Member representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano in the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has declared that northern Nigeria is richer than the southern part of the country.
Jibrin however noted that the region has failed to maximize its vast human and natural resources due to internal divisions and poor leadership.
Speaking on Channels Television on Wednesday, Jibrin argued that the North possesses greater economic potential than the South, citing its population, fertile agricultural land, and abundant mineral deposits.
“Believe me, the North is richer than the southern part of Nigeria. The only thing is that we’ve not had a situation where we maximised our potentials. We have the population, we have the fertile land for agriculture, we have all the mineral resources you can ever think of.
“In the southern part of the country you are talking about, only oil and gas, there is no any mineral that you think about that we do not have in the North,” he said.
Jibrin, however, lamented that instead of harnessing these resources, northern elites often undermine themselves publicly, leaving the region politically and economically weakened.
“Every day we are fighting ourselves on national television. Is it that there are no leaders and traditional rulers, 19 northern governors? You will see very prominent Northerners throwing mud at themselves in the full glare of the public, some of them will go behind and clap their hands,” he added.
The lawmaker urged the North to look inward and embrace unity, stressing that only then can it fully unlock its economic strength and political influence in Nigeria.
