67.6% of Children Out of School, 88% in Multidimensional Poverty, 608 Malnutrition Deaths
Kebbi: Tensions are boiling over in Kebbi as former Attorney General Abubakar Malami SAN, and the state government engage in a heated war of words, setting the stage for a fierce political battle ahead of the 2027 elections.
Malami declared his bid on May 9, 2026. Within 24 hours, the state government issued a detailed 1,500-word rebuttal through its Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, criticising Malami and linking him to alleged federal policy failures during Buhari’s administration.
Malami’s camp responded on May 10 through his Special Assistant on Media, Mohammed Bello Doka, rejecting the government’s statement as “ad hominem attacks, unsubstantiated allegations, and a list of unverified achievements.”
Key Statistics Cited by Malami
Malami’s declaration highlighted the state’s human development statistics, citing UNICEF and Kebbi State Nutrition Office data:
67.6% of children aged 6–15 are out of school.
The net school attendance rate is only 38%.
Over 88% of children in the state are living in multidimensional poverty.
608 deaths of severely malnourished children between January and September 2025.
81.5% malaria prevalence rate among children under five.
71% of pregnant women in rural areas deliver without antenatal care.
He also cited ongoing security issues, including banditry, kidnappings, and the abduction of the Kebbi State House of Assembly’s Deputy Speaker.
The government’s lengthy reply did not dispute these statistics and instead focused on Malami’s record as Attorney-General and the Buhari administration’s performance.
The Revenue Question
Malami’s team also raised the issue of state resources, noting that Kebbi State has received over ₦1 trillion in total receipts — including statutory allocations, IGR, loans, and grants — in the past three years. This surge was aided by increased FAAC disbursements following the 2023 removal of the fuel subsidy.
The 2025 state budget projected ₦25.9 billion in Internally Generated Revenue, but actual performance fell far short of that. The government’s rebuttal did not address this.
Malami’s Six-Point Agenda
In his declaration, the former AGF outlined six priority areas if he contests and wins the election:
Restoration of security
Rebuilding of public education
Strengthening of healthcare delivery
Revitalisation of agriculture
Creation of employment opportunities for youths
Restoration of dignity to governance
The developing political feud signals an intense contest ahead in Kebbi State as preparations for the 2027 governorship election gather momentum. No other major aspirants have publicly declared at the time of this report.
𝗞𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟭𝟱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀, 𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗔𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺, 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀, 𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺.
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