Last week, National Teachers’ Institute
announced that about 80 per cent of teachers in
Northern Nigeria were not qualified to teach.
Just before that, the Federal Ministry of
Education had announced the cut-off marks for
admission into the Federal Government Colleges,
known as Unity Schools, with the shocking piece
of information that while the cut-off mark was as
high as 139 for a Southern state like Anambra, it
was as low as two, yes two, (out of a possible
200 marks) for pupils of a Northern state like
Yobe.
According to the Federal Character Commission:
“In 1954 when Nigeria opted for a federal form of
government, the concept of Quota System as a
policy was adopted in the recruitment of persons
into the officers’ corps of the armed forces and
the police as well as in admissions into
educational institutions,” to promote a fair
representation and close the existing disparities
among the parts of the nation. On the surface, it
is a good idea, because it ensures that no single
area gets into federal establishments to the
detriment of other areas.
However, over the decades, it has dealt a heavy
blow on the psyche of Northern Nigeria. Man is
naturally competitive. Man performs at his peak
in times of difficulty: the maxim “necessity is the
mother of invention” captures it. The collapse of
communism bears testimony to this. Remove
competition among people, provide amenities for
them equally, reward them equally — no matter
their individual contributions — and the will to
excel evaporates. Even though the Federal
Character policy was established with good
intentions, those who created it and those who
still support its continuance are indirectly not
wishing the North well.
In the 2007 Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examination, Imo State produced more
candidates seeking admission into the
universities than all the 19 Northern states put
together. That is not just shocking but
dangerous. The top five states with the highest
number of candidates were Southern states.
They are as follows: Imo 93,065; Anambra
64,689; Delta 61,580; Edo 57,754; Akwa Ibom
47,928; while the lowest five states were
Northern states as follows: Sokoto 3,925; Taraba
3,832; Zamfara 2,904; Jigawa 2,541; and Yobe
2,516.
The trend remains virtually the same year after
year. For example, last year, the top three states
were Imo (123,865 candidates); Delta (88,876);
and Anambra (71,272); while the last three
states were Northern states.
Last month, UNESCO released a report that
ranked Nigeria as the country with the most
number of children out of school: a whopping
10.5 million – the population of Portugal! No
doubt, a larger proportion of these children would
be from the North. Some blame the almajiri
system for this. It is a system that was created
to offer young boys the opportunity of being
groomed and tutored by a religious leader, so as
to grow into exemplary members of society. But
it has gone awry, making these young boys roam
the streets begging, with nobody to direct them,
and then growing up into angry youths that can
be used to cause mayhem at the drop of a hat.
Right from birth, the Northern child is
disadvantaged. While his Southern counterpart
grows up attending school, the Northern child
does not. Through education and
entrepreneurship, the Southern youth grows up
with more opportunities in life. He knows that he
can only succeed in life through excellence. That
drive makes a southerner successful and he
trains his children in good schools, instilling self-
reliance and competitiveness in them, thereby
improving the chances of the children even
succeeding more than him. The average Yoruba
person does not want an Igbo person to beat
him in any field of human endeavour and vice
versa; that spurs both sides to excellence. The
average Urhobo person, Efik person or Bini
person does not want an Igbo person, or Yoruba
person or Ibibio or Ijaw to beat him. So there is
healthy rivalry among them, which leads to
excellence and success.
On the contrary, with no education, no artisanal
skills and lack of competitive spirit, the Northern
child grows up with extremely low chances of
success. He cannot secure a decent job; he
cannot even offer specialised services of an
artisan; he is afraid to start off a small-scale
business because he virtually has nobody to
understudy. The only available job is the most
difficult and yet the least remunerated: the work
of a labourer. He supplies water in 25-litre kegs
to people who live on the fourth floors with no
elevators for N50 per keg. He uses a
wheelbarrow or tub to move sand and concrete
at construction sites; he stays around markets to
help those who have bought heavy items like
tubers of yam and bags of rice to move these
items from deep inside the market to their
vehicles or even home. And for all this hard
labour, he gets paid pittance.
As he renders this poorly paid service to people,
does anybody expect him to be happy with the
successful people around him? It is impossible.
The Northerner is not less intelligent than his
Southern counterpart, neither is he weaker or
less creative. How many people can beat the
business acumen and creativity of Alhaji Aliko
Dangote, or the automobile design ingenuity of
Jelani Aliyu, or the academic intelligence of Nasir
el-Rufai, or the resoluteness of Col. Abubakar
Umar and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, or the football
skills of Tijani Babangida and Daniel Amokachi,
or the musical talent of Innocent Tuface Idibia, or
the organisational and leadership abilities of Sir
Ahmadu Bello?
Some would claim that Islam is the reason for the
North’s poor embrace of education. If that were
so, why is a predominantly Christian state like
Taraba found among the states with the lowest
literacy rate? Saudi Arabia, the headquarters of
Islam, is very education-focused with a literacy
rate of 85 per cent, ranking 116th of 194
countries. Indonesia, the most populated Muslim
country in the world, is education-savvy with 92
per cent literacy rate. The United Arab Emirates
has 90 per cent literacy rate. Nigeria has 72 per
cent literacy rate, but should actually be in the
90s.
The danger in having the North lag behind is that
Nigeria has to always move at the pace of the
North or put appropriately, lag behind with it.
Nigeria is a unit and cannot move and leave
some parts behind. Again, the more the South
moves ahead of the North, the more conflicts will
arise between the North and the South. While the
North will feel that the South is cornering the
joint resources of the nation, the South will feel
the North is pulling it backwards.
One other factor that has worked against the
North is its long years of ruling the country.
There is a form of complacency that comes from
the feeling of “We are in charge.” At such periods,
you let your guards down; you don’t complain so
as not to overheat the administration of your
“kinsman”. But when your brother is not in
charge, you feel left out and thereby complain
the loudest of marginalisation. Those in charge
bend backwards to satisfy you with different
projects. The North should de-emphasise its
focus on the presidency. Forty years of Northern
presidency – civilian or military – have not
offered the North any tangible advantage.
Those who hate the truth would rise in righteous
anger, seeing this treatise as the work of an
enemy rather than digesting the hard truth and
finding solutions to a worsening problem. And
those who love ethnic bashing will quickly see it
as advantage to start shooting at the North. But
the truth is that the progress of the North will
serve both the interest of the North and South.
There should be a two-way approach to this
problem. The North should set up a 20-year
target to catch up with the South in education
and entrepreneurship. The Northern states must
make it an offence for any parent to deny their
child education. The state governors and local
government chairmen need to start a programme
of sending as many Northern children as
possible to Southern states for their secondary
and tertiary education. The new Northern youths
need to leave their comfort zone: compete with
their Southern counterparts, interact with them
and imbibe some of the ways of the Southern
people.
The second aspect concerns uneducated youths
who may no longer want to go to school. Lack of
education is no impediment to success. The
Northern governors and local council chairmen
should start an intensive skills acquisition
programme for the youths. A labourer cannot
train another, neither can he rise much in life if he
continues as an unskilled labourer. But someone
who has learnt masonry, tiling, sewing, vehicle
repairing, generator repairing, painting, plumbing,
etc, can grow to a level where he will have
apprentices. Massive construction takes place
non-stop across the federation. Nigerians have
an unquenchable appetite for cars and fashion.
So, they need these services. That way, the
number of skilled workers increases; the earning
power of the people increases; and such people
can afford a better life for their children, gradually
changing the face of their community.
Quota system or federal character is derogatory
and has worsened things for the North. Every
Northerner who loves the North must tell Nigeria
to stop insulting the North with this federal
character bait. The North must refuse anything
offered it on a platter: it is either a Greek gift or a
poisoned chalice. The North should save itself by
rejecting this insulting Unity Schools’ cut-off
marks that cut it off from development and
modernity.
By Azuka Onwuka
(azuka.brand@augustconsulting.bi

