During the US Civil War, hatred became entrenched between the North and South. In one instance President Abraham Lincoln was criticized for speaking of benevolent treatment for the southern rebels. The critic reminded Lincoln that there was a war going on, the confederates were the enemy and they should be destroyed.
But Lincoln wisely responded, “I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.”
This is the second in a series of treaties targeted at my beloved North and our people. I call it an admonition and although as usual I would stir the hornet’s nest, believe there is no pun intended.
So right to it, I wept for Buhari’s North when in recent times, I have listened to supposedly learned and schooled by Nigerian standards, ‘people’ including the sitting president say that the Northern Nigeria would have be engulfed in civil strife or a war had Buhari been killed.
So sad that in 2014, one man’s death is enough to send the whole nation to war, sad that one man’s death would be significant in relation to the insignificant thousands already dead. And before the anti-Jonathanians start the name-calling, or the Jonathanians start rejoicing for a new convert., I will rather will hold our breath.
Here is the truth, the North is dying, and we are blame gaming, for all it is worth, in harsh realities, the North is dead, in need or first, a firm identity of our problems, accepting our fault lines, and pragmatic solutions spread over a timeline.
Mr. Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano state is generally said to have faired well, but that is but a string, as today, the North is on its knees. Almost half a dozen bomb blast in less than 50 hours tells the story. With the exception of the Cement industry in Benue state, Mr. Suswan has simply danced away 8 years and with teachers being owed salaries for ages, in a state that is equally home to a Senate President.
With all the generals sitting on the hilltop and street top, the Chief servant, Mr. Babangida Aliyu has ‘served’ a state that cannot boost of five factories with 5000 workers each, that has paid as little as N5000 per month in the last five years, boosting as the Power state, electricity in Minna is anything but stable.
Mr. Jonathan is the ‘clueless one’, we agree, but are there clues in Kaduna, any clue in Katsina, what are the clues that Kebbi, Zamfara, Nassarawa, Plateau are any ‘clueful’, considering the billions we have received in the North, do we need clues to how our very own have ‘cluelessly’ looted us dry.
We have interrogated Jonathan and many of us will not stop, but have we interrogated our governors, our senators, and political class as much as we have blamed Jonathan, oftening forgetting to heap same amount of blame on our sons/daughters in the corridor/balcony, and kitchen of power.
We have allowed the elite divide us so bad that we argue amongst ourselves as to whether Boko Haram has killed more Christians or Muslims, attacked more churches or Mosques.
While Nyako and the political goons in Adamawa without shame giggle how N80billion disappeared, anyway, if it happened in NNPC, it can happen in Adamawa, a state whose most visible investment and far beyond reach is an American University.
Let me honestly ask us, so if Jonathan wins and sure he is on the way to winning in 2015 (Cause the APC tablet is adding migraine to the tummy upset of the PDP), what will we do in the North: close shop, or annex Abuja, as we threaten these days?
We had this power and we still have it in a form or the other, do we have a blueprint for the next 10-15-20 years, what really is the Arewa Peoples Congress and Northern Elders doing, other than engage a mouthful Edwin Clark and his younger ‘com-parrot’ I meant compatriot Asari Dokuboh in newspaper wars.
Please correct me if I am right, our money bags what are they really doing to change the face of the North, does it occur to any sane Northerner that for Arewa leaders charity begins in homes in Abuja, London, US and luxury flats in Dubai with some girl called Peace from Lagos, when there is no peace in Kaduna, Adamawa, Plateau, Yobe, Borno, Benue, Nassarawa, Zamfara, Kano, Taraba and the list goes on.
Painfully I never cease to tell us the elite have no faith, no religion, no allegiance except to a common interest: Power multiplied by Politics equaling money, and more money.
I know loads of us are Buharists, and we have still wondered who wants him dead, but the truth is that, whether, he staged managed his own assassination, which is not only boisterous, or he came out of a bullet ridden vehicle to count dead bodies, is not it, we should be asking deeper questions, not pedestrian “Jonathan wants him dead talk”.
The fact is that Buhari’s North, my beloved North, your North, our North, the North that has Maitami Sule, the North of medical guru turn all purpose politician Jubril Animu, the North of Generals this and that is collapsing everyday.
The federal government needs to act, but what if they do not act, we will sit on our keypads, on twitter handle and keep blaming everything, but refusing to face the ghosts from our father’s past.
Can Arewa be great again, do we want to be great: is more of a wish than substance. Times are changing, and have changed, are we making friends or we still think that everyone is our enemy.
We still can, if we want to, but we need to tackle our backwardness in education, we need to fight our health challenges, get up from the high horses of crass conspiracy theories, because even the south has many such theories of us in the North.
We do not have a first class health facility in the North, our schools are dust yards—To beloved General Buhari—I say sir, can we for once be selfish in intent and purpose, think of a great North, and ‘leave’ the Otuekeans, to deal with Nigeria, we have enough on our plate.
What will happen when Buhari is no more, will there be a legacy of greatness left behind or a region at loss with itself—Only time will tell.
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Article written by Prince Charles Dickson
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