North

North, Not Afraid of Resource Control

Jibo Nura

Quantity Surveyor,

Ahmadu Bello University

Zaria, Nigeria.

"Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it"

The above was a statement made by John C. Maxwell, an erudite manager and genuine advocate of change and development, in his "The Power of Thinking Big". But before I proceed, let me categorically and abundantly ma ke it clear to each and every one whether living within, outskirt or even in backyard that the much taciturnity, adulterated belief and indoctrinated thinking about Nigeria as an 'indivisible entity', is subjective, very superficial, stale gist and old fashion that is no longer saleable and out of stock, especially when viewed from the country's moribund drift below the status quo.

From independence to date, we have been struggling to overcome the problems of basic necessities such as roads, pipe-born water, electricity, food and security, shelter and accommodation but yet, we don’t have them in abundance, let alone political paralysis, economic somersault and acrobatics, moral decadence, social calamities, ethnic vendetta, religious tribulations, karmic retributions and identity struggles that are inflicted and entrenched permanently into the national polity by the so called learned elders and stake holders, who know nothing but business as usu al. Readers of this column will find it very provocating indeed, but it is not unconnected with psychological depression, stress, tension and anxiety that are permanently inflicted in us by the present crop of personalities, who parade themselves as politicians. Politicians without good human conscience, discipline and compassion; politicians who haven't a slightest idea of what leadership and governance is all about; politicians who have no respect and regards to the rules of law; politicians who ninety nine (99%) percent of them have no "locus standi" to stay, depend and present themselves as duly elected people that won election fair and square. I am talking about the Abuja crowds, who for reasons best known to them are fond of turning leadership into family affairs.

For seven good years, Nigerian has nothing to show and boast of other than bigotry, hatred and schizophrenic overzealousness of power mongers who by hook or crook want to continue ruling the country w illy nilly.

Careful observation and assessment of our attitude as a people will tell one that we are a nation where not only somebody but also everybody can dash into your home and slaughter your beloved one and go scot free. A nation where bandits can put you at gun point and cater away with all your belongings. The situation has escalated to a point where all incontestable apparatuses are employed to stop the right ones who have the zeal and commitment to rebuild and rekindle some ray of hope to the citizenry. In fact, we are a nation where people could come out in broad day light and confess that they lost election but in the end that same group of people shamelessly went away with stolen mandates; boomeranging themselves as disciplined and respected people of the society.

Fellow countrymen, Nigeria is diseased! And this kind of disease is caused by none other persons but ourselves, as such, it does not require Allah's interventi on, because even Allah helps those who want to help themselves. More so, He (God) is not wicked and cruel God, because he has endowed us with all what it takes to prosper as a nation. As Dr. Patrick Wilmot had it that Africa and Nigeria in particular is very rich but bedevilled with penury. Even the U.K Department for International Development(DFID) in its most recent quarterly publication, issue 32, fourth quarter, 2005 buttressed Wilmot's assertion i.e. despite the fact that the country has the second largest economy on the continent with annual GDP of $71 Billion, despite the fact that Nigeria is the 6^th largest oil producer in the world with 32 Billion barrels of oil reserves, which is sufficient to feed itself for the next 37 years, despite the fact that our gas reserves is enough to last and cater for the current usage of the citizens for 110 years that is, oil and gas income combined is worth about 50 cents per person a day. Yet, of 135 million Nigerians, 75 mi llions are in abject poverty, hunger squalor, starvation and disease. One in twenty Nigerians lives with HIV/AIDS.

Presently, there are 1 million AIDS orphans. More than seven million children, mostly girls, do not go to primary school. One child in five dies before reaching their fifth birthday. The DFID confirmed that the life expectancy for both men and women is 43 years.

Besides, recent eventualities abound as to whether the Onitsa, Bauchi and Borno brutal massacre of innocent human beings in the name of religion and tribalism, will ever make people like myself believe on the issue of one progressive Nigeria as a constitutional reality. Because most of the people manning the helm of our affairs are not serious about making the country a peaceful, habitable and violent-free environment, where everybody can move freely without fear of being butchered into pieces due to religious and tribal sentiments. In fact, one of the victims of such a sentiment, Iliyas u Yusha'u, a hausaman residing in Onitsa was an eye witness of last three (3) weeks Onitsa killings, who made some of us to start reflecting on what Mallam Abba Kyari, an elder statesman described as thinking the unthinkable. Yusha'u who was narrating his ordeal sounded very remorseful and sympathetic. Hear him:

'The Igbos could not burn my house because it will affect the houses of some senior Igbo citizens whose houses are bordering mine but they catered away with all important things from the house'. However, the Onitsa Chief Imam in person of Alhaji Rabi'u also lamented thus: 'as at today, Anambra state is not conducive for any northerner and especially the Muslims to live in. There is no security and our people cannot go back to the town'. Again, the leader of the Yoruba community and chairman, Anambra state muslims council, Alhaji Sabo Zubairu said 'they knew I was not an Hausa man but they attacked me because I am a Muslim and was harbouring some Muslims'.< /div>

Fellow Nigerians, with these sorrowful and unfortunate states of our nation, how can Nigeria ever progress as a united and indivisible entity? When shall we stop killing one another in the name of tribalism and religion? Can these charades of people who brag themselves as leaders make our country a better place? We need to answer these questions in earnest; otherwise there is only one solution to all these ailing problems i.e. fragmenting the country into regions whereby everybody should go to where he/she belongs. And it does not require any bloodshed, violence or anarchy to make it happen. For instance, there is nothing wrong for the Yorubaman to go and establish a Yoruba nation. The Igboman should also actualise his Biafran dream. Likewise, the Hausaman should pursue his northernisation agenda. But to achieve this, we need to go to the drawing board and sign a non-violent treaty be it sovereign, national or whatever. Other countries have done it and are sensible enou gh to go their own ways. Former Yugoslavia is good example of a sort where the country was split into 5 republics. The collapse of the Soviet Union also led to the independence of 15 republics.

