The Rise and Fall of the North: Is Nigeria an Observer or Casualty? -By Abdu Abdullahi

Once upon a time, the northern Nigeria was overtly ascending the hill of development. It was on the verge of  achieving and owning the giant status of pride of the nation and Africa. Suddenly however ,the wheel of its laudable progress came to a halt.

At what point did that regional retardation rear its ugly head to frustrate and destroy our emerging dreams and hopes? Who and what were, and are still responsible for our lingering conundrum ? Ask as many unequivocal questions as possible. One thing is undisputable: the progressive mind can NEVER evade those challenging questions to go  unanswered, until the underdeveloped trend of our region is redeemed in favour of not only itself but Nigeria as well.

With no swift actions and reactions for improvements forthcoming, the melancholic narration of the North has continued to constitute and trigger our major setback as a people who have been yearning for transition from adversity to prosperity. The full understanding of this contrasting variables is a good lesson of how we misbehave and disengage ourselves from self- criticism, deepening the fatal injury of our decadence. While the crisis of multiple disorder has been increasing horrendously, yet the best we can do is a mere expression of hypocritical lamentation without taking drastic measures to rescue ourselves.

When the North did perform well under the guidance of selfless service rendered by illustrious people, it successfully transformed many weaknesses to strengths as the right vision for regional survival.This was largely drawn from the euphoria of the same political leadership that extended its indepth power to cultivate a deep sense of collective responsibility, honesty, integrity, focus and dedication. That was how our North began to become a new era in its own right by assuming a formidable force within a country to guarantee Nigeria’s future.

In matters related to leadership, the best practice that was striving then was  leaders being accountable to God and people. This gave birth to the harmonious relationship between discovery and delivery process for a sustainable development. A spontaneous system evolved in which public service was conducted with extreme ingenuity. The people’s masters then were actually their true servants possessed by a great passion for love and innovation to move the region forward. They exhibited great fear of not being just and fair. They taught themselves the essential lesson of self denial to offer leadership its pragmatic meaning. But what are we hearing and seeing today?

The roll call of who was who in that classical contest for leadership by example included the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa, Aminu Kano, Saadu Zungur, Joseph Tarka, Sunday Awoniyi and so on and so forth. The aura of their unprecedented commitment to a noble cause is still resonating but we are stubbornly adamant. Their insatiable desire for developmental politics was fully integrated into the political space for promoting and protecting the people’s interests.

That viable leadership encapsulated the propelling of policies and activities that  facilitated the positive development of the region. For that, the northern economy was boosting as a result of intensified agricultural activities that improved the quality of living and explored a new sense of useful direction. The groundnut pyramid of Kano, which disappointedly vanished for long, gifted us an entrenched culture of economic template for development. The North’s character of hospitality attracted more southerners to the North than northerners to the South. Though it is the most heterogenous setting in Nigeria, it proved to be an example of hegemony and unity for a purpose in those days, impressively impacting on the country.

With the painful demise of those noble leaders, Arewa has been existing like an orphan. It is left to destroy itself as only a few good Samaritans care. It is frighteningly defenceless and hopeless. Like an abandoned property, it has been forsaken to find solutions to its unending troubles. It has been endangered to dig its own grave and bury itself.At the center of this perfected embarrassment are the contemporary political elites.

Defiantly, they have been shunning the existing realities and remaining untouched about our rising turmoils. They are in complete disarray scrambling for power, fame and prominence while the North is burning and disappearing in form, strength and character. The only surviving character that we have is political pomposity and extravagances. But the real political space is left vacuum in terms of ideological expediency and emergency.

There was calmness in those days. The North was the kingdom of security of life and properties. There was a blissful living of unquantified value unlike in other places where security risks were reigning.  But today, the North is being rated as one of the most dangerous places to live in the world. Human beings are horrifically slaughtered like animals. Brutal gunmen have taken over a large portion of the land with impunity.

In complete disregard to developmental aspirations, all its development institutions established by the selfless leaders have been destroyed or made dysfunctional without substitutions. What remains is for us to continue mourning for the loss of those vibrant legacies. And what more, we shall continue celebrating the total collapse of the political will to either revamp them or set up new ones. If such establishments were functional, they would have gone a long way in addressing the menace of abject poverty poverty and the chronic disease of unemployment. Consequently, insecurity would have been reduced to the barest minimum.

Now, between the glorious past and the gloomy present, the North has clearly undergone the process of heavy dislocations. It is a big loser for sure. If these despicable events persist in the North, what will be the fate of tomorrow’s Nigeria?

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