CHANGING FACE OF ONE NORTH- By: admin_newswatch 2 July 4, 2013 in Opinion
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“He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart” – Chinua Achebe
The above excerpt drawn from Achebe’s debut novel Things Fall Apart
aptly describes the fate that befell the people of Northern Nigeria as
soon as the then British colonial overlords relinquished power in favour
of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and the then Premier of
Northern region.
It is true the era of monolithic North died a
long time ago, with increasingly emerging vexatious issues that now
threaten our polity. Arguably, the North has lost – with the exception
of its bloc name and geographical fabrics – the fundamentals of
meaningful monolithic existence, and is now tailored to be running on
illusions as created and/or re-created by its successive leadership at
varying periods.
Thus, this has made the vast majority of people
of the region to embrace unconsciously the false sense of unity and
oneness while unfolding events bring out the truth.
The mere
mention of the moribund slogan of “one North” is readily taken to
connote one religion ( which is Islam ) as opposed to the initial
impression of “one people”, its response slogan.
Perhaps, this
is why the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kuka,
was quoted to have urged the Muslims in the North to imbibe the habit
of sharing power with their non-Muslim brethren in the region.
In fact, can Muslim Northerners sacrifice their Presidential aspirations
for a Northern Christian candidate? However, nobody can predict the
temper of the chicken still in the egg, yet it may be no exaggeration to
speculate that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye
of a needle than for Muslim Northerners or, worse still, their
far-Northern group to mobilize themselves and unanimously adopt a
consensus Northern Christian Presidential candidate.
However,
let us look at the burning issue of the day in the North. That the
insecurity of lives and properties is the greatest challenge confronting
the region is a fact that does not need any proof.
Conversely,
one thing that needs to be proved, beyond reasonable doubt for that
matter, is the sincerity or claim of it by the leaders and elders of the
North in their manifold suggestions and attempts to bring to an end the
festering crisis of the Boko Haram sect. Indeed, this need for proof
becomes imperative given the contradictions that have arisen from the
unguarded utterances of leaders and elders of the North.
For one,
it still boggles one’s mind how the person of retired Major-General
Muhammadu Buhari, erstwhile Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of
Nigerian Armed Forces, could almost run amok while griping about the
“invasion” of soldiers into his Daura community in house-to-house search
for suspected terrorists. Unbelievably, Buhari did not perceive any
wrong or see the pain that rankles over the killing of a soldier and the
wounding of a few others by the Boko Haram members, which necessitated
that singular military action.
In addition, it is quite
unfortunate that Buhari had to even chastise President Jonathan for not
deeming it right to give members of the Boko Haram sect the Niger-Delta
kind of amnesty treat. Similarly, that the Arewa Consultative Forum and
the Northern Elders Forum hurriedly condemned the action of the Federal
Government over the proscription of the Boko Haram sect and the Ansaru,
its sister terrorist group, impugns the sincerity of these groups. This
is especially with regard to what appears to be their lip-service calls
for an end to terrorism, wanton killings and destruction of properties
being perpetrated by the same Boko Haram members and their ilk.
Meanwhile, it is by no means less disturbing that after appearing to
have become somewhat tired of using the Boko Haram sect to unleash fear
upon the minds of people of different ethnic nationalities in the North,
there seems to be a secret resolve to begin a whole novel wave of
assault on the leaders of these nationalities who attempt to support Dr
Goodluck Jonathan for 2015 Presidential contest.
Little wonder,
therefore, that there was in the news recently a widely reported alleged
lynching of Major-General Lawrence Onoja and Senator John Wash Pam, two
prominent leaders of Middle- Belt region. But the concern is: has it
come to a point whereby people are no longer at liberty to exercise
their right to freedom of choice on who to endorse for 2015 presidential
contest? Anyway, time and events will address this novelty.
Much as certain issues are highly sensitive and so are bound to raise
incredulity when they are mentioned, the truth is that no imbalance or
aberration can be candidly addressed without first identifying and
drawing attention to its existence.
Essentially, therefore, it
has been observed that the dailies are yet to be awash with the news of
expression of gratitude by either the Arewa Consultative Forum or the
Northern Elders Forum to President Goodluck Jonathan over his
appointments of Air-Marshall Alex Badeh and David Paradang to the
positions of Chief of Air Staff and the Controller-General of Nigeria
Immigration Service respectively; as they duly observed in the
appointment of the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Muhammed Dikko
Abubakar. Needless to say that it has been an oversight on the part of
these same groups of elders not to have done same since the appointments
of Mr. Andrew Yakubu, the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation, and Mr. Benjamin Diki, the Director-General of
Bureau of Public Enterprises.
For clarity, however, this
observation is personal and not intended or meant to serve as a reminder
to these leaders and elders of the North or an attempt to ridicule
them, either. On the Northern Governors Forum, it is instructive that
the spillover effect of the crisis in the Nigeria Governors Forum, which
is now the bane of peace in NSGF, is one that cannot be fobbed off as
an irrelevant distraction, merely because of the impression that their
activities seem not have any nexus with the well-being of the masses.
But then, it is arguable that the deep-seated animosity and the palpable
feelings of betrayal arising from that fateful election have
perniciously paved way for the breeding of crisis of confidence in the
hearts of the Northern elite and masses alike, and thus has further
widened the already perception imbalance in the region.
It
therefore beats one’s imagination how Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of
Kano state and his other colleagues and turncoats could shamelessly
confess to having really set a terrible precedent of great betrayal of
Governor Jonah Jang of plateau state, after duly electing him the
consensus candidate of the Northern State Governors Forum for the
Chairmanship of the Nigeria Governors Forum.
What an appalling
manner to pride themselves on ignominy? And if one may ask: what
salutary lesson do Kwankwaso and his ilk think that this perfidy has for
the younger generations, the people of the North in particular and
Nigerians in general? Lest we forget, this is a glaring case of breach
of trust and / or agreement, no thanks to the earlier notorious
allegation of breach of same often leveled against President Jonathan by
some of these turncoat leaders and elders of the North. What is more,
perhaps Alhaji Aliko Muhammed of Arewa Consultative Forum and other
critics of President Goodluck Jonathan, who accused him of dividing the
North, are yet to walk down memory lane and / or look inward with a view
to x-raying, appreciating and ruminating over past and contemporary
vexatious issues and events in the annals of Northern Nigeria. This is
with a view to locate the actual identities of persons and agents
dividing the region.
Somehow, it appears that Northern leaders
and elders alike have so far ignored the question of the great betrayal
of Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State by his brethren; probably
because it seems to suit and serve their hidden agenda, perceived or
real. Anyway, those who prefer to swim against the tide when the chips
are down should equally learn to accept things and situations with
stoicism whenever or however the tide turns against them.
PASCHAL, A JOURNALIST WRITES FROM ABUJA.
, via [email protected]
go here:http://www.mydailynewswatchng.com/changing-face-of-one-north/.
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