Katsina has 438,808 Unemployed People, Says CNG

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), on Sunday, revealed that Katsina State has no fewer than 438,808 unemployed people with a poverty rate of about 80 per cent.

The coalition, which quoted statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in the last quarter of 2020, said the unemployment rate in the state is a sign of danger resulting from the failure of effective leadership.

Addressing journalists in Katsina, the North-west Coordinator of the Coalition, Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, said it was ridiculous for Governor Aminu Bello Masari to ask hungry and angry people of the state to defend themselves.

He reiterated that in a state like Katsina with a poverty rate of close to 80 per cent, making it the second poorest state in Nigeria, it would be very cumbersome for the governor to achieve his self-defence call.

He added that acquiring weapons by citizens in the name of self-defence would increase bandits’ cells and lead to greater instability and deepen insecurity in the state.

According to him, the Masari-led government is currently displaying its incapacity or unwillingness to tame the monster of insecurity, thereby exposing Nigerian security forces to danger and sending civilians to their early graves.

He said governance was not about enjoying the perks of office and shifting responsibilities to the vulnerable but selfless services that require commitment and willingness to systemically guide followers to the right path.

He, therefore, implored the state government to fight unemployment, poverty and illiteracy, which he described as the tripod upon which banditry has been nurtured to its current monstrous stage.

He said: “Statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics for the last quarter of 2020 showed that Katsina has a 25.5 per cent unemployment rate with about 438,808 people unemployed.

“The statistics on the poverty rate in the state is a sign of danger resulting from failure of effective leadership.

“It is ridiculous to think of arming hungry and angry people of a state like Katsina with a poverty rate of close to 80 per cent, making it the second poorest state in Nigeria and expect to achieve positive results.

“Your Excellency sir, you should perish your thought of self-defence and admit to the great people of Katsina that you are no longer in control and cannot foster solutions to their societal problems, then seek for genuine help or kindly resign.”