Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has raised alarm over the worsening insecurity and poverty in northern Nigeria, describing the situation as a sign that the region is under a spiritual curse.

Speaking on Tuesday during a panel session at the Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit (NNIIS) 2025 organised by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) in Abuja, Dogara said the scale of bloodshed in the region has gone beyond ordinary social and political issues.

“With the level of killings and bloodletting in the North, if you are a person of faith, you will understand that we are living under a curse because it is human blood,” he said.

He warned that unless urgent action is taken, insecurity and poverty will continue to cripple Nigeria’s overall development.

“The development of northern Nigeria must not be seen as a regional concern alone. It is a national emergency. If the vast population in the North is left undeveloped, Nigeria cannot move forward,” Dogara cautioned.

He further urged northern leaders and citizens to stop relying solely on external solutions and instead take responsibility for charting their own future.

“We must break away from business as usual and adopt radical, transformative steps. Help is not coming from anywhere — we must take our destiny into our own hands,” he declared.