The Northern Leadership's Failure: A Reflection of a Society in Crisis

The adage "you can't separate the people from their leadership" rings eerily true in the context of Northern Nigeria's current predicament. The region's leaders, entrusted with the responsibility of guiding their people, have woefully failed to address the plethora of challenges plaguing their constituents.

A Region in Turmoil

The North faces unprecedented crises:

•  Extreme poverty, resulting in an alarming number of beggars (en bara) on its streets.
• 15.23 million out-of-school children, with Almajiris constituting a significant proportion (UNICEF, 2023).
• Banditry and terrorism have displaced thousands, claimed over 8 million lives in the North West (2013-2022), and 350,000 lives in the North East due to Boko Haram insurgency.

These staggering statistics paint a dire picture of a region in shambles.

The Root Causes

Poverty, lack of social inclusion, negligence, and poor governance policies underpin these issues. Almajirenci, the practice of children begging for survival, is a symptom of a broader societal failure.

A Collective Responsibility

While leadership policy failures are culpable, the society as a whole must share the blame:

•  Parents, for neglecting their responsibilities.
•  The community, for stigmatizing and neglecting these vulnerable children.
• Leadership, for inadequate policies and governance.

Breaking the Cycle

To overcome these challenges, the North requires:

•  Conscious leadership, prioritizing education, poverty alleviation, and social inclusion.
• Collective responsibility, recognizing the role each stakeholder plays in addressing Almajirenci and other issues.
• Youth empowerment, undoing the distractions of the past and forging a new path forward.

A Call to Action

Until we elect and support visionary leaders, our society will continue its downward spiral. The North's future depends on its ability to confront these challenges head-on, through a concerted effort from all stakeholders.

_Tahir Usman_