When you think of Nigeria, every region tells a story.
The South has oil — billions flowing beneath its soil, stolen yet still leaving traces of wealth.
The West has fame — Afrobeats, Nollywood, Lagos nightlife, a culture that now entertains the world.
The East has hustle — business acumen, resilience, traders who can turn nothing into something.
And the North?
The North has terrorists. Bandits. Killings. Starving children.
That is the story Nigeria has forced upon them.
But it is not the full story. It is not the truth.
The North is not the terrorist.
The North is the victim.
The Forgotten People
Decades of failed leadership have left the North bleeding. Poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition — the highest numbers always come from there. When statistics come out, it is always the North at the bottom.
In Zamfara, villages are emptied overnight by bandits. Farmers abandon their fields, leaving families hungry. In Borno, children who should be in classrooms sit under trees, clutching slates, learning alphabets that the world moved past decades ago. In Katsina, the President’s own home state, mothers sleep with one eye open, terrified of kidnappers who storm schools and snatch entire classrooms of children. In Sokoto, hospitals run without drugs. Women die giving birth because there is no electricity for a simple operation.
This is the reality. This is the silence.
Voices from the North
We often hear about them in statistics, but rarely do we hear their voices. Here is what some have said:
“We don’t have schools. Our children grow up with nothing. So when the men with guns come, what choice do they have?” — a father in Zamfara. “I lost my daughter to kidnappers. She was only 13. They took her on her way to school. We never saw her again.” — a mother in Kaduna. “People think we are terrorists. But we are dying every day from hunger. Is hunger a crime?” — a farmer in Borno. “We hear about oil money, entertainment, business. But what do we have? Nothing but pain.” — a young man in Sokoto.
The Roots of the Wound
The truth is, terrorism did not just appear in the North. It was born out of neglect. When you strip a region of hope — no schools, no jobs, no future — what do you expect?
A boy who has never held a book will hold a gun.
A girl who has never seen a classroom will be forced into a marriage at 12.
A family that has never felt government presence will cling to anyone who offers protection — even if that “protection” comes from bandits.
The North did not choose this life. The North was abandoned into it.
A Nation in Denial
Meanwhile, the South, West, and East move on. Oil keeps flowing. Music keeps playing. Business keeps growing.
But Nigeria cannot run on three legs while one is broken.
Every time we ignore the North, terrorism grows. Every time we look away, kidnappers become bolder. Every time we say “that’s their problem,” we forget that Nigeria is one body. If one part bleeds, the whole nation is weak.
The Call for Justice
The North does not need pity. It needs justice.
It needs schools where children can dream.
It needs roads where traders can sell without fear of ambush.
It needs hospitals that save lives, not morgues that count deaths.
It needs leaders who care about humans, not power.
Until then, the question will remain:
South has oil. West has fame. East has hustle. What does the North have?
And the answer will continue to haunt us:
The North has suffering. The North has silence. The North has wounds that Nigeria refuses to heal.
Final Words
If we want Nigeria to stand tall, we must stop demonizing the North and start listening to them.
The terrorists are not the North.
The victims are the North.
And until the North rises, Nigeria will never truly stand.