I wrote this essay some seven years ago, I have looked at it again and come up with a remake of it. Not many of us want to take responsibility for anything, from personal, to family or national life. The blame is on the system. We do not need to create demons out of our leaders because they are specimens of demons, so we hang our sins on them appropriately and inappropriately too. And unfortunately, their behavior has made it easy for the critic to descend on them. We at most, talk, write and discuss the Nigerian myths, one of which is leadership, with a sense of fatalism.
If everyone thought as much about justice and fairness, life would be better. I am a critic, but I am also the critics’ critic, the unrepentant believer that the best way to keep government on its toes is to keep harping on their flaws so they can improve.
Often, I say I believe the things I write on are as important for our nation as they are for other nations, but when it appears to me Nigerians, especially those in authority, do not react to these issues as people in other lands do, I repeat them in new essays to remind old readers and recruit new ones to participate in the continuing dialogue.
My admonition this week dwells with a section of Nigerian; the North and it is a do-no-favors essay. Call it the truth, or falsehood, call it nonsense, be bitter or be complimentary about it, I really do not care; or better still, I care enough to tell us the way I see it. The words of Malcolm X sum up my next few paragraphs. “You’re not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it.”
The myth–Aboki is supposedly an Hausa term that is used to describe the man up North; he may be Hausa, Nupe, Berom, Fulani, Shua, but largely he is ignorantly Hausa to all and poor; he is either mai-guard (gateman), mai-ruwa (water vendor), mai shai (tea vendor), mai-doya (yam seller), mai-reke (sugarcane seller), mai-miaa (blackmarket fuel seller); whatever he is, he just has to be mai-something or mai-everything. He is a symbolism today to other Nigerians, of violence and the false face of Islam. He is ‘misunderstandingly’ understood.
Then we have the Alhaji, he is everything above but he is presumed rich, and in recent times dangerous too; he could be a sponsor of Boko Haram too, but for a ‘typical’ southerner, there is the allure of his riches whether via politics, oil, or ‘voodoo’ who cares? He is there in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos. He really doesn’t care about his North; he is a hypocrite to the core without his knowledge.
The region is on its knees, and at no other time than now has the North faced an identity crisis and fought within itself. Who are the Hausas? Who are the Fulanis? And how about the Hausa- Fulanis, or Fulani Hausas? What really is the place of the Islam North, real, media creation? How about the Christians in the North? What is the true Southern Kaduna narrative? Is the North still united, as was the case? What about her oligarchy and a few leftist socialist activists that set the talakawa agenda? What happened? What is it that needs to be understood about the almajiri system and institutional begging in the North?
Now wait, this is a lie but who is afraid? I challenge any Christian to explain the myth of killing in the name of religion because there are 70 virgins somewhere. And before we scream, has the North been this violent? Is it really about marginalisation? And if indeed, who marginalised who? Is it Abacha, Shagari, IBB or Buhari? And how come Katsina has become a kidnap and killing field even with her son at the helm of affairs?
What do Northern Nigeria governors do to bring hospitals and good roads and schools even in their villages? I see in the papers and speak with people who say Zulum of Borno is an exception, but should good governance not be the norm? The North and the agitating Middle Belt is an emotional wreck, a perfect picture of an abused bride that today is even afraid of a hug of reconciliation, with rehabilitation and reconstruction a far cry as destruction continues. If the North decides to go away from Nigeria, will the other component parts fight to keep it? And would it really be 19 states? Is Plateau State part of the North, when there’s no love lost between the Plateau people and the North? Does Taraba believe in the North, Southern Kaduna, parts of Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi etc?
People still believe that up north is all empty landmass and goats, unproductive, and leeching termites stuck on Nigeria because of the oil. Zamfara’s mines are gold for the asking and we could develop a self-sufficient and exportable agrarian community in the entire North, so what is the problem? What is the Arewa ideology? Everyone is on a blame ride the bulk stops at President Muhammadu Buhari’s table, but as ‘Northerners’ have we blamed him enough, tasked him enough? The TY Danjumas, or Alfa IBB, Mallam Audu Ogbeh, Sir, El-Rufai or Rev. Lalong, ministers, legislators, and their ilk from the North, what examples have they set?
So much is wrong with the North; I challenge my brothers from Katsina/Jigawa/Kebbi/Zamfara etc to tell me two companies that make N30 million a month after salaries are paid and utilities are sorted. The economy of the North has crumbled due to insecurity unleashed on the region by terrorists, bandits and the political elite a huge army of unemployed youths in the North. And yet, some prodigals think that the problem with us in the North is the New Bar Association for lawyers from the North. All our very hardworking governors, political class and elite do not think they can muster enough political power and purpose with the traditional and religious institutions, to put an end to all the killings south of Kaduna, Taraba, Benue, Katsina, Adamawa, Yobe, and the epicenter Borno? We ranted that power must come back to the North. We took it from President Goodluck Jonathan, with our usual it’s our birthright mentality. What have we done with it?
How many Ashaka/Larfarge cement companies do we have in the North? NASCO in Jos has since fainted like that NDDC man Kaduna textiles industry has since died and is buried and forgotten, and many industries in Kano rounding off funeral rites, and our concern is killing a musician for blasphemy…Who did this to us?
Leadership in the North has not delivered for our people and these are sources of conflict and underlining frustrations that have not been adequately addressed. We have failed ourselves as a component part of Nigeria. With power, we have failed to give our people opportunity, education and resolve conflicts through regular democratic processes.
The human capital and young people lay waste. We are not educating our youths and providing them with the skills to compete in a highly technological, advanced world economy, while Nigeria has failed in this regard and the North has woefully crashed in the same vein. The North is seen as a Fulani herdsman asking for reserves on other peoples’ lands and seeking nomadic education because we can’t do regular school. We need to bash ourselves, the North, Arewa needs to stop lying to itself and its people. The current realities are grim.
We need to think more, pray more, plan more, work harder, relate better and talk less. Battles are better fought and won through wisdom and strategy than through inflammatory pronouncements and political tantrums.” This is to the North but it does apply to Nigeria. The current hate quotient is high, and to what end?
Dr Dickson, the team leader at Tattaaunawa Roundtable Initiatuive (TRICentre), wrote via [email protected]
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