By Jude Ndukwe
Barely 4 weeks after the 2019 general elections for which winners are yet
to be sworn in and for which dustsin several places are yet to settle,
northern leaders, through their usualforerunners, have rather very
prematurely and inconsiderately startedoverheating the polity again by
trying to sell the idea that the presidency ofthe nation would remain in
the north come 2023 despite them having completedtwo terms of four years
each through President Buhari (or Atiku Abubakar shouldthe courts declare
him winner following his petition on the matter).
First, it was Yari Shettima,President of the Arewa Youth Consultative
Forum, who was being clever by halfin an interview with a newspaper by
declaring that Buhari has failed aspresident, therefore, his presidency
does not represent the north, and thatbased on that, the north would
present a candidate that would represent itsinterest in the far away 2023
presidential election despite the conventionalrotation of the presidency
between north and south for the purpose of equity,fairness and justice
without which there can never be peace.
Following that was the immediatepast Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, SGF, Babachir David Lawal,who also echoed Shettima’s stance by
saying that it is not compulsory northmust cede power to the south in
2023. This is also in spite of the need forevery region to have a sense of
belonging in the leadership of the nation andrespect the principles of
zoning and rotation which made both leading partieszone their presidency
to the north, an action which was fully respected byother eminently
qualified personalities from other zones by not contesting inthe
presidential primaries of the two leading parties.
As if taking a cue from these twonorthern leaders, and betraying the
suspicion that they must have been sent bythe organized leadership of the
north to test the waters by selling thispreposterous idea at this time,
Junaid Mohammed, Second Republic legislatoradded his voice to the
controversial call by making far reaching spuriousaccusations against the
southeast, blaming them for voting for Alhaji AtikuAbubakar at the last
election as if Atiku is no longer a northerner like Buhariand that the
Igbos were left with a choice between two northerners. Mohammedshould have
known that having been presented with two choices by the north,they would
certainly go one way or the other, and that whichever way they go,the Igbo
would still have pitched their tent with a northerner be it Buhari
orAtiku.
And this narrative of alwaystrying to futilely crucify the Igbo for their
political choices has to stop.This is democracy and it is the best form of
government because it is based onthe freedom of people to express their
political choices freely without facinga backlash for it. The same Igbo
the Mohammeds of the north like to label fornot following a particular
pattern of voting during elections voted for Atiku,a northerner, despite
the presence of another eminently qualified Igbo son,Kingsley Moghalu, on
the platform of the YPP, just so the principles ofrotation and zoning of
the presidency especially between the two leadingparties in the country
are not only respected but also preserved.
Rather than being vilified forthis, Ndigbo should be applauded for their
respect and love for the nationwhich, more than any other ethnic group,
have shown greatest dedication andcommitment to nation building.
However, this is not the crux ofthis piece. Its crux is how northern
leaders are so shameless in canvassing for2023 presidency when their
region is on fire and ravaged by the worstinsecurity since the post civil
war era. How could any responsible set ofleaders be talking about a 2023
presidency that is so far away when their menare now daily being
kidnapped, randomly killed on a regular basis, their womenraped, maimed,
abducted, forcefully married out to strangers in distant landsby their
abductors, and most of them brutally killed? What manner
ofirresponsibility and heartlessness make these leaders turn their focus
onpolitics when their children have become endangered species and a waste
to theworld because of social malaise of crime and criminalities including
drug abusebedeviling them? Most times, because of the incessant violent
crimes in thenorth, these children are made orphans. Even those of them
who manage to makeit to IDP camps because of the continued deterioration
of security situation inthat zone have their rations and benefits stolen
by their leaders, as it is in the“Grasscutter” case. Sadly, Babachir Lawal
is one of those mouthing a northernpresidency in 2023!
From Benue to Plateau, fromAdamawa to Taraba, from Borno to Yobe to
Zamfara etc, whole villages are beingsacked by armed bandits in a manner
that suggests we have no government, orthat northern presidents always
produce the most abysmal performance in officeas presidents.
So what is the essence ofshouting northern presidency in 2023 when the
north has remained the mostdiseased, the most poverty-stricken, the most
illiterate and the most backwardin every indices of human development even
when the north has had the largestshare of the presidency since
independence till date? What is the benefit ofthe presidency to the north
that it keeps insisting on holding on to power whenfacts have shown that
the country especially the north suffers the mostwhenever they have one of
their own in power? It is not that these northernleaders do not know what
to do actually, their problem is knowing how to do it.Pray, how can you be
expending billions of naira in a vain search for oil inthe north when that
amount could have been channeled to agriculture where thezone has its
comparative advantage over other regions and employ thousands ofyouths in
the process while turning Nigeria to a major export country for agricand
agro-allied products?
These northern leaders shouldknow that the people of the southeast they so
much love to victimize for theirpolitical choices are not too interested
in the presidency other than voting.If the presidency comes to them, fine.
If it does not, Ndigbo cares lessbecause the great and modern cities of
Awka, Nnewi, Onitsha etc were built bythe efforts of the Igbo with little
or without federal government assistance.Today, about 1,000 shops and
still counting at the humongous AriariaInternational market, Aba, enjoy 24
hours uninterrupted power supply to boostthe entrepreneurship output of
the people. How many cities in the entire northcan boast of the
infrastructural development and facilities of Awka, Nnewi,Onitsha, Ohafia,
Abiriba, (which are also known as “Small London” because oftheir modern
architectural edifices), Enugu, Abakaliki etc. All these citieshave been
built by the Igbo spirit which travels far and wide and brings homeits
experience and wealth to bear on their people and immediate society with
orwithout federal government intervention.
The only international airport inthe entire southeast was the creation and
construction of the Igbo people. Whateverthe Igbos have built by
themselves today, was built under the assumption thatif they do not take
care of themselves, nobody will do it for them, hence, thethriving spirit
driving them.
The Igbo talk of marginalization onlyas humans who feel cheated about a
system deliberately skewed against them inorder to keep them down. But
since after the civil war, despite the paltry twentypounds given to each
of their fathers to start life again after the civil war,and despite their
properties seized, the Igbo have risen from the ashes of lifelike the
ancient Phoenix to overtake other zones of the country in terms
ofdevelopment but for federal government presence and huge interventions
in oneor two places of these other zones.
The fact is that even if thenation is run based on self-government for
each region and Abuja as beautiful acity as it is, is given to the north
as part of their land to manage, Abujawould deteriorate so badly in just
five years that the squalid Zamfara of todaywould be a magnificent town
compared to it.
Rather than keep clamouring for apresidency that has brought more curses
than blessings to the north, andarrogantly talk down on others, the north
should look inwards and see how itcan turn the misfortunes of its children
roaming the streets aimlessly andhopelessly into something beneficial to
them and the nation. A situation wherethe north produces the president,
SGF, Ministers of Defence, Interior,Petroleum, Heads of the Army, Air
Force, Police, Civil Defence, Customs,Immigration, Prisons, NSA, EFCC,
Senate President, Speaker of House ofRepresentatives and so many others,
yet, have grown worst in insecurity, economy,education etc compared to
other regions speaks volume of the fact that powerwithout sense is
senseless!
Northern leaders should eat theirhumble pie and admit that they are woeful
handlers of power which they have onlyused to further impoverish their
region, and learn from the Igbos they so muchlove to vilify, how to use
the power of intelligence to advance the cause oftheir people.
jrndukwe@yahoo.co.uk; Twitter:@StJudeNdukwe