We have missed the boat – Arewa wake up

THURSDAY COLUMN BY SAFIYA ADAMU

yandokye@gmail.com

It seems that Nigeria and the North in particular has been sucked in, we have lost it and are still prepared to lose it again and again. We have just about entered into the year of politics or the political year. It has started – the card dealing, the compromises, the concessions, the consensus, elections and selections. All in all the people do not count, they do not matter at all in the scheme of things or decisions taken on their behalf because they do not matter, they do not know or cannot articulate what is good for them. A sad and heartbreaking fact indeed. Like Awolowo said in 1953 on the floor of the House of Representatives in the course of his speech opposing the Northern Representatives on the matter of self government and I quote “ The masses of the people in all countries are not generally interested in matters of self-government or even government as such” (Daily Service, April 1st 1953). 

Back then in 1953, the Northern Representatives did not agree and even today over six decades later every reasonable and rational person do not agree, and it does not matter where the person’s location, North, South, East or West it should really not matter. But it does matter. It matters that latter day politicians think that way and believe so. It matters that the narrative on nation building has drastically changed losing along the way its fundamentals, losing along the way the essence of the concept. It is a sad reality indeed. 

While losing ourselves to modernity and western ideals the North in particular missed the boat. We missed the boat of our reality, we missed the boat of facts, truth, honesty, sense of equity and justice, we missed the boat of one North with one destiny, we missed the boat our better together. And finally we missed the boat to our dreams and our promised land. The North is the greatest loser in all, because we have lost our essence, what defined us.

Let us start from the very beginning, which of course is the very best place to start. When the Representatives of the Northern region insisted they needed to put in place and develop the social sector the Southern region did not agree and felt and thought the North was out to clog the wheel of attaining self-government. It was not true, the North never intended such and they did not begrudge any region its right to independence. This they made categorically clear and in no uncertain terms. They just simply refused to be intimidated and cowered into submission. This bravery, confidence and determination were to be a contending factor in all that eventually culminated in the event of January 15th 1966. Their intent was to narrow as much as possible the educational and skills gap between the North and the South. To give dignity to the people of the North and to earn them respect not just in Nigeria but the outside world. The world has already been made to believe that the North and its people were backward, a home to illiterates and non-intellectuals. It was a fallacy then just as it is a fallacy today. That determination and confidence in one’s own capability, that attitude that shouts “I’M HERE and ain’t l nothing you can do about it”, that thick toga of charisma embodied in regality, high morals and principles were not only intimidating but stroked fear and self-doubt in opponents. The Northern leaders had a goal and set objectives to attain it. In education the ultimate goal was to give every child in the region the opportunity to make the most of their naturally endowed talents, and they invested in this objective; that between 1953 and 1963, a period of ten years they were able to increase the number of full fledged secondary schools from two to 53, from eight Teachers’ training colleges to fifty, with primary schools increasing to over 2000 from a fledgling few. Pupils’ enrolment rose to 400,000, while within same period trained and qualified teachers rose to 6000, and student population in secondary school rose to about 8000. There were also vocational technical training institutions, all with intent to not just play catch up but to actually catch up, bridge the gap and even surpass every expectation. By 1962 the Education sector of Northern Nigeria crowned its pyramid with the establishment of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. 

The industrial sector was not left behind, from a few struggling barely surviving industries to the establishment of over 100 industries that ranged from textiles to factories that manufactured tiles, furniture, stationary, you name it. They set up the Bompai industrial lay out in kano, Industries and factories sprang up all around the North. The growth and success were intimidating. All from men with no degrees or “advantage of missionary schooling.” 

Over fifty years later in the hands of men and women with retinue of degrees from Ivy League universities around the world there is nothing to compare and cheer. The beneficiaries of the Ahmadu and his teams’ vision, men who were trained to champion the North and her people have all conspired to betray her and help set about her gradual destruction. The new elites who should champion the goals and steer the course of development have traded in their conscious for a few dollars with little satisfaction.  Yes the people do not matter, however some day they will and it may not be that pleasant. Governance is what self –governance and independence should deliver, but that can only be done with a total and unbiased understanding of historical facts and realities. Not as told through the voice and seen through the lens of others but through your own dogged efforts at unearthing the truths, understanding, your realities and appreciating your social –cultural background. If you understand where you are coming from you may just have saved yourself from that trap or destruction at the end of that glamorized  enclosed tunnel. Unfortunately I’m not sure we care. Politics is here; our people’s understanding is warped and caged because those who should help set their minds free have themselves enslaved their own minds. Politics is not and should not be about persons, ethnic or religion especially for us up here in the North. I believe we need to re-evaluate our self worth so we can make assessment of what kind of leaders we need. Right now we are very divided and unfortunately we have surrendered our collective freedom to a few miscreants with nothing to give.