Who ruined the northern economy?

“Regretted the relative economic under development of Northern Nigeria despite the preponderance of Northern occupation of the Presidency for many years”. This rhetoric was at the fore front when some allowed themselves to undertake the courageous difficulty of marketing Obasanjo in those days. Now, it is a banner at all the selling points of President […]

“Regretted the relative economic under development of Northern Nigeria despite the preponderance of Northern occupation of the Presidency for many years”. This rhetoric was at the fore front when some allowed themselves to undertake the courageous difficulty of marketing Obasanjo in those days. Now, it is a banner at all the selling points of President Jonathan’s candidacy by some of those who were Obasanjo’s market men and of course women, particularly in 2003.

Make no mistake about it. It has been selling pretty, like a hot cake, even within intellectual circles and among men of reason. “What do these people have to show Northerners for their stay in power at the centre?” It has been a long standing ball game which, for obvious reasons, caught the fancy of Jonathan’s Arewa foot soldiers, who gathered themselves, in Kaduna , at the “Northern Political Summit” of the selected, on July 15, instance, to do some paid service road work on the 2011 super highway.

And what are these other meanings? If you are accusing Gowon, Murtala, Shagari, Buhari, Babangida, Abacha, Abulsalam and YarAdua of not having done much for the North, while leading the country, invariable, you are blaming them of failure to indulge in nepotism since they have never denied the region its due share, as allowed by law, while they were at the helm of affairs.

Thus, in this core area of responsibility, the Federal Government, under the leadership of Northerners, created more states and councils, for the sole purpose of even development and allocated to each appropriate funds in order for them to utilize same for this purpose.

From this preamble, it could be said, without contradiction, that while the Federal Government has been fulfilling its obligations, to all the states, by way of funding, in accordance with the law, in order to ensure the socio- economic development of their respective areas, some officers of the states and councils, have been treating such allocations as part of their personal bank accounts, thereby undermining the development of their areas. Interestingly, they were among those who attended the “Northern Political Summit” where this accusation was inserted into its communiqué. Nigerians must be bold and frank to tell their leaders that they cannot hide under partisan rhetorics to cover up their tracks in the mistaken belief that all of us are nuts upstairs, or that sectarian thoughts are veils to shield self from blame.

Meantime, the other area in which the Federal Government assists the states is through interventionist activities, in different areas, like roads, educational institutions etc. Here, let us put a question. Was the centre, under the leadership of people of Northern origin, doing this in the Northern states? As pointed out recently, up to the period of the 1966 military coup, there was no single tertiary institution owned by the Federal Government in the whole of Northern Nigeria. Only two universities then, in Lagos and Ibadan, were owned by it.

Today, however, through the interventionist activities of the Federal Government, there are about 50 or so federal tertiary institutions in the northern states. Additionally, it was a Northern led Federal Government that opened the gate for the establishment of private universities. If there are none in the North, or only a few, we know where to locate the blame: our lack of interest in education.

Using the same policy, the centre set up community banks and encouraged the states to do same. Where are these community banks and the states owned banks today? Killed? By whom? By a Federal Government led by a non Northerner between 1999- 2007. In attendance at the said summit were prominent members of the government under whose watch, they were killed? These viable economic institutions, created for the development of the North, were killed by a government under which the summit attendants served. Northerners have the right to ask them to explain how this vicious assault on the economy was done in their full presence. Through their collaboration, the states of the region were denied the ownership of their banks, causing the North considerable economic hardship. This was what the so called banking consolidation was all about: to hit at Northern economy and most of those at the summit, who were in service, then clapped with pleasure when this was being done.

It is generally agreed that the period under reference was the worst in the economic life of the North. It was the period when oil exploration in the region was stopped after it was revitalized by Abacha, and major economic activities, in the area, not paid adequate attention.

 Those who carried out this were not Northerners, who led at the centre, but a non Northerner led Federal Government, with the accusers in its service. Again, it must be asked and sincerely answered; who is to blame for this? Partly, those Northerners who served in the said government.

Indeed, what have they got to show for their own period in service to their own communities, since they, too, served at the centre? It needs be noted that some of them have been in the corridors of power for several years? Various communities have the answer. Before hearing from them, however, let it be repeated that the worst period for Northern economy was between 1999- 2007. Most of those at the July 15th gathering, were partly incharge then, and so fully participated in the wanton ruination of the northern economy, yet, without a look, at themselves, went all out to blame others for their misdeeds.

Simple: The Northern economy was destroyed by those who failed to utilize, appropriately, the funds sent them by the Federal Government for the promotion of positive socio- economic activities in their areas, in favour of the other private considerations and also by those who between 1999- 2007 availed themselves of their presence, when a directional assault was launched against the said economy, with active collaboration and ironically dominated the rank of those who hauled the accusation under reference at the summit. In making the accusation, they were surely too attached to partisan dictation, with the belief that all of us have been blind to their antics.

  But, no matter how firm and tight partisanship holds grip of our thought process, we must strive to appeal to the inner self to free us from such a dangerous strangle hold, in order to be at the service of objective reason and impartiality in the assessment of situations. Partisanship is a serious disease of the conscience which can only be cured by reason and dispassionate objectivity. On the other hand, falsehood, no matter how dressed up, in the beautiful colours of truth, intellectual, disposition, objectivity etc, remains permanently, its concrete self. Such paintings have never succeeded in changing its real trappings. Nor have they ever fooled even the most gullible. Truth is, Nigerians know it no matter the garb it is made to wear.