It is an extraordinary development that today, the North, or its so-called leaders are the ones insisting that it is the turn of the region to produce the president. The question is, which North? North as a viable, coherent geo-political entity, or one where a few individuals usurp power and resources to the exclusion of the majority who wallow in poverty and illiteracy?

In 1955, the Western Region introduced free education. Today, the products of that policy and their offspring dominate education, the civil service, business, financial services, medicine, law and a host of other professions in Nigeria and beyond. Today, which of the region’s 19 states has a free education policy?

Today, a single state in the South has more school enrolments than an entire geo-political zone in the North. A primary school in Kaduna State (Rafin-Pa) has 300 pupils who share two classes. A chalk line on the floor serves as demarcation for the different classes. It has two teachers, including the headmaster.

There are more private universities in a state in the South than all federal, state and private universities in a Northern zone. There is only one state owned university of science and technology in the entire North. A single university in the South graduates more students than several in the North.

These examples from the education sector are symbolic of the problems with the North.

Fifty years ago, the region was battling to catch up with the rest of the country. Today, the gap is wider than ever. All economic indicators point to the North as the poorest region in Nigeria.

Healthcare is not any better. Most states in the South have more doctors than any zone in the North. Recently, a volunteer group organised a medical caravan to assist a small village with basic medical services, only to be confronted with many patients requiring surgery and other more serious medical attention from surrounding settlements. Government healthcare has never reached the majority of people, so they die from preventable, treatable diseases that should have been long eradicated.

Cholera, dysentery, meningitis, polio and other preventable diseases are prevalent in the region, which has stalled the elimination of polio from Africa. Bill Gates had to spend $750 million to fight diseases in our backyards. Our zoning champions would rather keep their dollars in Switzerland, Dubai, Hong Kong and South Africa.

Agriculture, the region’s great area of comparative advantage and mainstay of its economy remains subsistence and dependent on the vagaries of weather. This is in spite of the many dams and huge tracts of fertile land the region possesses. The Sahara desert is inching downwards every year. Entire settlements have been engulfed. Water sources are drying up rapidly; deforestation is exposing millions of people to the elements and making the region vulnerable to drought, flooding and other environmental catastrophes.

Similarly, overuse has reduced the fertility and productivity of many farmlands. Rapid population expansion further puts pressure on existing resources, while our armies of unemployed youth troop to towns and cities in search of non-existing opportunities. Our zoning crusaders would rather compete about who lives in a more expensive part of London, the French Riviera or Dubai.

Of course, many Northerners have worked and succeeded in many fields, but most of those fighting for zoning are people who have served in one public position or another and used their positions to divert public funds for personal use.

Corruption is central to the region’s poverty and maladministration. The stolen funds are used to buy homes in Europe, America and the Middle East.

This state of mind is not a prerogative of the Hausa/ Fulani/ Muslim elite. It cuts across all ethnic groups and religions in the North. The thought process is same: grab as much money as possible; open foreign bank accounts; buy estates in Europe and America, with a stopover in Dubai. And never forget to visit Mecca or Jerusalem every year to feign religiosity.

Zoning is an issue the elite use to preserve their interests. Regardless of who is in power, the majority of Northerners (regardless of ethnicity or religion) have nothing to show. Our leaders systematically narrow the economic and political space to the exclusion of the majority, while illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, insecurity and ethno-religious crises continue to tear the North apart.

On one hand, I wish the South presented a more inspired choice as candidate for president. On the other, when the likes of Babangida, Atiku and Gusau insist that the presidency is zoned to the North, you wonder, which North? Either way, I do not see the president Nigeria needs from this motley group.

source

netotse:

It is an extraordinary development that today, the North, or its so-called leaders are the ones insisting that it is the turn of the region to produce the president. The question is, which North? North as a viable, coherent geo-political entity, or one where a few individuals usurp power and resources to the exclusion of the majority who wallow in poverty and illiteracy?

In 1955, the Western Region introduced free education. Today, the products of that policy and their offspring dominate education, the civil service, business, financial services, medicine, law and a host of other professions in Nigeria and beyond. Today, which of the region’s 19 states has a free education policy?

Today, a single state in the South has more school enrolments than an entire geo-political zone in the North. A primary school in Kaduna State (Rafin-Pa) has 300 pupils who share two classes. A chalk line on the floor serves as demarcation for the different classes. It has two teachers, including the headmaster.

