BURNING POT BY PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON

 

Did you know my wife Aisha is Ijaw and other Fulani stories?

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“If Buhari decides to take a 2nd wife today, some people will still complain that he ignored their zone. If beauty was the criteria…they have beauty in their zone.” Anonymous

 

The "victim mentality" mindset. In their self-imposed concept of marginalization, they divided the Southern Nigeria into three geo-political zones of Southeast, Southsouth and Southwest and consider the Northern Nigeria as one geo- political entity instead of three (Northcentral, Northeast and Northwest).

 

In their confused mentality, when an appointment was/is given to Igbo, it was for the Southeast, when it is an Ibibio/ Efik or Ijaw that was/is appointed, it was for the

Southsouth, and if Yoruba is for the Southwest, but when/if Kanuri or Kilba from Northeast is appointed it is "Hausa/Fulani" from North, if Tiv, Idoma or Eggon from Northcentral is appointed, it is "Hausa/Fulani" from North, and if anyone from Northwest is given appointment, they will start the uproar that the "born to rule" are back to power as if the Hausa/Fulani are not integral part of the country.

 

If their hypocritic mindset, there are three geo-political zones in the Southern Nigeria but only one geo-political North, to their undiscerning minds, appointments should be based on three zones of the South and North as one zone, forgetting that the North consist of three geo-political zones (like the South) and 19 out of 36 states (more than half) that make up federation, what a people...

 

The above was the hypothesis of Adam Baba Yamani, and very quickly just a line or two...I will not debate the rightness or otherwise of his deductions, however one key thing is his use of "their, they", and that invariably leaves us with "we" and off course "us".

 

For my readers, a quick question what really was the essence of all this divides essential the mid-western, middle belt, west, etc.--to the modern day structure of Northeast, Southwest, Niger Delta etc.

 

While we ruminate on Adam’s points...below are thoughts of my friend...Gimba kakanda

 

"The northerners now advocating abolition of Federal Character Principle clearly have no idea they're digging a grave for mass burial of the dreams and ambitions of people, including technocrats, from this part of the region.

 

The north is a generation behind the south, and it will be selfish to assume that the colonial legacy has already been redeemed. The south isn't a factory of cerebral people, but it's historically advantaged and thus leads in the statistics of professionally and intellectually accomplished citizens.

 

No, I do not feel inferior to any southerner, nor do I believe I'm incapable of discharging a duty a southern peer could. I'm only apologizing for the colonial legacy that legitimizes adherence to our peculiar Quota System in which my people are the main beneficiaries.

 

We ARE still traditionally deficient in the production of educated and desired human capital, and it's absolutely selfish for fellow educated northerners who, against all odds, obtained a Bachelor's degree and grabbed a slot to "represent" the region in civil service, to endorse the end of a system that sustains fair representation.

 

I think we are getting carried away because our man is in the State House today, but the day merits become the only yardsticks for admissions into universities and employments in public service, which the excited mob desires now, is the day we may realize the deep gap between the north and the south, as dug out and built by our colonial masters and political ancestors.

 

Before praising Buhari's indefensible pattern of appointment, remember that he wouldn't have won the election if he had not subscribed to the "Quota System", choosing a running mate from the southwest to ensure fairness, even though there's a northerner, like Professor Auwalu Yaduda, who can match Professor Yemi Osinbajo's feats as a legal academic."

 

Last week, I had written on our ethnic troubles in this country and it does not even seem anywhere abating—One of the national dailies even went far as reporting, “angry reactions greet Buhari’s appointment.”

 

Well, I recall Mr. Adisa the grammarian of the Mr. Abacha era, when accused of aiding his friends at the Oputa Panel, told Justice Oputa, “When you get there, give the contracts to your enemies.” Maybe not the best of examples, but really while the debate is on federal character, balance and all that gimmicks, Nigeria is not united, will not anytime soon. (All men mentioned are dead)

 

Maybe the questions, should be, are Buhari's appointment lopsided, are we done with the appointments, is there any government at any level in Nigeria where appointments are currently balanced, has he significantly made appointments in anyway different from the last three Presidents?

 

Benjamin Aduba who's lived in the US for almost 40years says, "I remember the Georgia Mafia (Carter Administration) the California Mafia (Reagan’s Administration) Texas Mafia (both Bushes) and now Chicago Mafia (Barack Obama’s). A president must surround himself with trusted friends and would not do well if he is working with a team that he does not trust completely. I recall that the one common thing most of my Igbo brothers faulted General JTU Aguiyi Ironsi was that surrounding himself with the likes of Danjuma which resulted in his beheading by his mistrusted team. PMB has and should have learned from the Officer and a Gentleman Aguiyi-Ironsi’s mistakes."

 

Of course those who love PMB must advise him that actions have equal and opposite reactions; that to alienate 14 million GEJ supporters could have one of two consequences: make them angrier than they were and therefore to fight harder against his administration or require that he uses greater force to beat them to submission. It is delicate balance that must demand the use of carrots and sticks.”

 

I would end this admonition this way I never forget this analogy; it was from a book called disappearance it was divided into two parts. Part one was an imaginary account of a world in which men wake up one day and discovered that all women had vanished. All the women! The rest of that first part talks about how men tried to survive on their own. The second part was a vice versa, our women woke up and discovered that the men had disappeared from the face of earth. The speaker asked us to imagine both scenarios.

 

Did someone not tell me that the new Nigerian Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir David Lawal is an Ijaw man raised in Adamawa…? There you have it, a nation that majors in minor, will not move, and will Nigeria move—Only time will tell