Northern communities need urgent investment in health, education- Shettima

Nigeria's Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged for immediate and substantial investments in health, education, and skills development across northern Nigeria, highlighting the region's severe consequences from a lack of human capital development.

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There is no part of this country that has paid the price for the inadequacy of human capital as much as northern Nigeria.

Speaking at the Northern Nigeria Human Capital Development Summit in Abuja, Shettima, represented by Ibrahim Hadejia, deputy chief of staff, stated, "There is no part of this country that has paid the price for the inadequacy of human capital as much as northern Nigeria." He elaborated that this deficit has led to preventable maternal deaths, uneducated children, and untapped potential among the youth.

Shettima emphasized that while the North possesses significant population, talent, and economic potential, these assets require deliberate investment to translate into prosperity. He described the summit as a crucial opportunity to address long-standing development challenges and bridge the gaps hindering progress.

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You have paid for it in the bodies of mothers who do not survive the act of giving life.

While acknowledging the Federal Government's Human Capital Development (HCD) 2.0 Strategy, Shettima stressed the pivotal role of state governments in achieving results. He called on governors and stakeholders to champion the human capital agenda, noting that educational institutions, primary healthcare facilities, and frontline service providers are primarily state responsibilities. "The classrooms are in your states. The primary healthcare centres are under your authority. The teachers, nurses, midwives and community workers are all in your employ," he stated, underscoring that federal programs cannot succeed without state-level engagement.

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This has also been done in the minds of children who are never taught to read, and in the talents of young people who carry the weight of a region without the tools to lift it.

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State identified the Almajiri system, out-of-school children, and early marriage as significant obstacles to human capital development in the North. He urged leaders to confront these issues directly, particularly the Almajiri system, noting that millions of children remain outside the formal education system. His state has reportedly repatriated over 200,000 Almajiri children.

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The classrooms are in your states. The primary healthcare centres are under your authority. The teachers, nurses, midwives and community workers are all in your employ.