Nigeria: North's Man-Made Poverty

Posted to the web 13 October 2008 Ochereome Nnanna The elite of Northern Nigeria deserve our kudos for responding positively to the red flag of poverty, which has been waved in its face by sources outside the region. On two occasions, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has made it clear, from indices available to the Bank, that the geopolitical zones of northern Nigeria are still occupying the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. Apart from Soludo, some Niger Delta commentators defending themselves against north's accusation of their squandering the enormous amount of money that has accrued to their states and local governments since 1999, called them "parasites" and also described them as "lazy". The Northern Nigerian Economic and Investment Summit (NEIS) held in Kaduna last week by the... [read full story]