PROBLEMS AFFECTING THE PEOPLE OF NORTHERN NIGERIA - PAGE5

PROBLEMS AFFECTING THE PEOPLE OF NORTHERN NIGERIA

(PART5 GOING FORWARD)

             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




5. GOING FORWARD

We need new approaches to our multifaceted economic, social and political problems as the current stale and archaic ways of thinking are grossly inadequate and incapable of addressing our numerous 21st century challenges. In order to do this, we ought to realize that leaders like all
human beings are driven by self-interest, and as such they are not by default prone to
accountability or altruism. It is pressure from
citizens that forces leaders to act in the collective interest. It is agitation by ordinary citizens. especially labour and trade unions in post-war Western Europe that was instrumental in pressuring the political elite to make inclusive social reforms of hitherto exclusive and aristocratic political systems and implementation of welfare policies (such as. health care, housing and employment benefits which exist to this day) to cater for the less privileged.
Thus, a huge responsibility lies with northern
academics, intellectuals, commentators,
analysts, professionals and just about anyone concerned about their own future (or lack of it) and that of their children to continuously and consistently speak up on these burning issues that affect us all and ensure they are brought back onto the agenda of our leaders and elders.
It is just not enough to assume our
characteristically fatalistic position of “Allah Ya isa” or “God dey” and then resign ourselves to this sordid fate that certainly awaits us! The intellectuals and columnists of northern extraction should beam the spotlight more on what state and local governments are doing with the same vigorous consistency that the activities
of the Federal Government are scrutinized -how revenues and resources are managed, how investment decisions and contract awards are made, etc. because our governance challenges are mainly under the constitutional purview of states and local governments, and for the most part, information on the activities of these sub-
national governments is a black hole of sorts.

 Public opinion moulders should provide
information to ordinary citizens on what these governments are doing, whether they are living up to their responsibilities, highlighting and applauding the efforts of political leaders who are performing well so that a performance benchmark would be set for others and proposing concrete recommendations no matter how idealistic they might seem. Public debate and public opinion moulding are enabled when
conversations are started on important issues that others can relate with, build on and carry along and thereby creating mechanisms for vigorous discussions, actions and demand for accountability.
For our leaders, they ought to realize that the situation in the North today is completely unsustainable and it doesn’t require the clairvoyance of a seer to foresee the imminent disaster of chaotic proportions that awaits the North as a whole. Thus it is in their own self-interest that the North is brought back from this dangerous precipice, by providing good governance we tirelessly complain about and being true representatives of the people and their aspirations at best to ensure the region
does not tear itself apart and at worst
maintaining the grossly unequal, predatory and destructive status quo. For some of our “elders”, who have had rewarding careers in public service, they could use their good names and influence in proposing concrete steps towards containing the Boko Haram insurgency and plans for reviving a post-
Boko Haram North. They could also take their campaign abroad to counter and disprove some destructive narratives emerging in some Western publications (at the prodding of some Diaspora based Nigerian lobby groups) that Boko Haram is a religious war against a certain religious group in northern Nigeria. With their influence, some of our elders could
also play instrumental roles in enlightening the masses on their civic rights and duties, what to expect from the government, being more proactive to demand accountability from their representatives at the grassroots level, and for the people selling their votes for Maize, peanuts and so on. Is a dangerous cowardice attitude of our people that need resolution.

 For other “elders”, it is just time to BOW OUT, as the standing ovation has long died down, RETIRE for good and allow others to take the stage. Overall, more links between the citizens and the state need to be established with more communication channels between the leaders and the led.
Really it is time we woke up from our deep
complacent slumber and started playing our
roles in rescuing not just our future but our
present from this steady free-fall into the dark pit of misery and underdevelopment. For in the end, what will probably kill the North faster than any insurgency's bullets and bombs is our own silence, complacency silent and lack of pro-activeness in demanding accountability from our leaders and representation of our interests in their
actions......................END
    
Remember:
 "If your not part of the solution then your definitely part of the problem"

             Article By: Suleiman Gamawa


To Read Page 1 Click here http://suleimanmd.blogspot.de/2014/12/problems-affecting-people-of-northern.html?m=1

To Read Page 2 Click here http://suleimanmd.blogspot.nl/2014/12/problems-affecting-people-of-northern_5.html?m=1

To Read Page 3 Click here http://suleimanmd.blogspot.com/2014/12/problems-affecting-people-of-northern_6.html?m=1

To Read Page 4 Click here http://suleimanmd.blogspot.nl/2014/12/problems-affecting-people-of-northern_22.html?m=1