By Jude Ndukwe<\/p>\n
Barely 4 weeks after the 2019 general elections for which winners are yet
\nto be sworn in and for which dustsin several places are yet to settle,
\nnorthern leaders, through their usualforerunners, have rather very
\nprematurely and inconsiderately startedoverheating the polity again by
\ntrying to sell the idea that the presidency ofthe nation would remain in
\nthe north come 2023 despite them having completedtwo terms of four years
\neach through President Buhari (or Atiku Abubakar shouldthe courts declare
\nhim winner following his petition on the matter).<\/p>\n
First, it was Yari Shettima,President of the Arewa Youth Consultative
\nForum, who was being clever by halfin an interview with a newspaper by
\ndeclaring that Buhari has failed aspresident, therefore, his presidency
\ndoes not represent the north, and thatbased on that, the north would
\npresent a candidate that would represent itsinterest in the far away 2023
\npresidential election despite the conventionalrotation of the presidency
\nbetween north and south for the purpose of equity,fairness and justice
\nwithout which there can never be peace.<\/p>\n
Following that was the immediatepast Secretary to the Government of the
\nFederation, SGF, Babachir David Lawal,who also echoed Shettima\u2019s stance by
\nsaying that it is not compulsory northmust cede power to the south in
\n2023. This is also in spite of the need forevery region to have a sense of
\nbelonging in the leadership of the nation andrespect the principles of
\nzoning and rotation which made both leading partieszone their presidency
\nto the north, an action which was fully respected byother eminently
\nqualified personalities from other zones by not contesting inthe
\npresidential primaries of the two leading parties.<\/p>\n
As if taking a cue from these twonorthern leaders, and betraying the
\nsuspicion that they must have been sent bythe organized leadership of the
\nnorth to test the waters by selling thispreposterous idea at this time,
\nJunaid Mohammed, Second Republic legislatoradded his voice to the
\ncontroversial call by making far reaching spuriousaccusations against the
\nsoutheast, blaming them for voting for Alhaji AtikuAbubakar at the last
\nelection as if Atiku is no longer a northerner like Buhariand that the
\nIgbos were left with a choice between two northerners. Mohammedshould have
\nknown that having been presented with two choices by the north,they would
\ncertainly go one way or the other, and that whichever way they go,the Igbo
\nwould still have pitched their tent with a northerner be it Buhari
\norAtiku.<\/p>\n
And this narrative of alwaystrying to futilely crucify the Igbo for their
\npolitical choices has to stop.This is democracy and it is the best form of
\ngovernment because it is based onthe freedom of people to express their
\npolitical choices freely without facinga backlash for it. The same Igbo
\nthe Mohammeds of the north like to label fornot following a particular
\npattern of voting during elections voted for Atiku,a northerner, despite
\nthe presence of another eminently qualified Igbo son,Kingsley Moghalu, on
\nthe platform of the YPP, just so the principles ofrotation and zoning of
\nthe presidency especially between the two leadingparties in the country
\nare not only respected but also preserved.<\/p>\n
Rather than being vilified forthis, Ndigbo should be applauded for their
\nrespect and love for the nationwhich, more than any other ethnic group,
\nhave shown greatest dedication andcommitment to nation building.<\/p>\n
However, this is not the crux ofthis piece. Its crux is how northern
\nleaders are so shameless in canvassing for2023 presidency when their
\nregion is on fire and ravaged by the worstinsecurity since the post civil
\nwar era. How could any responsible set ofleaders be talking about a 2023
\npresidency that is so far away when their menare now daily being
\nkidnapped, randomly killed on a regular basis, their womenraped, maimed,
\nabducted, forcefully married out to strangers in distant landsby their
\nabductors, and most of them brutally killed? What manner
\nofirresponsibility and heartlessness make these leaders turn their focus
\nonpolitics when their children have become endangered species and a waste
\nto theworld because of social malaise of crime and criminalities including
\ndrug abusebedeviling them? Most times, because of the incessant violent
\ncrimes in thenorth, these children are made orphans. Even those of them
\nwho manage to makeit to IDP camps because of the continued deterioration
\nof security situation inthat zone have their rations and benefits stolen
\nby their leaders, as it is in the\u201cGrasscutter\u201d case. Sadly, Babachir Lawal
