Contemporary Challenges To The Unity Of The North

Being A Speech Delivered To The Parliamentary Platform Of The Northern Members Forum Of The House Of Representatives.

November, 2005.

 By 

Alhaji Magaji Dambatta, Ofr, D.Litt, Fnge

1.      Permit me, Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of this Forum, Ladies and Gentlemen, to express how happy I am to be with you this morning. These are crucial, indeed, anxious times for our country, a time, when we must be on our feet with all our hands on deck. I cannot tell you how pleased I am to be in your company and to share with you my thoughts on the topic before us.

2.     I would like in particular to use this opportunity to congratulate members and the leadership of the Forum for the foresight and sound judgement in setting up this organisation and to have done so in a mature, democratic and brotherly manner. This is an achievement in which you should justly take pride.

3.     My charge is to speak on the “Contemporary Challenges to the Unity of the North”, a topic which I accept to address because I find it particularly relevant to the central issues that have come to define and dominate the politics and governance of Nigeria today. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no gainsaying the fact that the Northern States of Nigeria today face a variety of challenges at several levels, and in multiple ways.

4.     The topic, rightly presumes that there is some unity in the North, which has come increasingly under threat. It is also realized that the unity of the North has not only been, but will always remain the most important basis for its development as well as the development and cohesion of the Nigerian nation. It is important therefore to look more closely at the making and development of this unity.

        UNITY: THE MOST IMPORTANT POLITICAL LEGACY FOR       THE NORTH.

5.     The former Northern region of Nigeria which today comprises the 19 Northern states of the Federation was welded into a united political, economic and administrative unit during the struggle for independence by the political parties of the region and principally, the ruling party, the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) under the able leadership of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello.

6.     It is very important to stress that the key legacy bequeathed to the North by its leaders was the unity they were able to forge in the region out of a diversity of ethnic and religious groups as well as territorial political interests. They were able to accomplish this by building on the relevant legacies they had inherited from their own forebears, through their widely acknowledged political sagacity, vision and sense of history as well as honesty of purpose. It is to the credit of our nationalist leaders that they were able to create a new identity out of the colonial administrative unit that they inherited from the British. The North became not only a reality but also a political community whose citizens were proud to regard and call themselves Yan Arewa.

7.     This ability to build a strong community from diverse groups was a hitherto unfamiliar development in Africa. Its resilience in the face of many attempts to dismember it is the greatest tribute to its founders. There is a great deal of literature which bears testimony to the success of this great and worthy political enterprise in spite of enormous difficulties. Foreigners like Kirk Greene, Muffet, Sherwood Smith and many others have written extensively on the subject. More significantly there is a growing body of national literature in the form of biographies of leading public figures of Northern origin which shed a lot more light on this process. They include biographical studies of the Sardauna, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Kashim Ibrahim, Aminu Kano and many other notable political figures of blessed memory. They also include those written by people like Yahaya Kwande, Maitama Sule, Tanko Yakasai, Ahmadu Kurfi, Shehu Shagari, etc. It was successful unification, founded on sound principles that enabled the North to exert durable, unifying and stabilizing influences on the whole of Nigeria.

8.     This success did not happen easily nor without pain or sacrifice - and all thanks to the immutable principles of honesty, personal integrity and fair play. It was af cardinal and important lesson, taught to Northerners, that in dealing with others, within and beyond the region, they were always to strive to be honest, fair and even handed while at the same time insisting on same from them. These considerations remain as significant today as they were then, indeed more so today than they ever were.

9.     The unity of its diverse peoples provided the fulcrum and vision as well as the criteria as to where to stand and what to stand for, in the context of the Nigerian federation. It was the greatest legacy left to us for it provided us not only with a focus but also the required instrument with which to achieve it. For as Peter Marshall once noted, “We need a clear vision in order to know where to stand and what to stand for, because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything”. The strong bond of unity which we inherited is a legacy that we will neglect at our peril. There is no better illustration of the saying “together we stand, divided we fall” than the case with the North today.

