BY
MUDASSIR ALIYU YUNUSA
mudassiray@gmail.com
The present day Northern Nigeria is in ramshackle condition, Northerners are in dilemma, people are living in panic and distress. In rural areas people are living in miserable condition, farming is the predominant occupation of which is no longer taking place peacefully, farmlands and forests have became bandits hideouts, no enough infrastructures, inadequate social amenities, lack of basic life requirements.
While In Urban Centres, people are experiencing high cost of livelihood, living with fear and anxiety as many are sleeping with one eye open in their homes.
The Laxity In The Latitude Of Legal Advise
On the highways, armed bandits and kidnappers are abducting and killing innocent travellers. With all our trust, kindness, tolerance and accommodative tendencies to our fellow countrymen living in our midst, yet our people are disgraced, taunt, abused, despised, demeaned and intimidated in some parts of the country despite the fact that all Nigerian citizens have constitutional right to reside, live and move freely and peacefully in every nooks and crannies of this country.
With all the state of disorder, commotion and chaos the North found itself, yet some of our people including the so called Northern stakeholders and some of our leaders are not much concern and conscious to perceive the danger involve simply by keeping mute on the present gruesome situation the North is experiencing.
Though, some are really disturbed, but to be honest most of our leaders are flying freely, sleeping soundly, enjoying their wealth leisurely, paying no heed to the predicaments of the region, showing no attention to the plights of their subordinates.
Many of Northern stakeholders are apathetic to fight the misfortunes bedeviling the region.
That was not the state of the North then. However, it is good and much important to look back and see the position, prestige, the nature, the setup of the Northern Region, the glory it posseses in so many ways.
Let us remind ourselves that for long and even before the coming of Colonial Masters, most of the areas of the present day Northern Nigeria have standard and well defined system of authority and leadership, trade and investment with international communities, for long the trans saharan trade route connects some northern towns and cities with Arabian and Asian countries.
People of the north have acceptable and adorable mode of dressing, notable cultural heritage, proper channel of communication, well defined system of education and literacy through reading, writing and arithmetic in Hausa using Arabic Alpha-Numeric figures known as Ajami.
We also possesses vast arable land suitable for cultivating different types of food and cash produce. Local manufacturing industries as well as number of crafts work will not be mentioned out in the history of Northern Nigeria.
Putting the above rich cultural heritage, norms and values as well peaceful coexistence among the inhabitants of the North, why are we now feeling so inferior or irrelevant compared to other regions?
Why do we failed to maintain the long existing Glory and statusqou of the North?
Why do we allow the region to relegate to the lowest among its counterparts? It is high time for us wake up from the long slumber, let us critically observe the bad trend the North found itself, it is pertinent to act appropriately and positively to bring lasting solutions to all these menaces.
We should note that attaching laxity and carelessness on the present happenings in the North will surely throw our present and future generations into jeopardy.
Where are we? Are we not more organized and more civilized right from pre colonial era compared to other part of the country?
Yes our North is more organized and civilized far ahead of all the regions, even Europeans can testify to this.
Nonetheless, for now, Where is our Elders, stakeholders, Monarchs, Politicians, Religious Leaders (both Islamic scholars and christian clergies), business moguls, intellectuals, bureaucrats, media/Journalists, student unions and associations? Where are we? We surely need actions capable of salvaging our region from sinking beneath or total collapse.
I enjoin the governments of Nineteen (19) northern states to thoroughly look into the detrimental condition of the north and work to solve the problems.
I am sure with honesty and transperancy, the tasks to regain the lost glory of the north would be simple now compared to the previous time when the region was not segregated into different states; this is because the area that was effectively governed by single political head (the Premier) with small number of bureaucrats would be easy when it falls under leadership of 19 Chief Executives (19 State Governors) with legislatures, commissioners and advicers. Let us make it collective responsibility for everyone to contribute his/her quota positively towards rebuilding the region, Let us join hands and work together to liberate the North from all predicaments bedeviling its people more importantly poverty, insecurity, hypocrisy, lack of standard leadership etc. Let us unite and forget all ethnic, tribal and religious differences among ourselves to restore the lost Glory. I am quite sure the region will regain its power and prestige if and only its people realize the importance of unity and our leaders stand on their feet the way Ahmadu Bello Sardauna and his colleagues advocates the slogan of ‘One North one people irrespective of ethnic and religious differences’.
Fellow Northern people, I urge you to take charge and work in positive and progressive ways towards changing the fortune of the region and the entire country. Let us unite and make the NORTH peaceful and attractive for all.
Mudassir can be reached via. mudassiray@gmail.com
