Recently in Abuja, at a meeting of
Northern political leaders, a former
Defence Minister, Gen. Theophilus
Danjuma, warned about the possibility of
experiencing the Somali debacle in Nigeria
as a result of the growing national
insecurity.
Danjuma drew the attention of
government to a number of socio-
economic problems facing the North
which, he said, if unattended to, could
lead to the Somali experience. Regrettably,
however, he did not enumerate the socio-
economic problems.
The problem with Nigeria is that there is a
dearth of true leadership. Most Nigerian
leaders only speak the truth when it is
convenient for them. How can politicians
continue to lie that the Boko Haram issue
came into existence because of some
socio-economic problems facing the
North?
In my view, the North is the “spoilt child”
of the Nigerian federation and no one
should blame the incumbent
administration for its socio-economic
problems.
I did my National Youth Service Corps in
the North and I know that Northern
students are over-pampered, even to this
day. In the early 1980s, Northerners had
free secondary school education and were
even paid transport allowances to and
from schools during holidays. Female
students were beneficiaries of more
goodies.
Even today, the Joint Admissions and
Matriculation Board admits students of
Northern origin with far lower UME scores
than their southern counterparts.
The government has, for long, encouraged
education in the North. Provisions were
made by the Federal Government for the
education of the nomadic child when Prof.
Jibril Aminu was Education Minister in the
’80s. And now, the Jonathan
administration has committed billions of
naira to educating the almajiris, with more
to follow in phases and across the nation.
All this while, the Niger Delta child who
lives mostly on floating houses in the
creeks and forests lacks either primary or
secondary schools.
Instead of ‘jaw-jawing’ over the issue of
insecurity challenge and strive to make
positive suggestions to the President, some
influential Nigerians are playing politics
with it.
A former National Security Adviser urged
the President not to use force but to
dialogue with the group. Others had
advised the late President Umaru Yar’Adua
to set up a special task force to fight the
Niger Delta militants to submission and
ultimate surrender; but he went ahead to
offer them amnesty, which, so far, has
restored peace to the combustible region.
In my view, the socio-economic problems
being touted as being responsible for the
Boko Haram insurgency are those created
by Nigeria’s ruling elite who have virtually
held this country to ransom. For instance,
our leaders have built economic empires
for themselves, while the poor masses
troop daily to worship places seeking
salvation for their battered bodies and
souls.
The Nigerian economic environment is
more capitalistic than America’s, which is
the home of capitalism. If not, why should
government allocate oil blocks to private
individuals instead of communities which
will take advantage of it to spread national
wealth? These are the socio-economic
problems facing Nigeria.
When wealth is concentrated in the hands
of one per cent of the population while
the remaining 99 per cent wallow in abject
poverty, it will surely lead to socio-
economic problems.
The philosophy of capitalism in its original
concept is very hostile to the poor.
Capitalists weigh everything in terms of
money, very much like the old Venetian
shylock. The greatest satisfaction for the
capitalist would be to gain maximum profit
with minimum or zero input or
investment. While the capitalist only plans
how to increase his wealth, he does not
take into account the human elements of
suffering, sacrifice, honesty, profit-sharing
or even giving surplus wealth to those
who created it.
The impoverished peoples across the globe
have realised the destructive profile of
capitalism and have come out en masse
onto the streets. The “occupy” syndrome is
now everywhere and may still be in
Nigeria.
The socio-economic problems in the north
and all over Nigeria are as a result of
decades of widening gaps between the
wealthy and the poor, between the
capitalists and the creators of capital.
Even though Boko Haram added a religious
dimension to the issue, the foundational
matters at issue are insensitivity and total
neglect of Franz Fanon’s “the wretched of
the earth” who toil day and night to create
capital for the rich.
I however commend northern leaders who
have condemned the bombings in no
uncertain terms. www.punchng.com/opinion/north-south-divide-beyond-socio-economic-issues/

When the jaw_jawing has run its course, it will be time for war-warring...He forgot to mention that the ibos were neglected and their fate resigned to the market forces at Alaba Market...while our benin daughters are stranded in italy and russia

I pray that this hausa/fulani dn't smell that seat(presidency) again..they ar all gays!