Over 100 Million Muslims Yet Still Marginalised: Why Poverty Persists in Northern Nigeria

Muslims make up more than half of Nigeria’s population, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in key positions across both the public and private sectors. At the same time, many Muslim communities, particularly in the country’s north, continue to face widespread poverty and unemployment, conditions that have contributed to the emergence of armed groups such as Boko Haram.

Islam first arrived in northern Nigeria during the 10th century, centuries before Christianity was introduced through British colonial rule in the 20th century. While Islam became deeply rooted across the north, Christianity established a stronger presence in the south.

According to a report by journalist Rawaa Awjia, Nigeria’s history has been shaped by recurring tensions linked to geography, colonial collaboration and resistance to foreign rule. However, the rise of armed movements in the early 21st century, including Boko Haram, pushed many communities towards coexistence out of fear that sectarian violence could spiral into broader conflict.

Conflict Beyond Religious Labels

Mohammed Garba, a member of parliament representing Kano State, argues that violence in Nigeria cannot be reduced to religious divisions.

According to Garba, attacks carried out by armed groups are not based solely on religion, despite claims often made by foreign observers. He pointed out that Christians have also been responsible for attacks against Muslims in parts of north-central Nigeria.

He further noted that when schoolgirls were abducted from Chibok in Borno State, most of the victims were themselves Muslim.

For Garba, this demonstrates that the insurgency in Nigeria “has no religion”.

Muslims Form the Majority but Remain Underrepresented

Nigeria’s political system generally alternates the presidency between Muslim and Christian candidates, while the country’s most successful businessman, billionaire Aliko Dangote, is a Muslim born in the northern city of Kano.

Yet despite these high-profile examples, northern Nigeria remains home to the country’s largest concentration of poor and unemployed citizens, the majority of whom are Muslim.

The disparity is closely linked to long-standing disputes over education and the qualifications recognised by the state.

Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Maqri, imam of Abuja Mosque, argues that while Muslims are indeed the largest religious group in Nigeria, they remain less influential and less visible within major institutions and economic sectors.

According to him, many Muslims still struggle to achieve the same level of representation and influence enjoyed by their Christian counterparts.

Nigeria’s Deep Islamic Heritage

Nigeria is home to more than 100 million Muslims out of a national population of approximately 240 million, making it the largest Muslim population in Africa.

Most Nigerian Muslims are Sunni and live in northern states such as Kano, Borno and Sokoto, regions that once formed powerful Islamic kingdoms long before British colonial authorities drew Nigeria’s modern borders.

During the 15th century, Sokoto emerged as the capital of the Sokoto Caliphate, one of the most influential Islamic states in West Africa. The caliphate played a major role in spreading Islamic scholarship and the Qadiriyya Sufi tradition throughout the region.

Kano later became an important centre for the Tijaniyya order, which developed into one of the most influential Islamic movements in the country.

Despite Kano’s commercial significance and government efforts to strengthen moderate Islamic education, the city continues to struggle with high levels of poverty and economic hardship.

The Education Divide

Many Nigerian Muslims believe the roots of the crisis lie in the country’s education system.

Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, argues that it is easy to claim that northern Nigeria is poor simply because Muslims have been marginalised and therefore must fight to reclaim their rights.

However, he believes such arguments risk turning Islam into a justification for violence when the real causes are economic decline, underdevelopment and a lack of employment opportunities.

One of the most significant challenges facing northern youth is that many are treated as uneducated because Nigeria’s official education system primarily recognises qualifications based on English-language curricula inherited from the colonial era.

Large segments of the Muslim population reject this model as the sole path to education, placing greater importance on local languages and Arabic, which is closely associated with Islamic learning and the Qur’an.

It is within this context that Boko Haram emerged. The group’s name is commonly associated with opposition to Western education and the values linked to it.

Poverty or Ideology?

While the Nigerian government increasingly relies on religious scholars to help counter extremism, many Muslims argue that the state must do more to address the underlying economic conditions driving instability.

For many communities in northern Nigeria, poverty, not ideology, remains the central challenge.

They contend that unemployment leaves young people vulnerable to despair, creating conditions in which radical movements can attract support.

In their view, genuine coexistence in Nigeria requires more than symbolic images of a mosque standing beside a church.

With Muslims representing a population equal to, and possibly larger than, the country’s Christian community, many believe that meaningful social and economic inclusion is essential to securing long-term stability and unity across the nation.