Katsina DA Korafi

It is true that the northern political elite has had a much longer hold on power than their southern counterparts. For about the almost 60 years of political independence, Northern leaders have held sway for about 43 years. Of these years, the northwestern state of Katsina has lived the longest in the corridors of power […]

It is true that the northern political elite has had a much longer hold on power than their southern counterparts. For about the almost 60 years of political independence, Northern leaders have held sway for about 43 years. Of these years, the northwestern state of Katsina has lived the longest in the corridors of power through two civilian presidents, with one of these two having been in power as a military head of state for two years and then another eight years in his second coming as a civilian. The other was in control of his administration for only two years before his demise during his third year.

Having been in power the longest, one would imagine that the patronage-based Nigeria political reality would have built a Dubai out of Northern Nigeria. I have heard from many of my Southern friends how the lion’s share of Nigeria’s wealth has been deported to the North over the years.

But that is not the case. The North is far behind in every development index when compared to the South. It is the headquarters of every misery and vagary of backwardness bedeviling the country. As it is, grinding poverty and ravaging security crises are the order of the day. And perhaps, nowhere are these orders more pronounced than in the state of Katsina, the goldmine of Nigeria’s political power. But of course, not according to some Katsina political merchants itching to cash in on the looming election season with the slogan, “Katsina ba korafi”, which translates to: Katsina has no complaints.

Poverty and insecurity in Northern Nigeria are deeply interconnected issues that have persisted for decades, fueled by a combination of historical, economic, social, and political factors. The region leads in severe developmental challenges, including high poverty rates, unemployment, poor education, and rampant insecurity.

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The key drivers of this situation are matters Katsina, of all Northern states, shouldn’t be dealing with, least of all because of the enviable run they have had on power in the type of society we live in. They are challenges any serious leader wielding the awesome powers of the Nigerian presidency should be able to nip in the bud quite quickly.

Northern Nigeria was traditionally the country’s food basket, but climate change, including desertification, droughts, and flooding, outdated farming techniques, and lack of government support have weakened agricultural productivity. The primary metric by which a standard of living is measured is access to food and sustenance. This is even before the subject of insecurity is added to the equation.

Further, the region has one of the highest fertility rates in the world, leading to a youth bulge without corresponding job opportunities. The Katsina-ba-korafi crowd would forget to tell you that one of the reasons this is so is also because much of the state’s arable land is either fallow or is under the control of rural bandits who kill, kidnap and maim at will.

Northern Nigeria also has the lowest literacy rates in the country, particularly among women, due to cultural resistance to Western education and inadequate schooling infrastructure. Despite its vast natural resources, including arable land and solid minerals, the region suffers from poor infrastructure, weak industrialisation, and limited private investment. For Northern Nigeria, the long hold on power by its sons has only translated into decades of poor governance, corruption, and lack of accountability.  

All this is before the monster of insecurity was thrown in the mix, with Katsina leading the way in rural banditry and associated violent crimes. The armed bandits, often linked to ethnic militias and criminal networks, terrorise rural communities, particularly in Kaduna, and Niger states, but especially in Katsina and Zamfara.

A close coefficient of this rural situation is the farmer-herder conflicts. Over the years, the competition over land and water resources has escalated into deadly clashes between farmers and pastoralists, worsened by climate change and population pressure unchecked. This is because all those northern leaders, especially from Katsina, have allowed the military and police to become overstretched, underfunded, and sometimes complicit in criminal activities.

The latter accusation was reinforced by recent comments made by the Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum, who said that politicians and even soldiers collaborate with terrorists and keep them well informed.

Since 2009, the militant group, Boko Haram has also waged a violent campaign, displacing millions and disrupting economic activities in the Northeast.

The failures of these Northern leaders in terms of foresight and proactive leadership has reaped the worst for Northern Nigeria following the Sahel crisis and Libya’s collapse, which have flooded the region with illegal weapons, fueling violence.

As the Katsina merchants trumpet “Katsina ba korafi” and their likeminds across the rest of the North chorus “Arewa ba korafi”, two million people are internally displaced (IDPs), with many facing food insecurity and malnutrition.

Naturally, as our Alhajis and Hajiyas banquetted and buffeted, businesses and investors avoid the region due to instability, worsening unemployment. The consequent poverty and lack of opportunities consequently made youth vulnerable to recruitment by insurgent groups and criminal gangs. Ethnic and religious tensions are not managed, they are exploited by politicians and warlords, deepening divisions and causing a social fragmentation that has all but overwhelmed relevant authorities.

If I am not from Katsina and therefore not allowed to comment on Katsina State affairs, I am a Nigerian of Northern extraction with an inalienable stake to the destiny of Northern Nigeria, which Katsina State is part of. It is almost certain that this whole Katsina ba korafi charade is being done for the benefit of powers in Abuja who don’t have their ears on the 23,938 square-kilometers of ground Katsina State covers, even if they do have reliable eyes and ears on other parts of the North.

Let no one be fooled, even though there is certainly no one fooled. But this needs to be said in no uncertain terms–Katsina DA Korafi! Complaints, indignation and even grudges abound in Katsina, as in the rest of the North. And this should go without saying for anyone who knows anything about today’s Nigeria, not even just Northern Nigeria or Katsina State.