Favoured And Damned By Leadership, By Halima Imam

Nigeria became independent in 1960. Since then, fifteen indigenous leaders have steered the affairs of the most populous black Nation in the World for sixty-one years and nine of them are Northerners. One will imagine that the North should stand strong and lead all the other regions in giant developmental strides but, the reality is far from being exemplary. The region unfortunately is always leading when it comes to retardation and some of its people flood the streets begging for alms.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Miriam Yalwaji, at a lunch in Katsina in 2020, where she represented President Muhammadu Buhari, had said that according to statistics, there were about 13-14 million out of school children in the North. She added that the region ranked the highest in terms of poverty and illiteracy levels. That’s unsurprising, the reality in the North is one that is enveloped in illiteracy, poverty, and street begging (almajiranci) etcetera.

The North has seen less human and infrastructural development in the past, even though, most of the Presidents and Heads of State of this country were Northerners, they have mostly failed the region and the people by doing very little in lifting the region out of all the ills it is plagued with today. The North have enjoyed the basic rule of democracy which states that ‘it’s a game of numbers’, and with the mammoth crowd they ride to victory with loud cheer, loyalty and unwavering support.

Most of the people sleeping on the streets and living in uncompleted buildings with their families are Northerners. The elite has assumed the status of ‘gods’ amongst the poor masses and they have ‘snuggled up’ to a twisted reality, where the status quo is never challenged by anyone. Their houses are filled with praise singers and favour seekers, who will never get enough to fend for their families. There is such glaring inequality that the people can no longer differentiate between being used and being helped.

Due to extreme poverty, illiteracy and greed, some non-conformist Northerners have become immediate enemies to themselves. Their extreme beliefs and psychopathic minds have conceived blood thirsty thoughts in their heads that their hunger for killing is quadrupled as the days go by. The increasing trend of terrorism in the region have claimed lives and destroyed properties much more than the news will ever be able to report. People are being sacked from their homes and entire villages burned to the ground.

Women and children continue to fall prey to these deadly predators who have no mercy and have lost touch with every ounce of humanity. Some of the people are farmers and with the trend of farmers being abducted, beheaded or badly wounded on the farm, farmers continue to flee from their villages and the upshot is an exacerbated food insecurity crisis that is already a global trend. Food insecurity is further fuelling an over the roof inflation that the entire country is battling today.

Every other region in Nigeria complains about the domination of central leadership by the North, but alas! Northerners cannot self-confidently point out giant developmental strides in their region, they rather continue to suffer and lag behind when it comes to HDI and infrastructural development. The North is one of the most populated regions in Nigeria, but that too is not developed as seen in the case of China, one of the most populous countries in the World that has been able to soar so high in growth and development that they can stand toe to toe with the super powers of the world.

Northern leaders must come to terms with the fact that no one is going to fix all that’s broken in their region but them, and no one is going to share in the shame that they face as a people for all the backwardness, insecurity and lack that continues to spread its ugly wings over the region. It’s time to have long and deep thoughts and make hard but fruitful decision of letting go of the ‘Me’ mentality that most of them have and look outwards to collaborate with members of their society to see that education is given priority and infrastructural development and functional literacy is institutionalized. Women supported and allowed to have a sit at every decision-making table and every child out of the streets and in a class room.

Hospitals have to be fully equipped and underage marriages discouraged. Potable water and safety of the people must be prioritised. Millions of people internally displaced in their own states have to wake up to a reality and move to where they are safe and free to rebuild and lead their lives again. The financiers of terrorism must be fished out with all the resources the government can pull through. Arewa should be able to feel like home to her people and the sons and daughters of Arewa do not deserve to continue to be the ‘Aunt Sally’ of other regions in the country.

Social contract theory says that people live together in a society in accordance with an agreement that establishes moral and political rules and behaviour and it also dictates that people should give up some of their rights (to the government) for other rights of theirs to be protected, which includes all the rights of human development index, so what’s to ponder upon is, have the Northern leaders who have been privileged to rule the country for so long been able to deliver on the social contract they have signed with their citizens, or have these leadership failed the people?

Imam is an Author, School Teacher and founder of Climate Action Team, a children and youth based organization. She can be reached via axk4lima@gmail.com