A former senator has disagreed with Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State over the service records of northern Nigerian past political leaders.
In an interview with Trust TV on Monday, Mr Sani attributed the region’s challenges to the alleged failure of its political leaders who have served the nation in the past.
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The governor admitted to being part of the system and stressed that northern Nigeria’s challenges stemmed from decades of underdevelopment and neglect.
“I’ll say it here today — all of us; I was a senator in this country, and the problems of northern Nigeria didn’t start two years ago
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” Anyone, like I said, who is from northern Nigeria and held a political office in the last 20 years, we all need to look at ourselves in the mirror and apologise to the people of northern Nigeria. We let them down.”
Mr Sani attributed the extreme poverty suffered by people in the North during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, despite several interventions, to the deliberate financial exclusion of the people.
“Don’t forget, when Buhari was president — people forget this — he spent hundreds of billions on social interventions,” he said.
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“But I’ll tell you why the North became poorer even after that. Because 70 per cent of the population in northern Nigeria, especially the masses, were completely financially excluded.”
Senator responds
Meanwhile, in a statement he issued in reaction to the governor’s comments on Wednesday, Bala Na’Allah, who represented Kebbi State at different times in the House of Reps and the Senate, faulted the governor’s comments as a generalisation and challenged him to be specific in apportioning blame.
Mr Na’Allah served two terms in the Senate, where he was the deputy minority leader between 2019 and 2023. He served two terms earlier in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011.
“Upon reflection and a thorough review of my record in public office, I can identify no action, decision, or position taken by me that was injurious to the interests of the North. I, therefore, see no reason to offer an apology to Nigeria or to any part of it.
“If, after all the sacrifices I have made and the challenges I have faced in the course of my public service, Senator Uba Sani still believes that the North is entitled to an apology, I would respectfully request that he be specific in stating who should apologise and for what precise actions,” he said.
Read the full statement
My attention has been drawn to a statement reportedly made by the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, wherein he is alleged to have stated that anyone who held public office in the last twenty years owes the North an apology.
Ordinarily, I would have refrained from responding. However, given the importance of public records and the possibility of such remarks being referenced in the future, I feel it is necessary to provide a clear and respectful response.
I have had the rare privilege of serving as a two-term member of the House of Representatives and a two-term member of the Senate. During these years, I have rendered my service to Nigeria—and, by extension, the North—with honesty, sincerity, and an unwavering commitment to inclusiveness. One of my Senate terms was served alongside Senator Uba Sani, now Governor of Kaduna State.
Upon reflection and a thorough review of my record in public office, I can identify no action, decision, or position taken by me that was injurious to the interests of the North. I, therefore, see no reason to offer an apology to Nigeria or to any part of it.
If, after all the sacrifices I have made and the challenges I have faced in the course of my public service, Senator Uba Sani still believes that the North is entitled to an apology, I would respectfully request that he be specific in stating who should apologise and for what precise actions.
Finally, to my fellow Northerners, I reiterate a long-standing concern: as long as merit does not guide our selection of leadership, the region will continue to regress, and the complex challenges confronting the North will only deepen and become more difficult to resolve.
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