\nis one of those mouthing a northernpresidency in 2023!<\/p>\n
From Benue to Plateau, fromAdamawa to Taraba, from Borno to Yobe to
\nZamfara etc, whole villages are beingsacked by armed bandits in a manner
\nthat suggests we have no government, orthat northern presidents always
\nproduce the most abysmal performance in officeas presidents.<\/p>\n
So what is the essence ofshouting northern presidency in 2023 when the
\nnorth has remained the mostdiseased, the most poverty-stricken, the most
\nilliterate and the most backwardin every indices of human development even
\nwhen the north has had the largestshare of the presidency since
\nindependence till date? What is the benefit ofthe presidency to the north
\nthat it keeps insisting on holding on to power whenfacts have shown that
\nthe country especially the north suffers the mostwhenever they have one of
\ntheir own in power? It is not that these northernleaders do not know what
\nto do actually, their problem is knowing how to do it.Pray, how can you be
\nexpending billions of naira in a vain search for oil inthe north when that
\namount could have been channeled to agriculture where thezone has its
\ncomparative advantage over other regions and employ thousands ofyouths in
\nthe process while turning Nigeria to a major export country for agricand
\nagro-allied products?<\/p>\n
These northern leaders shouldknow that the people of the southeast they so
\nmuch love to victimize for theirpolitical choices are not too interested
\nin the presidency other than voting.If the presidency comes to them, fine.
\nIf it does not, Ndigbo cares lessbecause the great and modern cities of
\nAwka, Nnewi, Onitsha etc were built bythe efforts of the Igbo with little
\nor without federal government assistance.Today, about 1,000 shops and
\nstill counting at the humongous AriariaInternational market, Aba, enjoy 24
\nhours uninterrupted power supply to boostthe entrepreneurship output of
\nthe people. How many cities in the entire northcan boast of the
\ninfrastructural development and facilities of Awka, Nnewi,Onitsha, Ohafia,
\nAbiriba, (which are also known as \u201cSmall London\u201d because oftheir modern
\narchitectural edifices), Enugu, Abakaliki etc. All these citieshave been
\nbuilt by the Igbo spirit which travels far and wide and brings homeits
\nexperience and wealth to bear on their people and immediate society with
\norwithout federal government intervention.<\/p>\n
The only international airport inthe entire southeast was the creation and
\nconstruction of the Igbo people. Whateverthe Igbos have built by
\nthemselves today, was built under the assumption thatif they do not take
\ncare of themselves, nobody will do it for them, hence, thethriving spirit
\ndriving them.<\/p>\n
The Igbo talk of marginalization onlyas humans who feel cheated about a
\nsystem deliberately skewed against them inorder to keep them down. But
\nsince after the civil war, despite the paltry twentypounds given to each
\nof their fathers to start life again after the civil war,and despite their
\nproperties seized, the Igbo have risen from the ashes of lifelike the
\nancient Phoenix to overtake other zones of the country in terms
\nofdevelopment but for federal government presence and huge interventions
\nin oneor two places of these other zones.<\/p>\n
The fact is that even if thenation is run based on self-government for
\neach region and Abuja as beautiful acity as it is, is given to the north
\nas part of their land to manage, Abujawould deteriorate so badly in just
\nfive years that the squalid Zamfara of todaywould be a magnificent town
\ncompared to it.<\/p>\n
Rather than keep clamouring for apresidency that has brought more curses
\nthan blessings to the north, andarrogantly talk down on others, the north
\nshould look inwards and see how itcan turn the misfortunes of its children
\nroaming the streets aimlessly andhopelessly into something beneficial to
\nthem and the nation. A situation wherethe north produces the president,
\nSGF, Ministers of Defence, Interior,Petroleum, Heads of the Army, Air
\nForce, Police, Civil Defence, Customs,Immigration, Prisons, NSA, EFCC,
\nSenate President, Speaker of House ofRepresentatives and so many others,
\nyet, have grown worst in insecurity, economy,education etc compared to
\nother regions speaks volume of the fact that powerwithout sense is
\nsenseless!<\/p>\n
Northern leaders should eat theirhumble pie and admit that they are woeful
\nhandlers of power which they have onlyused to further impoverish their
\nregion, and learn from the Igbos they so muchlove to vilify, how to use
\nthe power of intelligence to advance the cause oftheir people.<\/p>\n