What Nigeria Owes The North
Francis Abayomi
Beyond the controversial quit notice to the people of the southern east by concerned individuals from the north, there are critical germane issues which genuine champions of the north and true lovers of the downtrodden should rather address their minds. What Nigerians owe the North and to put it plainly; what the north owes Nigeria today is to come up with a well enunciated agenda that addresses growing underdevelopment of the region. Rather than pretending to wage a counter war against the separatist agenda of the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), the ideal option is to conceive an agenda for the north; stricto-sensus to which Nigeria would be held to account. Indeed, the envisaged agenda for the north rather should not be about deepening primordial culture of domineering politics anchored solely on control of power.
Nigerians must come to terms with the reality of an agenda to be targeted towards addressing critical development issues chiefly amongst which is education. Education should not only be at the forefront of the agenda but remains the engine room through which other stakeholders in Nigeria must renew their commitment in terms of resources as well as moral and political supports. Regardless of how soon and easily we come to term with this reality, it is undeniable that the objectives and goals of such agenda are now so palpable and difficult to discountenance. Indeed, the rationale for an agenda for the north has become a political imperative; if not a social exigency. Rather than dismiss the idea, the question should be as to the content of the agenda and in whose interest; in the immediate and long terms. Whatever the case, there is no denying that the agenda would be in the collective interest of Nigeria.
Of course, there would be posers to ponder in appreciating the need for the agenda beyond the aesthetics of politics. These posers may include who could possibly be afraid of an agenda for the north and to what extent does such an agenda hurt or benefit the rest of the country? Whichever way we look at it, we would most probably come to an agreement, at the end, that there is really no big deal about the agenda provided the effects will have trickle-down on the political health of the nation as a whole. An agenda dedicated to redressing the disempowerment of the overwhelming population foisted by ruling elite should be more important to the pretenders calling the Igbos to quit if the focus is to help the north overcome the prevailing challenge.
And what if the proposed agenda hurt the interest of a class of briefcase contractors to the exclusion of the neglected who are writhing in abject poverty far worse than the realities in other parts of the country? The agenda envisages a carefully enunciated program of action whose goal is targeted at reigniting hope amongst the downtrodden of the north and in repositioning the entire Nigerian landscape for enduring peace and prosperity. It would be in the interest of the country to have an agenda predicated upon charting a path of religious de-radicalisation with new vistas of commitment to socio-economic revival aimed at stemming the dangerous tide of neglect and poverty in the north. It could only be in the overall interest of the country if an agenda for the north is conceived in the right direction. All considered, there is sense in which a north agenda properly conceived approximates a pan Nigeria agenda!
Regardless of this agenda which Nigeria owes the north now; more than ever before, emerging scenario calls for deeper reflections on the future of politics and governance in Nigeria. Navigating the future requires deeper commitment to restructuring of the polity in such a way that governance is ultimately freed from nebulous and relevance-seeking politics of sectionalism and personal survival. However, if the recent comment by the Information Minister; Alhaji Lai Mohammed to the effect that the present administration was not voted into power to undertake restructuring of Nigeria, we can only hope the administration appreciates the urgency in facing the emerging challenge headlong.
Nigeria is yet at another critical juncture but unfortunately at a time the government in power is not only ill-prepared but arrogantly unwilling to chart the course for a new Nigeria founded on the basis of equity and justice amongst the federating units. It is precisely for this reason that those who often fret over the calls for restructuring in the name of protecting the north are merely protectors of the status quo which is at the root of the rots that successive leaders could only pretend to tackle. Therefore, issuing an ultimatum to the Igbo or any other ethnic groups to quit is not what the north owes Nigeria at this time. What genuine champions of the north should contemplate is an agenda that addresses the peculiarity of the challenges facing the region which Nigerian stakeholders from across the regions must rally in support.
