REVIVING THE DYING COLONY (NORTHERN NIGERIA)
Today Northern Nigeria is like a Dying Colony with notable symptoms which are poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, almajiri, corruption, ethno-religious crisis etc and all these have been blamed on the leadership of the North. Several solutions like free education, industrialization, restructuring of the revenue formular, fighting corruption, reviving agriculture, etc have been suggested by several persons who have cared to pay close attention to the issues confronting the North.
One area that have not been stressed by analyst is the INFORMATION EMBRACED BY AN AVERAGE NORTHERNER. Why i believe this aspect should not be overlooked is because The Attitude Of A Person Is A Product Of His Mindset And Information Embraced Is What Shapes The Mind.
To see the impact of information uphold as true and fact by a people on their lives, a comparison study between the South Easterners, Far Northerners and their societies will throw more light.
The South Easterners from various National Statistic Departments are reported to be doing fine despite the numerous trials they have undergone notable ones are 1966 pogrom, civil war, denied federal top posts and establishments, 20 pounds financial and economy subjugation policy, etc.
Their success secret is the INFORMATION THEY EMBRACED of which few are: Despite oppression with God success is possible, Education is beneficial, Business is another means of creating wealth outside politics, Much can be achieve through community development unions, Political platforms are not the only platforms to address societal problems, Sacrificing for the good of others will produce positive reactions, Community industrialization is the responsibility of individuals, Violence is not the only way to resolve issues etc.
This information embraced by Easterners have transformed their society into a region having strong christian presence, high literacy, numerous entrepreneurs, varied development organizations, comparatively few poor/ unemployed persons, large presence of indigenous businesses, even distribution of wealth & property ownership, near absence of ethno-religious crisis, proliferation of self-help schemes etc DESPITE THE ENTHRONEMENT OF A CORRUPT POLITICAL SYSTEM.
The far North on the other hand have embraced information that have being detrimental to their progress. Examples of such information are: Only groundnut revenues was used in developing Nigeria, Western culture is evil & un-islamic, Christians/Southerners are parasites & bad eggs that must be driven out of the north, Northerners are the masters who are born to rule, Politics is the surest & best way of amassing wealth, Society transformation is the duty of political leaders, Islamization of every aspect of society is the surest way of achieving progress, Since groundnut revenues was used to develop Nigeria its the turn of South to return the favour ( Please readers note each region was developed with its own revenues),etc.
Information of this kind held unto by Far Northerners have led to the display of attitudes that have collapse the far north of Nigeria.
Examples of such attitudes are: Over dependance on oil wealth which have lead to the neglect of the agricultural, mining and manufacturing sectors, Lack of enthusiasm for western education, Violent attacks on Christians/Southerners on resolvable issues leading to businesses migrating, Unhealthy struggles for political power stirring up anti - far north sentiments, Low presence of self-help, micro finance,empowerment and scholarship programmes, Religious extremism.
What the Northerners need to do in order to reverse their decline is to always do personal evaluation of all information they are told to be true & fact. Only then can the North have a clear vision and chart the right course. This is the secret behind the prosperity of Turkey republic.
This proves the fact that "The Greatest Societal Revolution Is Not The One That Involve A Change Of Government, System Of Government Or Government Officials But That Which Involve A Change Of Societal Mindset. This is the revolution that have greatly swept the South esp the Eastern part which the North must embark on.
Finally the spiritual supersedes the physical. The shedding of innocent bloods defile a land bringing curses upon it of which it is advisable that the land be cleanse if it is to experience development. One of the major factor behind the prosperity of the East is the cleansing conducted by a good proportion of Easterners at personal, family and community levels. The wisdom of this action can be seen, in avoiding the bitter lives experienced by those who have a tragic ancestral ( family & community ) history of spilled innocent blood. The North might need to cleanse herself since she has degenerated into a region where innocent lives are lost regularly to genocidal minded groups.
In conclusion a society can be highly educated but misinform leading them to a destructive end ( HITLER GERMANY ) but a society that is highly informed can always see clearly and chatting a better course ( MENJI JAPAN ).
OGUERI OBINNA OKECHUKWU
SERVED IN PLATEAU STATE
07067076918
[email protected],