NRF: Northern interest or personal ambition?

It is a fact that since 1999 after the restoration of democracy in the country,  the North has been steadily isolating itself politically, economically, socially and other spheres of human life, a situation that throw up several groups and associations aimed at reversing the ugly trend.It is in that light that a little over a […]

It is a fact that since 1999 after the restoration of democracy in the country,  the North has been steadily isolating itself politically, economically, socially and other spheres of human life, a situation that throw up several groups and associations aimed at reversing the ugly trend.
It is in that light that a little over a year ago the Northern Reawakening  Forum (NRF) was convened by a group of young northern politicians and businessmen to reactive the North’s long culture of communalism,  resuscitate its value of honesty and promote peaceful coexistence between different religions and tribes in the North.
As observed earlier, many associations such as NRF are springing up daily but the Northern Reawakening Forum stands out for scrutiny because of the people involved in its formation and activities.
Convened by former member of the House of Representatives, Aliyu Ahmed Wadada, the Forum is led by another ex-legislator, Mohammed Kumalia, while majority of its membership is made up largely by ex this; ex that political office holders.
The suspicion on the real motive of the Forum, in spite of the positive political antecedents of both Wadada and Kumalia, is largely informed by the experiences of the past, where people with political ambition formed such associations claiming to protect the interest of their community but ended using them as platforms for the realisation of their ambitions.
Though it is not a crime for one to pursue his political carrier in a legitimate way, however, it is morally wrong for a group to use the misfortune of their people, such as the North to pursue its members’ individual political ambitions.
Today, it is a common knowledge that the once prosperous, peaceful North bequeathed to this generation by the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello,  and his likes has become the most backward and laughing stock in Nigeria due largely to bad leadership and selfishness of many of its elites.
Name any sphere of human endeavour; education, health, infrastructural provision, economy, the North is at the bottom of the ladder. Even agricultural potential which the almighty has blessed the region with has been bastardized by the latter leaders of the region.
The North has of recent become the killing field of innocent people in large scale in the name of ethno-religious crises, which were fueled by the actions and inactions of the region’s elites.
An average northerner has today, because of his continuous exploitation, become a subject of ridicule among Nigerians for no fault of his, while the region has been left without a reasonable leadership that can boast of loyalty and respect of the people.
The glaring bad leadership and its consequences have created a wide gulf of mistrust between the elites cum leaders of the North and their followers, such that any initiative for the good of the region is viewed with suspicion.
However, the activities of Northern Reawakening Forum, since its formation about one and half years ago, has rekindled the lost hope, albeit with caution, that the North can wither the storm and reclaim its lost glory through institutionalisation of selfless leadership that can be a rallying point to the entire region.
As part of its effort to realise its objective, the NRF recently visited the crises ridden Jos, where its members interacted with the Plateau State government and various religious organizations in the state which culminated into a town hall meeting, where all the stakeholders participated and proffered a way out of the violence.
It succeeded in restoring the Inter-faith committee in the state with the mandate of mediating among the two dominant religions in the state.
Also, worthy of mention is the Forum’s participation in the recent public hearing on the Constitution review exercise conducted by the House of Representatives where it canvassed for issues beneficial to the North.
Furthermore, its position on Petroleum Industry Bill, the dredging of River Niger and Lake Chad, HYPADEC and other projects beneficial to the North is highly commendable.
However, in spite of these lofty initiatives, it is now left to the Forum particularly the convener and the chairman to come open to the people they claim they are sacrificing for, so as to have their support. The North needs to identify individuals ready to salvage the region from the shackles of political slavery.
Mohammed Isa wrote in from Abuja. [email protected]