10.    Mr. Chairman, before I discuss the challenges confronting the unity of the North, permit me to say a few words about the nature of the times we are living in and the pressures bearing upon all of us in the political, economic and socio-cultural terms.

        DISTURBING SIGNS OF OUR TIMES

11.    Northerners generally have learnt to be tolerant of other peoples, indeed in many cases they tend to bend over backwards and give concessions to others, through acts of self-denial, in order to demonstrate the need for justice and fairness as basis for dealing with others. The most recent example of this was the concession made in the form of power-shift, which led to the installation of the Fourth Republic. Regrettably, this has not always been reciprocated by the other parties. Rather, they had often interpreted Northern commitment to fairness as weakness and try to abuse it.

12.    And as we have seen, under this Republic, unjust, unequal and negligent treatment between communities and individuals by people in authority have been widespread. Its consequences are tragic and assaults us wherever we turn. Everywhere you look, you see decay and deterioration.

13.    Today, whatever anyone else says to the contrary, the truth is that Northern Nigeria is the most poverty-stricken part of the country. The head start made in the provision of education is now replaced by near-collapse and general lack of direction in the sector. Despite its huge population and vast agricultural potentials, the North has gradually and sadly fallen to the bottom of the ladder. In a recent World Bank study on poverty, it was noted that “Taken together all rural areas in Nigeria show better social indicators than the Northern Region, which includes both urban and rural areas. This underscores the severe lag in development of the Northern Region compared to the Southern one. It also reflects the fact that rural areas in the Northern zone are the poorest in Nigeria”. The worst aspect of this phenomenon is that there is hardly any credible effort on the part of the authorities to turn this situation around.

14.    This grim picture is worsened by the fact that resource deployment and investment in development projects are increasingly being skewed against the North in recent years. For example with respect to energy there is a disturbing lopsidedness in the project being initiated by the government. The 4000 megawatt Mambilla hydroelectric power project for instance, has remained a pipe dream. The development of Railway network in the country has suffered similar neglect just as the development of the project earmarked for the dredging of the River Niger stands out like a sore thumb. Further to these are the very serious problems of aridity and desertification, which constitute the major environmental problems of the Northern states, and indeed a major threat to the country as a whole. These too have hardly received any serious consideration.

15.    Given this lack of development and poverty level of the Northern states, it was expected that they would become beneficiaries of major initiatives designed to address these issues in the spirit of equity and the overall balanced development of the nation. But these clearly are vain hopes.

16.    All experts concur on the fact that the present economic predicament of the country, or the hue and cry about resource control, would have been avoided had some massive investment been made in the development of agriculture from our available resources. The fact that about 80% of the public revenue of the nation derives from the royalties paid for exploitation of crude oil fades into insignificance if it is noted that oil production as a whole constitutes only about 9% of our GDP whereas 49% of the GDP is contributed by agriculture. In the same manner over 70% of the population of the country is employed in agriculture whereas less than 1% is engaged in the oil production sector. The agricultural foundation of our nation’s livelihood yearns for urgent and holistic attention if the well-being and prosperity of the ordinary Nigerian is to be significantly improved.

17.    While we must not underestimate the extent to which those opposed to the interest of the Northern states will go in order to undermine it, it will at the same time be a gross error to ignore those from within, especially among some of the leaders, who have failed or refused to promote and protect our collective interests. For in the final analysis, Northerners are responsible for their own progress or lack of it.

        CHALLENGES TO THE UNITY OF THE NORTH

18.    There have always been challenges to the unity of the North. These challenges have overtime come to assume a definite form and pattern. The difference between today and the period before 1966 is that the leaders then were able to rise to the challenges; they were also able to contain them by sheer commitment and tenacity with which they pursued various initiatives that contributed positively to the unity and stability in the entire country.

19.    The first challenge we face today therefore is that of leadership, selfless leadership, leadership that does not attempt to corner available resources for itself and family members at the expense of the people. The culture of “rabon kura” doesn’t do anyone any good in the long run, neither for the hyena nor the other animals in the forest. It only breeds disaffection and conflict with disastrous consequences.

