Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima has described the North-East as one of the poorest regions in the world, stressing that urgent intervention is needed to address its abject poverty.

He commended the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) for prioritizing education, calling the Accelerated Senior Secondary Education Programme (ASSEP) a transformative initiative that can help lift the region out of destitution.

Speaking at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during a meeting with the NEDC management team, Shettima warned that the region’s dire economic situation has fueled insecurity and instability.He cited a World Bank report that classifies the North-East alongside Chad, Sudan’s Darfur region, Niger, and Northern Cameroon as some of the poorest places on earth.

“If the North-East were treated as a country, it would be poorer than Chad and Niger, and even Afghanistan. It is one of the poorest places on earth,” Shettima stated. “The emergence of militant groups like Boko Haram is a direct consequence of this deep-rooted poverty.”


https://dailypost.ng/2025/02/14/north-east-faces-abject-poverty-shettima/