Scrutinizing True Friends of the North -By Abdu Abdullahi

News about the Northern Nigeria is still the same: repulsive, gloomy and shocking, a summary of human catastrophe. It is nothing but the naked truth of a region that is on ravaging fire and passing through self-inflicted destructions.

We have been battling with the falling standard of education, increase in the gap between the haves and the have-nots, promoting the level of abject poverty to an alarming proportion, which is a close link to the lingering and escalating insecurity that is bedeviling us. It is still awful news that the brutish Boko Haram, bandits, kidnappers are the masters of game of death, terrorizing the land untamed. We are indeed living in a region where the rule of gun is overwhelming the rule of law. There is absolute lawlessness  in the North. I will never forget to include the menace of Almajiri which is not showing any sign of withdrawal or exit.

For over a decade, our potential region has been converted into a theater of war where blood spillage is the order of the day. There are despairs, pains, sorrows in many homes.  People are becoming more vulnerable to constant and brutal attacks by gunmen resulting into killings and destructions of properties. Against this increasing horrors, the only verdict at our disposal is that the region is fighting itself, destroying its future, squandering the collective hopes and dreams of especially the youths who are energetic, ambitious but exploited by the agents of retrogression.

With these despicable trends of regional degeneration, the fundamental questions that beg for answers are as follows: What kind of messages are we disseminating to the world? In the wake of these devastations, have we been capable of installing effective management of resources to enhance equity and justice, joy and happiness to bring the mayhem to a halt? Are we not guilty of recruiting bad elements to oversee our scheme of affairs in politics, economy and bureaucracy thereby jeopardizing our existence? Have we not deliberately perfected the lukewarm culture of building powerful people rather than powerful institutions and values to take us to the Promised Land? Are most of our governors not misplacing priorities that they prefer to undertake physical development projects that will fetch them bribes and boost their self economies instead of championing human development that will rid us of socioeconomic crises?

Until February 1998, I had never been to the Southern Nigeria. While serving as a youth corps member in Abia state, my first impression about the Ibo society was very impressive. Where ever I looked around, I could not locate the monster called class society. In other words, the gap between the haves and the have-nots was reduced to the barest minimum. I could not see where mediocrity being promoted. The socioeconomic living that I saw was not about the rich versus the poor but how to narrow down this socioeconomic discrimination. Can’t we explore a similarly vibrant society and enter the league of regional competition? This was the nagging question I often asked myself throughout my stay there.

Currently, we do not need anybody to tell us that the North is falling apart and the central point cannot stand. Internal disintegration  is what is  staring at us. And the elites  responsible for this social felony are shedding crocodile tears and pretending to be benovelant friends of the North. They have forgotten that their crafty behavior will not always pay them the best price. And the best certificate they have acquired is that of being the architect of our tragedy. In a nutshell, they have subverted our regional progress for their self-aggrandizement.

It is a reality that we are bestowed with individuals whose massive wealth can be channeled to ameliorate our backwardness. They are capable of leading us to a  living in which there will be a human face. A good point worthy of observation here is the existence of the richest man in Africa as an extraction of this vast region. We are also boastful of our numerical strength especially for political purposes. But a Kano renowned scholar Ibrahim Khaliel has debunked this erroneous thinking, emphasising that if our population is unproductive it does not call for celebration.

As Northern Nigeria is passing through the most darkest moments of its life, an attempt will be made here to draw few examples of those who are friends to the North by identifying with its predicament and the role they have played to change the face of the region from adversity to prosperity. This is in complete disregard to their origin and their socio cultural and religious beliefs.

I will begin with the rememberance of the late Gani Fawehimi, a philanthropist as well as an activist who labored hard to touch many human hearts. He is remembered for showing his deep concerns for the deplorable state of our youths. During his life struggle, he chose some northerners from Kano who whose parents were economically powerless and sponsored their higher education to study various fields of human undertaking so as to serve the society better. He carried out this laudable work from the extreme bottom of his human heart.

The next is Chief Rochas Okorocha, former Imo state governor. Through the Okorocha Foundation, he has been providing human services for the northern children. For instance, his foundation has provided free education for the children of the needy. He has mustered courage to deliver this service regardless of religious and tribal differences. If the late Fawehimi and Okorocha were to vie for the post of the presidency, the Northern elites who have little concerns for the aspirations of the poor will be in the forefront to deploy religious and tribal mechanism to brainwash the northerners not to vote for them.

Institutions play great roles in shaping the society. One establishment that is making tremendous impacts on our youths in the north for over two decades is the Kannywood film industry. It is a congregation of northern youths who are making money out of entertainment. Most of their thematic elements in their fictional productions are anchored on cultural conflicts. But as northerners, they have not produced any fictional movie that will be addressing our lingering problems.

In a contrasting dimension however, a filmmaker from Lagos, Adeyeye Olatokunbo released a documentary entitled: ” Born Unlucky: The Almajiri System” . Mr. Olatokunbo spent just a year in Kano as a youth corps member and was emotionally moved by the pathetic state of Almajiri that he came up with his film to draw our attention to the social ill with a view to eradicating it. These are just few examples and I believe there are many more instances that can be cited.

For us to survive and prosper as a people, we must concertedly recognize the true friends and foes of the North regardless of their origin.