Their leaders are only concerned with poliics of bitterness and envy with no concern for their subjects.May God help them

We know and it is changing. Kano is already making moves and others states are trying too. I admit more could be done but definitely things are changing. About precidency and politics, I say that's another thing and don't see the connection or relevance. All am saying is changes can happen even while the north clamours for precidency. So my only biggest take is the quality of schools in the north and security. All meetings held by northern leaders have never excluded the issue of education,agriculture,power,Manning, security etc so saying its power always is being myopic.
On there part I need to see police arrest or mandatory school participation by children under the state laws..often times is the parents stiff attitude towards western school. Politicians fear the backlash of using strict laws so as to avoid losing popularity. As such I say they need to make that sacrifice and after all the kicking and scream the children will be parents someday and thank them.

The Backwardness facing the North Rests Squarely on the Shoulders of the Educated Class!

Despite Having Benefitted from Education themselves, How many Northern Elites have come out Openly to Champion Education?
How many of them have made it their Priority to Breathe down hard on their Governors to do something?
How many of them are floating Scholarships for Northern Students?
They see the Illiteracy of the masses as a political weapon
It will consume them all very soon!
I am a Northerner and I think Power should Remain with the South UNTIL we are ready for it...which to me may be in the next 25yrs!
We keep dragging other sections of the country behind with our statistics!
I think GEJ is too diplomatic for me!
Get all d Northern Students to school down South! When they come and see and their eyes open, they'll go back and tell others the need to be progressive!
I'm speaking from Experience!

@idoma
I would say certain things you say capture the issues. But whether north or south. Children from the north can study up north and succeed. It doesn't necessary matter where as such. We have our northern schools over run by southern students and that should tell you we have the infrastructure. Just that we are not utilizing them. Also before now the northern students in most schools up north were barely compared to southern students up north. But obvious facts suggest the explosion of northern students and in schools that they are beginning to be majority.
That brings us to attitude of parents and there wards towards education.
Certain students of northern extract are what they are today because of the education they have from 100% northern schools. The government and society(parents) need to nurse education and skills for the development of the children for tomorrow.
Its not about GEJ or presidency so bring that into the equation is more of a diversion for all I care or a cheap political deception. What ever the result we as northern folks most embrace qualitative education and promote same amongst our folks. It is up to all of us to like it and quest for it. Like how a southerner will strive to move north in search of knowledge. We can get there with or without the presidency. After even education in private hands is huge business. Looking at the gap people can be encouraged to invest in education,up north eg Atiku ABTI yola.

When you are cursed with an ultra conservative political elite totally satisfied with the status quo because somehow it helps to entrench ignorance , a tool essential in maintaining a rampaging feudal system, then change will never come. It will be one step forward and three backwards. There are certain elements in the north..within the ruling elite.., who are comfortable with the eyesore that is the education sector in the north. You also have to agree that the weird cultural/religious mix there make revolutionary changes almost impossible. What the north needs is a selfless technocrat willing to break skulls to get results. That is not going to come easy with the political system in place. ....But then why waste your time working hard in school if the fairly educated are making a kill while in government? As long as corrupt politicians from the north dominate politics nay officialdom in Nigeria, utilizing looted largess to keep the massive quantity in the north relatively comfortable and peaceful, things will be fine. But once there is a real fundamental change in the politics of this country and folks are forced to depend on their acquired skills for once to compete, the chicken will come home to roost. This is also part of the reason why the solution to the Boko Haram mess is not here nor there... With ,millions of over brainwashed almajiris roaming the streets, recruiting wont be that hard for the bearded ones.