20.   Appropriately, this leads us to the second source of challenge which is the need for a deliberate effort to cultivate high sense of responsibility by all categories of leadership (political, traditional, religious, professional, etc) in our various communities. They must at all times rise above and operate beyond the level of primordial sentiments, and the politics of exclusion, which tend in the direction of prejudice, favouritism and discrimination. Leaders must be able to foster a sense of belonging across religious, ethnic and political divides. Without these qualities leaders will not be able to contain or neutralize the activities of mischief makers who seek to profit by promoting divisions, conflict and general insecurity.

21.    The North has in the past six years been rocked by a spate of religious and ethnic crises, unprecedented in its entire history. But it should not surprise us that the instigation for much of these conflicts are increasingly being traced to our opponents outside the region who use all weapons at their disposal to drive a wedge between Northerners in order to secure the collapse of the regions solidarity.

22.   In spite of these conflicts, however, it is obvious that the bands holding us together are strong; the evidence of which is that we are sitting today as a family discussing our common problems and the defence of our collective interests in the Nigerian federation. Today’s meeting in the context of several similar ones in many parts of the region, is a fitting tribute to our remarkable resilience. Clearly, this is a challenge we are all poised to meet.

23.   Indeed, we have many other challenges, some not for the North alone but national in scope. A very serious and growing challenge is the current subterranean moves by certain political interests to seek amendments to our constitution in order to allow the President to continue in office for another six years after the end of his current tenure in May 2007. We now hear that the plot is for an extension of a third four year term. Regardless, this is patently unacceptable. It will not augur well for the growth or sustenance of our young democracy. The move is not motivated by public interest nor for public good. Hence the widespread opposition and condemnation by the generality of Nigerians for any extension beyond May, 2007.

24.   We must not permit tinkering with laid down Constitutional provisions for selfish reasons every now and then at the whims and caprices of certain interests and still expect democracy to take roots and grow in Nigeria. We would forfeit our right under such circumstances to criticize other countries for usurping power through dubious means while condoning such abuse of power in our midst.

25.   The most urgent challenge before you, Honourable Members of the House of Representatives together with your distinguished colleagues in the Senate and State Houses of Assembly, is to refuse to give your stamp of approval to this dangerous proposal and ensure that no one devices any tricks to divide your ranks. You will by so doing demonstrate your capacity to use the cohesion of the North to defend the integrity, unity and stability of the Nigerian nation.

26.   I urge you to take note of the exemplary performance of the Northern delegates to the recent National Political Reform Conference who amply demonstrated total commitment to the consolidation, maintenance and promotion of the unity of the North for the purpose of protecting its legitimate interests while at the same time recognizing and conceding the right of others to do the same.

27.   Again, I need not remind you about the general consensus underlying the principle of power shift. This principle recognizes that after two terms in the South, it is obligatory for the presidency to return to the North. I have no doubt in my mind that you, as members of the National Assembly, will not only further build on these efforts but will provide the needed impetus. In this endeavour, you have formidable partners in the Arewa Consultative Forum, the Northern Speakers’ Forum, the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Forum, the Northern Senators’ Forum, the Northern Governors’ Forum and many civil society groups and youths organizations that are willing and ready to support and back you all the way.

28.   Honourable Members, these are challenging times and you are being called upon to rise to the occasion not because they are easy but because you are strong. You should lead in the quest for development of your various constituencies and people. You are challenged to ensure respect for and adherence to the Constitution, rule of law and the principle and ethics of democratic politics and governance. You are challenged to ensure the unity, integrity and stability of the North and of Nigeria.

29.   Your response to these challenges will not only determine the destiny of the nation but also how history will judge you. I am sure that after all is said and done, it is your wish to earn the gratitude of your people for a job well done and to secure a place of honour in history at the end of the day.

        May God bless you all; May God help Nigeria.

All response to jibonura@yahoo.com