Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has raised alarm over the worsening insecurity and underdevelopment in northern Nigeria, describing the situation as a sign that the region is “operating under a curse.”
Speaking on Tuesday at the Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit 2025, organised by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) in Abuja, Dogara warned that the scale of bloodshed across the North has grave spiritual and developmental consequences.
He lamented that continuous killings and violence in the region have stalled growth, insisting that insecurity must be addressed as a national emergency.
“With the kind of bloodletting we are witnessing in the North, if you are a person of faith, you will know that we are operating under a curse because it is human blood,” Dogara said.
“The effect of a curse is that you sweat without results. That is why we are sweating in this part of the country without any tangible outcome.”
Dogara urged governors of the 19 northern states to set aside political and sectional differences and pool resources to fight insecurity.
“If it means pulling all our resources together, we must do it. Otherwise, every conversation about investment and development will remain meaningless,” he stressed.
The former Speaker also called for self-reliance, warning against overdependence on external solutions.
“Help is not coming from anywhere. We must take our destiny into our own hands. Northern Nigeria needs radical, transformative action—not business as usual,” he added.
Dogara emphasized that the development of the North should not be seen as a regional issue but a national priority, noting that Nigeria’s overall progress depends on lifting the North out of insecurity and poverty.
“The development of northern Nigeria is not just a regional prerogative—it is a national emergency. If the vast population in the North remains underdeveloped, Nigeria as a whole will remain stagnant,” he declared.
