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Who Ruined The Northern Economy?

Outside its vastly narrow trade, humanity is yet to know a system which provides knowledge in the problematic area of colourful thought with a straight face. It is, also, the only front running profession which is deeply knowledgeable about the misdeeds of others without a hint of own.

In this regard, if you have to understand the truth of a matter, any matter at all, you must struggle to free your self from the trappings and strangle hold of partisanship on your thought process and thereafter take cover under the protective umbrella of reason, and objectively. If you don't, you wouldn't, for example, understand the full meaning of this statement.

“…regretted the relative economic under development of Northern Nigeria despite the preponderance of Northern occupation of the presidency for many years”. This rhetoric was at the fore front when some allowed themselves to undertake the courageous difficulty of marketing Obasanjo in those days. Now, it is a banner at all the selling points of President Jonathan's candidacy by some of those who were Obasanjo's market men and of course women, particularly in 2003.

Make no mistake about it. It has been selling pretty, like a hot cake, even within intellectual circles and among men of reason. “What do these people have to show Northerners for their stay in power at the centre?” It has been a long standing ball game which, for obvious reasons, caught the fancy of Jonathan's Arewa foot soldiers, who gathered themselves, in Kaduna, at the “Northern Political Summit” of the selected, on July 15, instance, to do some paid service road work on the 2011 super highway. In the moment of such occasions, where partisan power predominates and resonates, unhindered, it has always been a very cheap serviceable cliché, its other deeper meanings notwithstanding.

And what are these other meanings? If you are accusing Gowon, Murtala, Shagari, Buhari, Babangida, Abacha, Abulsalam and Yar'Adua of not having done much for the North, while leading the country, invariable, you are blaming them of failure to indulge in nepotism since they have never denied the region its due share, as allowed by law, while they were at the helm of affairs. And what this further means is that you are a high level 'nepo' crusader, not quite unlike the apartheid variety. Tribalism, regionalism or religious chauvinism, is, each, a low grade apartheid stuff. In truth, Nigerians are true advocates of this variety. Any doubt? Then ask our 'tribocrats' who preach it more than they do democracy and in some instances rate it as a doctrinaire ideology of superior quality.

But let us return to the subject and rule that for their failure to indulge in nepotism, in a multidimensional society, of which ours is, former Nigerian leaders, of Northern extraction, are being accused, by a section of their own, of inability to practice sectarianism or low grade apartheid when they were in power at the centre. What an accusation in this age!  Baffling!

This accusation also bears the ugly stamp of greed, in the sense that the bearers, of this thought, feel it that these leaders never stamped their authority to give to Northern states more and beyond their due share of the national cake. Wishing them to have acted with impunity is at the bottom of this point of view.

There is still more. What are the obligations of the Federal Government to its components i.e. the states, and sub groups, in this case, the local governments, all of which were created, at different times, by the accused Northern leaders, AS AGENTS OF DEVELOPMENT, at various levels? Put differently, states and councils were created, with matching funds, for the purpose of even development across the country. Have Northern states been receiving their due share of the funds as laid down by law? Yes, for none has ever complained of denial of its due.

Thus, in this core area of responsibility, the Federal Government, under the leadership of Northerners, created more states and councils, for the sole purpose of even development and allocated to each appropriate funds in order for them to utilize same for this purpose.

The responsibility for the judicious use of the funds squarely rests on those officers of the states, some of whom showed presence at the 15 July Kaduna gathering where the accusation was repeated.

The question now is, have these funds been substantially used for the purpose intended and if not, who between the former leaders and the managers of the funds, at the other levels, should be liable for such a failure?

 Going by reports that have been coming out from all the states, over the years, EFCC is a witness that substantial fractions of the amounts have never been used for the purpose intended. What do you make of a situation where a governor is alleged to have pocketed over N30 billion of the resources of his state or when other senior officials of the state have been living beyond their means?

From this preamble, it could be said, without contradiction, that while the Federal Government has been fulfilling its obligations, to all the states, by way of funding, in accordance with the law, in order to ensure the socio- economic development of their respective areas, some officers of the states and councils, have been treating such allocations as part of their personal bank accounts, thereby undermining the development of their areas. Clearly therefore, it is these states and council officers rather than the former federal leaders, of northern origin, that should be blamed solely for the under development of the North having been successfully diverting funds, for that purpose, provided them by the Federal Government.

