IS THE NORTH TO BLAME The common slogan is The north is our greatest problem. Well lets do a reality check. Northern leaders and Boko haram are blamed for trying to sabotage GEJ,s govt. But mind you Boko haram saga started during the Yar adua regime. When the sect leader was sending threatening video messages to Yaradua, nobody said he was sabotaging the govt or being backed or sponsored by northern leaders. He called yar adua shugaban karya (lying leader) and castigated him in and out. The glee then was that Muslim sects were at each others throat. We had the OPC, MEND, MOSSOB and OGONI youths. Are they any better than boko haram? During Yaraduas era MEND were bombing oil pipelines and killing people. At no point did anyone say the south was making Nigeria ungovernable for Yaradua. OPC had its fun in the South west, killing thousands of muslims of northern extraction. MOSSOB did so in South East, MEND represented South south in this orgy of violence. By the way, MEND introduces the culture of bombing innocent citizens, the first being the Independence anniversary bombings for which the President unpresidentially came all out defending MEND even after the group claimed responsibility. Yet, someone has the audacity to blame Northern elders for maintaining silence on onslaught facing the country. There were so much outcries over the 2011 post election crisis in the north. But was it the first of its kind? What about all the Western Nigerian political crisis; the 1963 wete crisis in which the political groups of Akintola and Awololo massacred themselves. What about the 1983 crisis were some non- UNDP members were beheaded and their heads were paraded round the streets of Ondo states. The north is blame for parasiting on Nigeria,s oil and hampering its development. The South has been in power for 10 years out of the last 12 years. Infact as we speak an Ijaw man is President. Rivers state receives a monthly allocation almost equal to 8 northern states. Rivers state collected N1.5tr over a period of 9 yrs. Kano state with the highest population of 9 million collected N280b or there about in the same period. Yet there are no good schools in Okrika and no bridge to link Bonny Island to the mainland. Is this still the fault of Northerners? Which northern leader supervised the squandering of all monies allocated to the oil producing states over the years? Why is nobody concerned about the roles played by people like Odili, Ibori and Alameseigha and a host of other southern demi gods? Why cant somebody be decent enough to tell the world what happens to all monies voted for Ministry of Niger Delta, NDDC, 13% derivation and whatever? When the Jos crisis started a lot people felt it was right for the Hausas to go because they were not original indigenes of plateau state. But Christian Igbos and Yorubas are given indigeneship of Katsina state and even in the maligned Sharia infested Zamfara state. It is only in the north that Grace Bent, a Yoruba woman is a senator representing one of the senatorial zone in the Fulani dominated Adamawa State. It is only in the north that Namadi an indigene of Edo state can be a governor in Kaduna state. Ogun has almost 7 Universities but it residents found the North the most conducive environment to pursue their education all because the North has been accommodating and tolerant even when they show total disregard to the Northern culture . Many southerners testify that it is only in the north that one can safely roam about at midnight with less fear of armed robbery. They admit that ganged rape is rarer in the north, kidnapping rarer in the north, ritual killing rarer in the north, 419 and money swindling less in the north, lying and cheating less in the north, food, land, transportation and accommodation cheaper in the north yet every evil that comes from bad governance of Nigerian leaders is blamed on the north. They mock with the disdain at the menace of northern almajiranci while they live in perpetual fear of the southern kidnappings, rapes and armed robbery. The blaming trick is only a way of defending a son for misusing an opportunity to perform wonders for our dear country. It does not matter where a leader comes from-a bad leader is a bad leader and as Nigerians we should rise above ethnic sentiments The failure of the Nigerian project is a collective burden on all of us irespective of our section, ethnic affiliation or tribal linkages. We have all failed, and apportioning blames is in itself a mark of greater failure. So stop crossing the Niger River looking for your source of misery when it is right there in front of your door step. Dont blame north, south, east or west, instead, lets blame ourselves first for traibalism and not knowing the worth of your neighbor or human life.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 10:25:20 +0000
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