“Northern Politicians Have Failed Us, Says Governor Uba Sani in Blistering Critique”
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has declared that politicians who have held office over the past two decades have failed the region and owe its people a heartfelt apology.
Speaking during an interview on TRUST TV, Sani didn’t mince words as he addressed what he described as years of neglect and underdevelopment in the north. “Anyone 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,” he stated.
Sani, a former senator, acknowledged his role within the political system, emphasising that the deep-seated challenges in the region are not recent but have been festering for decades. “The problems of northern Nigeria didn’t start two years ago. We’re talking about developments-or-lack — lack thereof — over the past 20 years,” he said.
While defending the value of public criticism in a democracy, Sani distinguished between genuine advocacy and opportunistic politics. “Every democracy must allow criticism, but it must be constructive, and in the interest of the Nigerian people. That’s what we did as activists — not because we wanted power,” he said.
He went on to express concern that many of the loudest critics of the current administration were themselves key players in previous governments. “If you’re a former senator, a former member of the House of Representatives, a former governor, a former minister, or even a former vice-president from northern Nigeria in the last 20 years, you’re part of the problem. All of us,” Sani declared.
Citing his tenure as chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, he lamented the staggering poverty and financial exclusion in the north. Despite the billions spent on social intervention programs during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, he said the region grew poorer due to systemic flaws. “Seventy per cent of the population in northern Nigeria — especially the masses — were completely financially excluded,” he revealed.
Governor Sani also took a swipe at what he called dishonest political narratives, calling on leaders to confront the truth and resist misleading the people for political gain. He reserved praise, however, for critics who have maintained integrity and spoken out with sincerity, naming Dan Bello Galadanchi as an example of ethical opposition.
“We must not deceive the people of northern Nigeria. We must not mislead them,” he said, urging a new era of honesty and accountability.
