PROBLEMS AFFECTING THE PEOPLE OF NORTHERN NIGERIA PAGE 1

PROBLEMS AFFECTING THE PEOPLE OF NORTHERN NIGERIA

(PART 1.MISPLACED PRIORITIES)

             Written by: Suleiman A Gamawa



It is becoming a clear to notice that
Nigeria is a country with vast potentials which have remained unrealized due to socio-political and economic challenges of which dearth or scarcity of transformational leadership is at the heart of all. Again, it is common knowledge that this leadership deficit is more severe in northern Nigeria relative to other parts of the country.
Why? I will tell you why;

In northern Nigeria A disturbing overlooked dimension of this leadership conundrum or question however, is that leaders who ought to be responsible for identifying the problems and finding solutions seems to have little understanding of what these problems are, they prefer to ignore them or both, and hence have little or no solutions to them. The leaders are also becoming progressively disconnected from the ordinary people and their concerns. And still people with death heart follow them and they treat them just like a slaves.

The Problem is Divided into Five (5) :

1. MISPLACED PRIORITIES

2. CRITICAL PROBLEMS REQUIRING URGENT
SOLUTIONS

3. THE DISCONNECT

4. GENERATIONAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL
DIMENSIONS OF NORTHERN LEADERSHIP
DEFICIT

5. GOING FORWARD



1. MISPLACED PRIORITIES.
 The summaries of various communiqués (announcement) of meetings and fora involving northern political leaders (mainly the Northern Governors Forum) and most northern elders (mostly former public office holders) of recent, on the North’s numerous problems are baffling and frustrating as it is apparent the agenda of these meetings typically have little to do with the region’s enormous economic, socio-political and security challenges. Neither do the final recommendations.
 The themes of these meetings usually revolve around increased revenue allocation to northern states from the Federal Government, lamentations over existing conspiracies to “marginalize” and “destroy” the North; emphasis on the North’s “turn” to produce the next President in 2015; hollow, rhetorical lamentations on the decline of the northern economy and the need to revive agriculture, countering the Boko Haram insurgency and occasionally, a passing reference is made on the need for good governance, and in the end, these
ills are ascribed to bad leadership and that’s
about it. These meetings typically produce
virtually no solid, detailed, implementable blue prints on how to methodically, systematically and effectively address the North’s well-documented problems.
 As the communiqués and press briefings for
these meetings become public, one’s hopes of tangible solutions are further dashed by the crushing realization that our leaders are running round in vicious circles. At best, they gloss over the most critical problems, and at worst, their recommendations have practically no bearing on these problems. While the last meeting of the Northern Governor’s Forum belatedly established a committee to propose ways of addressing the insecurity in the North, it is an open secret that many of the governors
have their eyes set on and are working towards. contesting the 2015 presidential elections. Recently, at least two prominent northern leaders have made the case for revisiting the Federal Government’s revenue allocation formula, while at least three northern elders have variously “advised” that President Jonathan “renounces” any intention of contesting in the 2015 elections to “defuse political tension”. While I am not disregarding the importance of these issues, there are more critical issues requiring the immediate attention of our leaders on which the fate of ordinary people and the region as a whole hang. The problems bedeviling northern Nigeria can be broadly classified into four distinct but interrelated
categories: the steady economic decline of the region over several decades, the breakdown of social cohesion, the insecurity especially the Boko Haram insurgency and the gradual decline of the North’s political influence at the centre. The disturbing fact though is that the priorities of our northern Governors and many of our northern elders, are skewed towards the North’s access to political power and how to bring back the Presidency to the North come 2015 while the more important economic, social and
security challenges are of secondary importance to them rather than taking it as primary fundamental priority that need to be solve immediately. Why are they pushing toward political position only ?

I think you know why!!
            
                      Article By: Suleiman Gamawa