There are more private universities in a state in the South than all federal, state and private universities in a Northern zone. There is only one state owned university of science and technology in the entire North. A single university in the South graduates more students than several in the North.

These examples from the education sector are symbolic of the problems with the North.

Fifty years ago, the region was battling to catch up with the rest of the country. Today, the gap is wider than ever. All economic indicators point to the North as the poorest region in Nigeria.

Healthcare is not any better. Most states in the South have more doctors than any zone in the North. Recently, a volunteer group organised a medical caravan to assist a small village with basic medical services, only to be confronted with many patients requiring surgery and other more serious medical attention from surrounding settlements. Government healthcare has never reached the majority of people, so they die from preventable, treatable diseases that should have been long eradicated.

Cholera, dysentery, meningitis, polio and other preventable diseases are prevalent in the region, which has stalled the elimination of polio from Africa. Bill Gates had to spend $750 million to fight diseases in our backyards. Our zoning champions would rather keep their dollars in Switzerland, Dubai, Hong Kong and South Africa.

Agriculture, the region’s great area of comparative advantage and mainstay of its economy remains subsistence and dependent on the vagaries of weather. This is in spite of the many dams and huge tracts of fertile land the region possesses. The Sahara desert is inching downwards every year. Entire settlements have been engulfed. Water sources are drying up rapidly; deforestation is exposing millions of people to the elements and making the region vulnerable to drought, flooding and other environmental catastrophes.

Similarly, overuse has reduced the fertility and productivity of many farmlands. Rapid population expansion further puts pressure on existing resources, while our armies of unemployed youth troop to towns and cities in search of non-existing opportunities. Our zoning crusaders would rather compete about who lives in a more expensive part of London, the French Riviera or Dubai.

Of course, many Northerners have worked and succeeded in many fields, but most of those fighting for zoning are people who have served in one public position or another and used their positions to divert public funds for personal use.

Corruption is central to the region’s poverty and maladministration. The stolen funds are used to buy homes in Europe, America and the Middle East.

This state of mind is not a prerogative of the Hausa/ Fulani/ Muslim elite. It cuts across all ethnic groups and religions in the North. The thought process is same: grab as much money as possible; open foreign bank accounts; buy estates in Europe and America, with a stopover in Dubai. And never forget to visit Mecca or Jerusalem every year to feign religiosity.

Zoning is an issue the elite use to preserve their interests. Regardless of who is in power, the majority of Northerners (regardless of ethnicity or religion) have nothing to show. Our leaders systematically narrow the economic and political space to the exclusion of the majority, while illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, insecurity and ethno-religious crises continue to tear the North apart.

On one hand, I wish the South presented a more inspired choice as candidate for president. On the other, when the likes of Babangida, Atiku and Gusau insist that the presidency is zoned to the North, you wonder, which North? Either way, I do not see the president Nigeria needs from this motley group.

source

GBAM! GBAM! GBAM!

Carry go, writer.

The North is a disgrace to Nigeria, particularly their so-call leaders. They failed the North and Nigeria in general.

@jamace
it's not fair to call the north a disgrace to nigeria, the northern leaders maybe, but definitely not the north, heck look how lagos was brought to it's knees when they stopped sending farm products down south. . .

Nigeria generally suffers from this illness of illiteracy, poverty and corruption. There are as much unemployment in the South as with the North. The North is simply comparatively worse than the South, which southern politican is not involved in corruption? It would be wanton exaggeration to insist the South is not in the same pot with the North.

netotse:

@jamace
it's not fair to call the north a disgrace to nigeria, the northern leaders maybe, but definitely not the north, heck look how lagos was brought to it's knees when they stopped sending farm products down south. . .

what are you talking about ?have you not heard of theories of comparative and absolute advantages,who told you they cannot produce same in the south?

I cannot agree with the writer anymore.

Zoning I have said repeatedly is a FRAUD by the North Political elites, people like IBB etc, why zoning mediocrity?

Since IBB said that the youth cannot leadd, I will challenge IBB to debate 100 Youths in the South, they will floor the yeye man 100 times.

The only reason the likes of IBB became Head of state was due to military coup with guns and not the will of the people, and he used stolen money from that regime to buy patronage (settlement as it was called)

The average age of IBB, Bhuari, Atiku and Gusau is 68 going 69 by next year. The average of leaders in developed world is 42years.

The North has ruled Nigeria for 38 years out of 50 years, and they are crying of Zoning and marginalization. What are their achievements even for their own people for those periods. NONSENSE