“When a people have suffered
for too long, they will drink
fairytales on fairylands with
insatiable gullibility." (Hamilton
Ayuk).
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 sums
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), mai shai (tea),
mai-doya (yam), mai-reke
(sugarcane), mai-miaa
(blackmarket fuel); whatever he
is, he just has to be mai-
something or mai-everything. He
is a symbolism today to other
Nigerians of violence and false
face of Islam. He is
'misunderstandingly' understood.
Then we have the Alhaji, he is
everything above 'cept that 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.
Now to more of those mythical
realities and issues, that has left
a region on her knees, no other
time than now has the North
faced an identity crisis and fight
within herself. Who are the
Hausas, who are the Fulanis, and
how about the Hausa- Fulanis,
what really is the place of the
Islam North, real, media creation
and when or how really did
Boko Haram begin, how about
the Christians in the North?
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 alamanjiri
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 marginalization and
if indeed, who marginalized who,
Abacha, Shagari or IBB, it
certainly isn't the new kid on
the bloc Jonathan, that doesn't
even know Zungeru or Toro?
During the week, it was Jonathan
violates Nigerian laws, corners
N3billion general hospital for
own town, Otuoke. Can Namadi
violate the law too, imagine if
Northern governors violate the
law to bring hospitals and good
roads and schools even in their
villages?
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.
If the North decides to go away
from Nigeria, will the other
component part fight to keep it
and would it be really 19 states,
is Plateau North, when there's
no love lost between the Plateau
people and the North, does
Taraba believe in North,
Southern Kaduna, parts of
Nassarawa, Benue, Kogi etc?
People still believe that up North
we are all empty land mass and
goats, unproductive, and
leeching termites stuck on
Nigeria because of the oil, if not,
why the hue and cry of PIB when
Zamfara's mines are gold for the
asking and we could develop a
self-sufficient and exportable
agrarian community?
We don’t share Boko Haram’s
ideologies, according to Borno
state governor, Kashim Shettima,
but really who believes him or
us. What is the arewa ideology?
Everyone is on a blame ride, the
bulk stops at Jonathan's table,
but as 'Northerners' have we
blamed brother TY Danjuma, or
alfa IBB, mallam Lamido, dr.
Babangida Aliyu or rev Yuguda
and Ministers, legislators, and
their ilks, 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 30 million
naira a month after salaries are
paid and utilities are sorted.
Niger State Governor, Dr
Babangida Aliyu who happens to
be one of the gubernatorial
problems in the North, laments
that the economy of the North
has crumbled due to insecurity
unleashed on the region by
Boko Haram insurgents.
He regrets the huge army of
unemployed youths in the North
pointing out that there was
urgent need for the revival of
the Northern economy and job
creation. But how are we doing
that, other than power must
come back to the night, and our
usual its a birthright mentality.
How many Ashaka/Larfarge
cement companies do we have in
the North, NASCO in Jos is dead,
funeral rites only being delayed
baring a miracle. Same for the
Kaduna textiles industry.
What and where have the
billions of 14years gone to in the
North? Universities out of private
initiative litter the South and up
here what are we doing, arguing
who has suffered more casualties
between Christians/Muslims.
Okay it has to be poverty, that's
one ideological school of
thought for the bloodbath and
mayhem, even Obama thinks so,
I agree only to the extent that
really ... “countries are not
delivering for their people and
there are sources of conflict and
underlining frustrations that have
not been adequately dealt with”.
In this case, the North has failed
herself.
The North has equally failed...“to
give her people opportunity,
education and resolve conflicts
through regular democratic
processes,”.
... “in terms of human capital
and young people, I think the
greatest investment any country
can make, not just an African
country, is educating its youth
and providing them with the skill
to compete in a highly
technological, advanced world
economy”. Nigeria has failed in
this regard and the North has
woefully crashed in same vein.
The North will rise again, how, if
I may ask, by threatening a lame
duck presidency that includes
her son as veepee or by sharia-
lizing, 2015: Northern govs set to
dump Jonathan, how foolish can
we be, who told us that we are
the majority anymore?
The South-west despite Tinubu's
crookedness is chasing a
semblance of regional
integration, the South East and
South-South are not left out.
States have even gone ahead to
show/use their emblem/insignia
and are creating identities. We
are still seen as Fulani herdsmen
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 her people, there
are current realities, where do
we fit into it?
I will end this admonition in the
words of one of the problem
sons of the North, Bro. TY
Danjuma, "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
inflammable pronouncements
and political tantrums." This is to
the North but it does apply to
Nigeria, the current hate
quotient is high--for how long,
only time will tell.