Interestingly, they were among those who attended the “Northern Political Summit” where this accusation was inserted into its communiqué. Nigerians must be bold and frank to tell their leaders that they cannot hide under partisan rhetoric to cover up their tracks in the mistaken belief that all of us are nuts upstairs, or that sectarian thoughts are veils to shield self from blame.

Meantime, the other area in which the Federal Government assists the states is through interventionist activities, in different areas, like roads, educational institutions etc. Here, let us put a question. Was the centre , under the leadership of people of Northern origin, doing this in the Northern states? As pointed out recently, up to the period of the 1966 military coup, there was no single tertiary institution owned by the Federal Government in the whole of Northern Nigeria. Only two universities then, in Lagos and Ibadan, were owned by it.

Today, however, through the interventionist activities of the Federal Government, there are about 50 or so federal tertiary institutions in the northern states. Additionally, it was a Northern led Federal Government that opened the gate for the establishment of private universities. If there are none in the North, or only a few, we know where to locate the blame: our lack of interest in education.

Using the same policy, the centre set up community banks and encouraged the states to do same. Where are these community banks and the states owned banks today? Killed? By whom? By a Federal Government led by a non Northerner between 1999- 2007. In attendance at the said summit were prominent members of the government under whose watch, they were killed? These viable economic institutions, created for the development of the North, were killed by a government under which the summit attendants served. Northerners have the right to ask them to explain how this vicious assault on the economy was done in their full presence. Through their collaboration, the states of the region were denied the ownership of their banks, causing the North considerable economic hardship. This was what the so called banking consolidation was all about: to hit at Northern economy and most of those at the summit, who were in service, then clapped with pleasure when this was being done.

It is generally agreed that the period under reference was the worst in the economic life of the North. It was the period when oil exploration in the region was stopped after it was revitalized by Abacha, and major economic activities, in the area, not paid adequate attention.

 Those who carried out this were not Northerners, who led at the centre, but a non Northerner led Federal Government, with the accusers in its service. Again, it must be asked and sincerely answered; who is to blame for this? Partly, those Northerners who served in the said government. They are/were part of the willing gang that ruined the Northern economy, and their presence was in preponderance at the summit where the former Nigerian leaders, of Northern origin, were accused of doing little for Northern development. What did they do to prevent this ugly development?

Indeed, what have they got to show for their own period in service to their own communities, since they, too, served at the centre? It needs be noted that some of them have been in the corridors of power for several years? Various communities have the answer. Before hearing from them, however, let it be repeated that the worst period for Northern economy was between 1999- 2007. Most of those at the July 15th gathering, were partly in charge then, and so fully participated in the wanton ruination of the northern economy, yet, without a look, at themselves, went all out to blame others for their misdeeds.

We can go on and on to demonstrate that those at the said summit who accused some former heads of state, for doing little for the Northern economy, were among the lead destroyers of the said economy, considering their failure to apply the resources sent them by the accused for the development of their respective areas which they failed to do. If the Federal Government provided, for example, N100million to a state, for its development and the key officers, of such a state, diverted substantial portion into some unwholesome uses, who, in all honesty, should be blamed between the giver and the receiver? Any honest Nigerian knows the answer, but in case of doubt, the receiver, who misapplied the amount.

Simple: The Northern economy was destroyed by those who failed to utilize, appropriately, the funds sent them by the Federal Government for the promotion of positive socio- economic activities in their areas, in favour of the other private considerations and also by those who between 1999- 2007 availed themselves of their presence, when a directional assault was launched against the said economy, with active collaboration and ironically dominated the rank of those who hauled the accusation under reference at the summit. In making the accusation, they were surely too attached to partisan dictation, with the belief that all of us have been blind to their antics.

But, no matter how firm and tight partisanship holds grip of our thought process, we must strive to appeal to the inner self to free us from such a dangerous strangle hold, in order to be at the service of objective reason and impartiality in the assessment of situations. Partisanship is a serious disease of the conscience which can only be cured by reason and dispassionate objectivity. On the other hand, falsehood, no matter how dressed up, in the beautiful colours of truth, intellectual, disposition, objectivity etc, remains permanently, its concrete self. Such paintings have never succeeded in changing its real trappings. Nor have they ever fooled even the most gullible. Truth is, Nigerians know it no matter the garb it is made to wear.