By Mohammed Bello Doka
when mediocrity becomes the state’s religion, excellence is crucified, and Malami’s travel itinerary becomes a subject.
In Kebbi State today, it seems arithmetic has been replaced by acrobatics.
While seven out of every ten children can’t spell their names, the state’s energy is being wasted on spelling out Abubakar Malami’s movements.
Someone in Birnin Kebbi thought it was a brilliant idea to issue a state-sponsored lamentation titled “Malami’s Pilgrimage to Minna.”
A masterpiece in hypocrisy, the piece tried to ridicule the former Attorney-General for visiting former Head of State IBB — as if visiting an elder statesman were now a constitutional offence.
But before Kebbi’s spin-doctors talk about hilltops, perhaps they should first look down at the valleys of poverty and ignorance they’ve created.
When Education Becomes a Luxury
Let’s start with the math — since Kebbi desperately needs a refresher course.
According to BusinessDay (2024), a jaw-dropping 67.6 % of children aged 6-15 in Kebbi are out of school.
That means that for every ten kids in the state, nearly seven are learning nothing except how to dodge insecurity and poverty.
The Street Journal reported the state’s net attendance ratio as 38 % — the lowest in the country.
Even UNICEF admits that over 88 % of Kebbi’s children live in multidimensional poverty.
Yet somehow, the government’s brightest idea is to lecture Malami about his travel itinerary.
Maybe if Kebbi spent less time gossiping about Minna and more time funding teachers, the kids might finally learn subtraction — starting with subtracting poverty from their lives.
The Poverty Capital of the North-West
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, over 72 % of Kebbi residents live below the poverty line.
UNICEF data adds that over 95 % of children in the state are multidimensionally poor — meaning they lack access to education, nutrition, clean water, and healthcare.
To put it plainly: in Kebbi, even hope is out of stock.
And yet, with all the federal allocations running into tens of billions of naira — not to mention ecological, education, and intervention funds — what has the government delivered?
Dusty classrooms, drugless hospitals, and speeches blaming everyone but themselves.
Governance, apparently, is now a spectator sport.
APC in Kebbi and the Kebbi State Government spend more time counting Malami’s visits than counting how many schools lack roofs.
When Insecurity Teaches More Lessons Than Schools
Security in Kebbi has become a tragic classroom of its own.
In June 2021, bandits attacked eight villages, killing at least 90 people.
In March 2022, another massacre claimed over 80 lives, while in April 2025, gunmen slaughtered 16 villagers in Augie LGA.
And let’s not forget the abduction of the Deputy Speaker himself — yes, even the lawmakers are now learning firsthand what insecurity means.
Yet instead of addressing this bleeding wound, the state’s propaganda machine finds inspiration in Malami’s courtesy visit to Minna.
If misplaced priorities were a subject, Kebbi’s government would graduate with distinction.
Health Without Healing
Kebbi’s health sector is a patient on life support.
A 2024 report by the Kebbi State Ministry of Health shows that malaria prevalence among children under five stands at 81.5 % — one of the highest in Nigeria.
A BMC Public Health study found that 71 % of pregnant women in rural Kebbi never receive antenatal care.
In some communities, giving birth in a health facility is still considered a luxury, not a right.
How can a government presiding over such conditions have the moral courage to mock anyone about “crocodile tears”?
The only crocodile tears Nigerians see are the ones the state cries each time it fails to meet its basic duties.
Malami Is Not the Problem — Governance Is
Let’s be clear: Malami didn’t make Kebbi poor.
He didn’t kidnap the Deputy Speaker.
He didn’t close the schools, empty the hospitals, or drain the boreholes.
If anything, he represents the only constant reminder that competence once existed in Kebbi’s political space.
But when mediocrity becomes the state’s religion, excellence is crucified, and Malami’s itinerary becomes a subject.
The government would rather manufacture enemies than manufacture results.
As we noted , if the Kebbi State Government has even an ounce of responsibility left, it should focus on the basics — education, healthcare, agriculture, and security — not photo-op politics and blame sermons.
Before You Mock Malami, Fix Your Math
The irony is painful.
A government that can’t count classrooms is busy counting Malami’s courtesy visits.
One that can’t fix roads is trying to fix reputations.
And while the people beg for bread, the leadership offers gossip.
If Kebbi’s leaders had spent half as much time on public service as they spend on public relations, perhaps the state wouldn’t rank near the bottom in every national index that matters.
So before they write another essay about Malami’s “pilgrimage,” maybe they should start one about why 67.6 % of Kebbi’s children can’t even read the essay.
Final Word
Kebbi doesn’t need another distraction, at least not travels itinerary distractions.
It needs direction and positive development impact.
It needs schools that teach, hospitals that heal, farms that feed, and a government that works.
Until then, Malami’s visit to Minna will remain the least of Kebbi’s embarrassments.
The real tragedy isn’t who went to the Hilltop — it’s who’s failing in the valley.
Mohammed Bello Doka is the special assistant on Media to Abubakar Malami SAN.
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