Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has advised northern political elite to focus more on charting a development blueprint that will tackle the problems of the region, instead of seeking for power at the centre.

The governor pointed out that the north is bedevilled with problems such as out-of-school children, deficit in skill-based education and inadequate good healthcare delivery system.

Mr Sani gave the counsel when the leadership of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation paid him a courtesy call on Wednesday, at the council chambers of Government House Kaduna.

He expressed gratitude to the Foundation for drawing the attention of northern political office holders to focus on core issues of human capital development, adding that the north lacks common agenda.

According to him, the forthcoming Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Summit, with the theme, ‘’Good Governance, Industry And Creativity, as well as Sustainable Development’’ is timely.

‘’And I’m happy Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation is leading in this direction, because we need to sit down, look at our problems and address them holistically,’’ he noted.

Mr Sani decried the maternal and child mortality rates in Northern Nigeria, high number of out-of-school children, including the dearth of skills-based education in the area.

The governor said that his administration focuses mostly on primary healthcare that takes care of the medical needs of the poor and rural dwellers, without neglecting secondary healthcare.

“For us, healthcare in Kaduna is the fundamental right of everyone, particularly the less privileged and the vulnerable within our society,’’ he further said.

Quoting UNICEF statistics, he said that there are about 18 million out-of-school-children in Nigeria and 70% of those children are domiciled Northern Nigeria.

He said there were over 500,000 children roaming the streets of Kaduna State when he assumed office but his administration returned 360,000 children to various schools.

The governor disclosed that Kaduna State’s household-mapping approach which identified the out-of-school children, had been adopted by the gederal ministry of education as a model for tackling the national challenge.

On skills-based education, Mr Sani disclosed that Vice President Kashim Shettima had written him about three months ago, requesting Kaduna State to allow the Federal Government to use its manual.

He pointed out that Kaduna State has established an Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development, with campuses at Soba, Rigachikun and Samarun Kataf, covering the Northern, Central and Southern senatorial districts respectively.

‘’The Institute focuses on practical skills in areas including ICT, mechatronics, and renewable energy, thereby linking education more directly with employment, entrepreneurship, and emerging industries.

‘’The Institute has graduated more than 4,000 artisans and trades people, a bold step toward reducing unemployment and enhancing human capital development.

‘’Now, we’re looking at admitting about 32,000, and that means in a year, we have the capacity to train at least over 30,000 youths, who will be given certification at the end of their training, that will enable them work anywhere in the world,’’ he added.

Earlier, a former Governor of Niger State, Dr Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu who led the delegation, thanked the governor for allocating 50 hectres of land to the Foundation, to establish the Arewa Unity University.

He recalled that the late governor Patrick Yakowa gave the Foundation the plot of land adjacent to Murtala Mohammed Square, where its office was built.

Mr Aliyu said that the forthcoming summit would be held on October 28, 2026, and Mr Sani would be the chief host and special guest of jonour at the event.