Nonetheless, in 1945 there were about 50 countries. Twenty years later these countries had multiplied to about 100 of them and prior to that was the decline of the great multi-ethnic units such as the Austro-Hungarian, Tsarist and the Ottoman empires. Therefore, today there are over 200 countries and according to Abba Kyari, these characteristics of disintegration happens at the international level, hence, these ingredients of fragmentation can equally happen in Nigeria, because history would not have special rules for our own case. Already there is vivid and clear manifestations of myriads of these elements of fragmentation and disintegration among which are the following:

Accentuation of differences to the detriment of whatever creates common causes.
The decline of the centre in favour of the periphery.
Relegated responsibility and lack of zeal and genuine commitment in leadership and governance, which in turn pave way for separatism, provincialism and parochialism.

Northerners have every reason to pursue this cause, because we have all that is required and needed to prosper as a region. We have more than enough to make our region equal to U.S.A and U.K. Our mineral potentials are enough to speak for our region. If not due to 'Northern elite's lackadaisical habit, selfish, hopeless ness and complete loss of hope, Northern Nigeria is supposed to have been a place worthy of investment and trade for the global marketers and foreign investors. Below are state by state minerals resources potentials of Northern Nigeria.

STATE	MINERAL RESOURCES POTENTIALS OF NORTERN NIGERIA

Adamawa	Granite, clay, gypsum, limestone, uranium, kaolin, coal, trona, barite, salt, marble, magnesite, laterite
Bauchi	Kaolin, trona, gypsum, cassiterite, mica, clay, tantalite, galena, iron ore, gemstone, sphalerites, silica sand, barite, columbite, zinc, lead, muscovite, quartz, columbite, tin, glass sand, salt, monazite, feldspar, graphite, wolfram, coal, agate, tantalum, rutile, tungsten, copper, talc, ilmenite, zircon
Borno	Silica sand, natural salt, sapphire, topaz, mica, quartz, gypsum, uranium, iron ore, magnesite, feldspar, granite, aquamarine, nepheline, limestone, kaolin, bentonite, laterite clay, refractory clay, trona, gold, tin, potash
Jigawa	Glass sand, granite, laterite clay, silica, kaolin, iron ore, quartz, potash, talc, limestone
Kaduna	Muscovite, granite, gold, manganese, clay, graphite, sand, zircon, kyanite, tin ore, ilmenite, gemstone, columbite
Kano	Clay, laterite, cassiterite, columbite, ilmenite, galena, phyrochlorite, kaolin, gemstone, silica, tin ore, monazite, wolframite, thorium, granite, hyalite, kaolin, beryl, amethyst, gold
Katsina	Gold, Manganese, lateritic clay, feldspar, black tourmaline, amethyst, quartz, kaolin, mica, gypsum, silimanite, clay, granite sand, uranium, asbestos, tourmaline, serpentine (chresolite asbestos), chromites, ilmenite, diamond, graphite, iron ore, potash, silica sand
Kebbi	Salt, iron ore, gold, feldspar, limestone, quartz, bauxitic clay, manganese, kaolin, mica
Kogi	Clay, iron ore, gemstone, marble, limestone, feldspar, dolomite, phosphate, mica, cassiterite, granite, ornamental stone, coal, kaolin
Kwara	Clay, kaolin, silica sand, quartz, dolomite, marble, feldspar, gold, tantalite, cassiterite, granite, limestone

Nassarawa	Cassiterite, gemstone, amethyst, beryl, chrysolite, emerald, garnet, sapphire, topaz, barites, galena, monazite, zircon, glass sand, coal
Niger	Ball clay, kaolin, limestone, granite, glass sand, iron ore, red clay, feldspar, gold, graphite, cyanite, silica sand, quartz, asbestos, marble, talc, gemstone
Plateau	Monazite, columbite, feldspar, clay, cassiterite, gemstone, kaolin, dolomite, mica, zircon, marble, ilmenite, barites, quartz, talc, galena

Sokoto	Silica sand, clay, salt, limestone, phosphate, gypsum, kaolin, laterit e, potash, granite

Gombe	Graphite, kaolin, limestone, silica sand, uranium, coal, halites, clay, gypsum, diatomite, granite.
Taraba	Fluorspar, garnet, tourmaline, sapphire, zircon, tantalite, columbite, cassiterite, barite, galena, gypsum, limestone, laterite, calcite, bauxite, magnetite, pyrite, lead/zinc ore
Yobe	Salt, trona, diatomite, clay, gypsum, kaolin, silica sand, limestone, epsomite, iron ore, trona, shale, uranium, granite, bentonitic clay
Zamfara	Gold, Alluvial gold, granite, chromites, charnockite, clay, feldspar, spring water

Source: Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Abuja, Nigeria

Therefore, no amount of Arewa House political jamboree can yield any fruitful result to Arewa. Series of meeting s and conferences have been attended by some of us on this region called North but have ended up in bundles of contradictions, deception and sheer disappointments.

Subsequently, we shall dwell on the so called northern elder's and elitists' political malfunctions, dislocation and executive irresponsibility, and if conditions warrants, we shall In sha Allah print their names in black and white on this very conventional space. As we do that, we are urged to appreciate and bear the simple reality i.e. 'Nigeria may just fragment not out of our desire but as the logical consequences of the drift we have found ourselves in. Its situation is like a ship that is rudderless or a plane on automatic pilot and may run into rocks or sand or crash in a wilderness'.

To be continued.