we agree that this is our reality, and it’s far from a coincidence. We cannot continue to live in denial.

Let us be honest with ourselves. I have seen some public relations professionals try to downplay the situation, but the truth is it is much bigger than that. I am happy that the average person is now becoming more critical than ever before. Gone are the days when a black cup could be presented to the public as white, and they would accept it without question. I like this change. It shows that our fellow citizens are up to the task of ensuring accountability and transparency in governance.

With or without data, the truth is there is hunger not only in Gombe but across the entire North. I have come across people who have testified to eating cassia tora plant popularly known as “tafasa” in hausa and other leaves just to survive. This is unfortunate in a region blessed with resources and a government meant to assist its people, but only pretends that everything is fine.

Beyond Gombe, I recall Barr. Bulama Bukarti, Ph.D., once told a story about the devastating hunger in Nigeria’s Katsina State, a tragedy so severe that it was comparable to what Israel was doing to children in Gaza. The number of kids dying from malnutrition is truly scary. In a video interview, even the Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umar Radda, confirmed this tragic reality. So, the question is, what is next?

This problem is not confined to Gombe or Katsina; it is virtually everywhere. It is a consequence of the current government’s capitalist policies and the sheer negligence of constitutional duties by those in authority. There is no way a policy can be killing people while the government goes about its daily business and expects it to be seen as a natural challenge. The challenge is artificial, created by illogical human decisions.

I single out Arewa because those at the helm of affairs here are only disturbed by unnecessary and less important issues. They don’t engage in careful, calculated, and concerned moves to serve their people. Governance is not just about power and politics. It is about people, policies, and programmes. Once the people are kept on the sidelines, that government is doomed to fail.

It is clear that Arewa leaders are more interested in what others call a cinematic show or a talk show rather than actual governance. If that was not the case, why would any serious government spend money recklessly on useless infrastructure like “flyless flyovers,” new government houses, and roads to nowhere, and expect its people and economy to flourish? That is simply not how it works.

An economy only flourishes when priorities are properly weighed. In a democracy, power belongs to the people. Therefore, if the people are jobless, hungry, and starving, the best course of action is to save them from these disasters. Long-term plans should be considered instead of short-term fixes like distributing rice as palliatives. Stop the extravagant spending, cut the cost of governance, and avoid contract inflation. Ultimately, unimportant policies must be reversed.

It makes no sense to continue collecting taxes from a patient who is already suffocating while claiming to save his life. True service resonates only when life is increasingly made possible with injections, subsidies and opportunities specifically tailored to address the people’s problems.

Lagos, on the other hand, is a model of development. I have been to Lagos several times and have observed its incredible development over the last five years. Its leaders must be commended. Lagos is generating trillions revenue internally. I was in Lagos shortly after the Blue Line Light Rail was commissioned and was impressed by the work done. I am not an engineer or an economist, but this is clearly connected to the state’s economic development. The Red Line was commissioned afterwards, all in Lagos.

These projects captioned blue, red, yellow, and orange light rail are captured in their development plans. Implemented one after the other. How many northern states can boast of having such development plans and showing this kind of progress? Furnish me with information if you know.

Two weeks ago, the Lagos governor took the train, interacted with staff and passengers, and rode the Blue Line to the next destination. This allowed him to get firsthand information about the state of affairs two years after its launch. This is what others are doing, while ours are doing what they do best for the benefit of the camera. It is high time we seek results instead of optics.

In 2025, if any governor claims that the South is “killing” the North, they must ask themselves: what are Northern leaders doing in the first place to build the North? Or we help them ask on their behalf. Silence is not an excuse. There is no way someone elsewhere can come and destroy your territory without your contribution. If that is the case, why didn’t we see you destroying theirs in retaliation? What are you doing to remedy the situation? The answer is obvious: nothing. And nothing.

If other states are building their economies with similar allocations from FAAC while you do nothing but useless projects and later claim what is critically not possible, you are not ready for the race. Governance is for those who are ready, willing to serve, and listen to the people, not for those who dictate and silence dissenting views in the name of politics. This is truly bad, and we as a nation must rise above it.

In the end, I implore northern leaders to go back to their drawing board and see the need for a refresh in their governance style, or else we will all continue to suffer the consequences.

God bless Nigeria.

Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim is a multiple award-winning investigative journalist and a 2025 Adejumobi Adegbite Fellow at the Foundation for Investigative Journalism and Social Justice, Lagos. He can be reached via awwalbinibrahim@gmail.com.