Insecurity, Almajiri crisis push north to ‘existential threat’ — Governors, traditional rulers meet in Kaduna

Northern governors and traditional rulers on Monday opened a crucial joint meeting in Kaduna, with insecurity, climate change and the alarming rise in Almajiri and out-of-school children dominating deliberations.

Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, in his keynote address at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, warned that the region was confronted with an “existential threat” driven by terrorism, extreme poverty and worsening social vulnerabilities.

Yahaya said the recent abductions of schoolchildren in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Kano, Niger and Sokoto states, alongside renewed Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe, had once again exposed the fragility of security in the region.

While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the swift rescue of some victims, he stressed that the North must never allow terrorists to dictate the future of education.

According to him, “An attack on education is a direct assault on our future,” noting that terrorists target schools and farmlands to cripple the empowerment tools of the youth.

The governor said insecurity had morphed beyond localised banditry into a full-scale national emergency threatening the survival of the North and Nigeria as a whole. “This menace spares no one, the poor and the rich, Muslims and Christians, the young and the old,” he said.

He linked the escalating violence to deep-seated underdevelopment, illiteracy, lack of opportunities, and the intensifying effects of climate change, which are heightening conflicts over land and water resources.

Yahaya said this was why the forum placed the Almajiri and out-of-school children crisis top on its agenda, describing the situation as a “stain on our conscience.”

He said the North must move beyond rhetoric and adopt coordinated actions to ensure every child is in school.

The NSGF chairman reaffirmed support for the establishment of state police, calling it a critical reform needed to tackle widespread insecurity.

He welcomed President Tinubu’s directive to the National Assembly to create the constitutional framework, urging lawmakers to accord the reform urgent priority.

He added that achieving sustainable peace would require synergy among political leaders, traditional institutions and religious authorities, stressing that traditional rulers must continue to play stabilising roles while religious leaders should promote tolerance.

Earlier, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, who hosted the meeting, urged leaders to recommit to rebuilding a stable, secure and economically vibrant North.

He said the current centralised policing structure was inadequate for a country of over 230 million people with vast ungoverned spaces.

“We must reclaim the narrative of the North from those who trade in fear. Our people deserve stability, opportunity and hope,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, declared full support for the governors’ position, saying traditional rulers were “100 per cent behind” efforts to restore peace.

He urged governors to work harder, listen to constructive criticism and ensure sustained inter-state cooperation, emphasizing that there was “only one North” and leaders must speak with one voice.

The Sultan added, “We have no other place to call home. Whatever it takes to bring peace and stability to the North and Nigeria, we will do it.”

The meeting later went into a closed-door session to deliberate on security reforms, climate adaptation strategies, education initiatives and the operationalisation of state policing.