Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has made little progress
in eliminating poverty which has now afflicted over 70% of its population. As
world’s sixth largest exporter and the 11th largest producer of
crude oil, the nation’s economy,remains overwhelming undiversified with earnings
from oil and gas making over 90% of exports and 80% of revenues. Yet the
country’s oil wealth has woefully failed to generate sustainable economic
growth, better public services or improved living conditions for the majority
of the people. Why?
The negativities in public administration that contagiously
obscure meaningful socio-economic development are directly traceable to bad
leadership of the past. The art of leading according to S.L.A Marshall in Men
Against Fire, ‘is the art of dealing with humanity, of working diligently on
behalf of men, of being sympathetic with them but equally, of insisting that
they make a square facing toward their own problems”.
The depressing economic condition in Nigeria which has been
characterized by leadership incompetence, corruption, stereotyping, high level
sycophancy, putting square pegs in round holes, poor public financial
management, poor institutional development, inept infrastructural facilities,
god -fatherism, caged and corrupted judiciary, compromised security agencies,
poor democratic credentials of most of the elected or selected public office
holders is inimical to the growth and development of the country. The worst hit
by the present economic quagmire is the Northern Region. Why?
Northern Nigeria is progressively becoming depressingly
impotent in all indices of measurement except that of population and landmass.
The Northern masses in most areas of far north are denied education, a basic,
fundamental tool for living even in ancient times. Northern political elite who
control (for the most part since independence) regional/state/local government
affairs, fail to educate their people in western literacy. Instead, chose the
simpler opinion of leaving them either stark illiterate, ignorant or expose
them only to Islamic and Arabic literacy. Instead of being champions of
modernity, development and progress are today regressing. They were denied to
facing challenges of science, technology, commerce, telecommunications and internet
but resort to escapism and blame logic.
Northern Economic Summit, Northern Education Summit, Northern
Political Summit, Chamber of Commerce and several others. Yet, majority of
northerners have nothing to show for it. The hitherto flourishing textile
industries in Kano and Kaduna are shadows of what they used to be due to
draconian government policies by the northern elite.
Decades of clinging to power has produced nothing but chronic
poverty, unemployment, insurgency, political thuggery, ethno-religious crises, cattle
rustling, de-industrialization and menace of almajiris and able-bodied beggars.
Educationally, the north is far behind. Public schools have become a caricature
of modern school system in the north. The powerful elite have achieved their
aim of killing and burying education and agriculture in the north. A situation
where a JSS II student can neither read a simple comprehension nor write a
single sentence in English language is to say the least ludicrous. They have
left the masses to their own fate. Private schools are beyond the pockets of
the down-trodden who, are grappling with the rigours of meeting basic needs.
As for political participation, the northern masses have
become increasingly disenchanted due to arbitrariness and deception from the
powerful elite. Democracy thrives only where there is freedom of expression and
the right of choice, it would be inimical to the political process to continue
to impose candidates on the people.
The northern masses have been at the receiving end of elite’s
machinations. The power resides with the elite and the masses have for long
been turned into robots, remote-controlled by the whims and caprices of
domineering elite. The masses have every cause to feel dejected and depressed.
There is poverty at high velocity. The future looks less rosy, but the elite
live a flamboyant life style with suspected stolen money.
The above situation which came about as a result of bad
governance led to a situation where as the late Dr. Mahmud Tukur said: “the
wider population though possessed of pristine wisdom – but perhaps due to its
material poverty, is forced to be opportunistic; to expect immediate reward in
monetary terms and instant gratification; is incapable of demanding for
accountability, cannot stand up for its rights, is unable to resist abuse of
office, corruption or oppression”.
Most of the violence we witness is the consequences of
poverty, unemployment and frustration including hate preaches from day light
religious preachers. Securing a viable polity – that is a Nigeria in which
there is free movement of people, goods and services and a country in which
residency and participation rights are guaranteed wherever one may choose to
live is what is urgently needed. This connectivity is important and has to be
appreciated by elites, which has the reputation of greed and selfishness.
The relatively smaller number of the elite, as a privilege
group, is wont to using the enormous powers at their disposal to champion their
narrow causes, at the expenses of the larger but less privilege groups. They
drag by force or “favour” the lower classes in that selfish direction that
finally produces disenchantment among the masses. The ordinary people are not
really involved in the political activities. All along, it has been a game of
the elite who only use the masses as tools in fixing up their political
machinery; use them as cannon fodder when the push comes to the shove, and
then, use money or muscle on them when the masses lose interest in a game that
largely is none of their business.
The typical northern elite has forgotten or tends to forget
that the responsibility for running the affairs of people has been vested in
men not for the purpose of enforcing their own orders or imposing their own
will on others, enslaving people, calling them to bow down their heads in
submission, enabling them to construct spacious palaces by fleecing the weak and
downtrodden; in short for the pursuit of their pleasure and self-glorification.
Men who are at the helm of affairs should have a feeling that this is a burden
laid on them to administer social justice.
Public office holders, who master the art of treasury
looting, should bear in mind that such privileges will not endure. All wealth
and resources belong, as a law to the society, and they must return to society
willingly or by force of the law or better by jungle justice. Human society
stands on justice and justice demands that resources be shared fairly among all
members, where this is ignored, society is bound to disintegrate, resulting in
the dispossession and routing of the privilege groups.
Why not we think of building a society in pursuit of an economically
fuller prosperous life and which balances the material welfare with the
spiritual values in which the state and the citizens acquire wealth through
fair means without exploiting others or subjecting others to wrong and
injustice, but by promoting the good of others from what is earned or
accumulated? A Nigerian society in which citizens are brothers and friends, and
are bound by bonds of affection, nationalism and patriotism; such that no one
group-tribal or religious – shall antagonize any other; but each shall
endeavour to understand, appreciate and support the other in a collective
effort to enhance and protect the collective heritage of our country.
We need a new Nigeria in which equal opportunities of
progress shall be enjoyed by everyone. A Nigeria where no individual or group
shall suffer any disability that may in anyway impede the growth of his/her
faculties or hamper the development of his/her personality. A society where a
way shall be opened for all citizens to make as much progress as possible
according to their individual in-born capacity and personal merits without
prejudice to similar rights of other people.
Nigerians are ardently looking for a set of leaders who will
build a society in which everyone is an equal participant; a society which cannot
tolerate class divisions based on distinction of birth, tribe, religion and
social position. In his opinion, Hon. Ahmed Idris Maje (representing Wase
federal constituency of Plateau state said, “A society where all citizens shall
enjoy equal status, the only criterion of superiority in the much needed new
Nigeria is personal ability and character. That is, individuals shall be
assessed and recognized on the basis of what they do and not who they are or
where they hail from”.
By Sanusi Muhammad
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