Not for the North
The event, which gulped over N10 billion was an opportunity for those at the helm to showcase to Nigerians and the rest of the world how lucky Nigeria is to have leaders like them. However, millions of ordinary Nigerians who are not in government believe that we have nothing to celebrate. The BBC and VOA […]
The event, which gulped over N10 billion was an opportunity for those at the helm to showcase to Nigerians and the rest of the world how lucky Nigeria is to have leaders like them. However, millions of ordinary Nigerians who are not in government believe that we have nothing to celebrate. The BBC and VOA Hausa services, as part of their independence celebrations did a review on all sectors of the economy, political and social life of Nigeria from independence to date. In all the sectors reviewed, not a single sector got the pass mark. . Nigeria is a funny country, very funny indeed. Take the bomb blast on October 1 in Abuja and the drama that followed, in which Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces came out to tell the whole world that he knew the bombers and those who sponsored them. Surprisingly Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) not only claimed responsibility but claimed to have alerted the Nigerian security of their intention to bomb Abuja. The action of Mr. President is nothing but a clear example of manipulation of truth by public officials for private or political purposes. In the last 7-8 months since President Goodluck Jonathan has been in power, Nigerians have not seen any change from what they experienced in the regime of the former dictator, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo or the snail-like Presidency of Umaru Musa Yaradua.
President Jonathan should have chosen the path of honour for himself, face the nation’s myriad of problems in his few days in office, and conduct a free and fair election in 2011.
Where would the political reality of today leave the North? The effort by Mallam Adamu Ciroma and Alhaji Bello Kirfi to find a voice for the North in this ensuing imbroglio is something that should have been done years ago when Chief Olesegun Obasanjo with their help waged a war of destruction on the region. They all kept quiet. They were also warned in 2007 when Obasanjo, single-handedly picked an ailing person to “fill” the Northern slot for the presidency. What do we have today? The same Ciromas and Kirfis that were quiet in the face of Obasanjo’s onslaught on the region are today shouting on top of their voices to undo what they should have prevented seven years ago.
The region had an opportunity to salvage itself by adopting the recommendation submitted to the region’s 19 state governors by the Ahmadu Bello Foundation Technical Committee . Consider utilizing our over 20 Dams and putting them to good irrigational use, set a target of having minimum power requirement for the 19 states by working on Dadinkowa, Kiri and other dams in the region that can offer over 1000 megawatts of electricity. The North needs an educational marshal plan to address not only the collapse in our educational system, but also address the almajiri system. Do we have to conconcentrated on grabbing power at the centre only to fail at redeeming our image? The painful aspect of it all is that our elders have accepted our image as parasites’ and ‘bloodsuckers’.
Kabiru Danladi lives in Abuja.