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The North Divided Against Itself By Saleh Bature In what appeared like human Tsunami, almost the entire northern states of Nigeria was engulfed in arson, extortion, burglary and killing of ordinary people on the street and destruction of selected and targeted houses of politicians, traditional and community leaders in the area, who the aggrieved protesters accused of sabotaging their choice presidential candidate’s victory in the just concluded presidential election on Saturday, April 16, 2011. From Bauchi state to Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, and Gombe in the North-East sub-region, to Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kastina in the North-West, down to Plateau and Niger states in central Nigeria, State capitals and major Towns in the region fell under the control of army of unemployed youths who took to the street, destroying whatever came their way, chanting revolutionary songs and setting vampires on the roads. According to reports, the youths were protesting the injustice of the Nigerian authorities and the people Democratic Party (PDP) establishments in the North for manipulating the election that gave early Victory to the incumbent President, Good Luck Ebele Jonathan over Rtd. General Muhammadu Buhari of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), who they believed was rigged out. No where in all the theaters of violence in the North recorded more destructions than in the ancient city of Kano. Among the early and most prominent targets was the house was the palace of revered traditional father, the Emire of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, the of Galadiman Kano, a close ally and friend to vice president Namadi Sambo, Alhaji Tijani Hashim, former House of representative, Speaker Ghali Umar Na’abba’s house at sharada quarters, Alhaji Bashir Tofa’s two houses at Gandun Albasa and Bamaina Aluminium, a company owned by the Jigawa state Governor, Sule Lamido was also razed to ground at the Sharada industrial area. Other victims of the unfortunate sectarian attacks were the Igbo business community at Kofar ruwa and Sabon-Gari, in additional to two commissioners in malam shekarau’s administration, Alhaji sani rogo and sarki Labaran. In Kaduna, Zaria and Gombe, the palace of Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris was touched, vice President NAmadi Sambo’s resident as well as Aishatu Dukku;s house were not spared. They wrought greatest havoc at the home of Gombe PDP state chairman, Mr. Jack Gumpy, “where ten people were said to have died in an infernor started by the rioters” reported the daily trust on page 5 of its Tuesday April 19, 2011 edition. As the victims count their losses, the Red Cross reported that not less than sixteen thousand people were displaced from their abode in kano state alone. There is however no official statement as to the actual number of people that lost their lives yet, but the media had reported that a lot of people were killed as a result of the fracas. Scores of dead bodies were however seen on the street of some town’s where fighting was more intense. What happened after the groundswell of opinion against the early released of results on Saturday is regrettable. Because no sensible person will be happy with the outbreak of communal violence in the North. This has created a deep chasm between the Christians and Muslims in the region. It has also cast doubt on the much talked-about monolithic North. It will no doubt stultify development and progress of the entire region. The peaceful co-existence with our Christian brethrens in southern part of the country has been strained. The barbaric action of some of our brothers has made us to be the laughing stock of world. The footage of the violence as shown, by electronic media around the world has stained the image and reputation of our people and cherished values. Much as I condemn the repressible behavior of our youths, I do not however, believe that the election in the South-South and south-east was transparent. My argument is based on the premise that it is impossible to have 95 percent voters turnout, in a country like Nigeria where there is low voter education, object poverty, literacy, unemployment, hunger, poor inadequate infrastructure. The total votes cast in the south-south and South-east Sub-regions are therefore contentious. In the same vain, the north did not also show enthusiasm in the election as demonstrated in their low turn-out on Election Day. Unfortunately, our numerical strength did not add any value to the candidates most of us claimed to have supported. We should not therefore be exonerated from blame because the CPC presidential Candidate would have garnered more votes if we had come out enmasse to cast our votes for him. The north’s failure to forge a common front is self inflicted. The solution to our problem could certainly not be found through self destruction. So long as there will be divisive politics as characterized in Muslim-Christian dichotonomy, middle-belt and core north appellations, a multitude army of unemployed, drug addict youths freely roaming about the streets of our state capitals and major towns, a herd of unruly teenage boys whose excesses their parents and the society could not check, the current call and appeal by the government and religions leaders for calm in the north will be an exercise in futility. |