‘We’ve crude oil too’ – Gov Mohammed says North now key driver, not parasite, in Nigeria’s economy

Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, has dismissed the long-held belief that Northern Nigeria survives on the wealth of other regions, insisting that the North has become a major driver of the nation’s economy.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Bauchi Investment Summit held at the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Conference Centre, Mohammed declared that the region had, over the years, “generated and contributed massive resources to the national cake.”

“Northern Nigeria is not a parasite on anybody,” he stated, drawing loud applause from delegates and investors at the event.

The governor highlighted the surge in investment pledges recorded during the two-day summit as evidence of the North’s growing economic strength and attractiveness to both local and foreign investors.

According to him, the confidence shown by investors in Bauchi and neighbouring states underscores the region’s transformation into an emerging economic hub.

Mohammed argued that Nigeria must move beyond dependence on oil revenues from the South, especially now that crude deposits have been discovered in Bauchi and other northern states.

“The oil bromate has to end,” he said, noting that the recent discoveries were “reshaping Nigeria’s economic map.”

Beyond crude oil, he pointed out that the North is endowed with abundant solid minerals and vast agricultural potential.

“The mineral resources in Bauchi is same in Plateau, Taraba, Kano and Borno,” he observed, stressing that the region’s wealth had been undervalued for far too long.

The governor called for a new national mindset—one that views Northern Nigeria not as a burden but as a central force in driving national growth.

With renewed investor interest, vast untapped resources, and rising confidence, Mohammed said the North is poised to assume its rightful place as a full and equal partner in Nigeria’s economic development.