How the military pauperised the North
By Pat Utomi


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What had changed since 1966. Military rule, Oil and Nigeria's federal arrangement were the intervening variables. How did it get to hurt the North? My greater fear was that the same phenomenon was getting ready to destroy the Niger Delta if new leaders did not emerge. Two events which took place simultaneously in Port Harcourt recently bring them into focus. These were the Job Creation and Empowerment Summit of the Rivers State Government of which I was Chairman, and the Niger Delta Legislative Retreat sponsored by Vanguard Newspapers so the South-South could speak with one voice.


You do no have to be a genius to tell that what happened was that soldiers who had political power and were predominantly more Northern saw Oil revenues and wanted to get more to their part of the country thought he instrumentality of fiscal transfers. Net result, the North got more and became poorer. Why? Simple. The incentives were scramble for power and appropriate as much of the unearned receipts as possible. How do politicians who have appropriated money not earned spend it? Like people who have won the lottery. They often return to poverty.

In the meanwhile more and more revenues are going to recurrent expenditure to meet the needs of these politicians and the bureaucracies they create than build infrastructure that open opportunities for growth.

Go to the North East and see cities that boomed more with the arrival of good roads that have since died because the infrastructure has deteriorated and collapsed. Do we remember the rise and fall of Numan (part of the Numan - Biu highway). So when I see people from the Niger Delta agitate for more, not to maintain a principle but to get more, I fear the same 'gold rush' effect that pauperized the North.

This is why I celebrated Rotimi Amaechi's job creation and empowerment initiative as a way of building a generation that seeks to create wealth as against those waiting for their share who will more quickly turn to kidnapping for ransom. The voracity thesis of the scramble for unearned income, the reason for many of Africa's civil wars is still alive in our midst.

None of these phenomena should surprise people who make a point of learning from the mistakes of others.


I have been showing Niger Delta leaders, and the governors particularly, the need to work assiduously to prevent themselves from repeating what Gnerals from the North did, pauperize their people in thinking they were doing them a favour. When I heard a former Northern governor accuse Niger Delta leaders of their corruption and incompetence being responsible for the state of the region, I laughed. Insensitive and inappropriate as the remark was, it happened to be true, but the speaker was himself a classic example of that phenomenon. We must not democratize poverty in Nigeria because a political class seems unwilling to make democracy work. Civil Society and direct popular action must safe Nigeria the worsening 'resource curse' effects of our experience.

N.B: I have removed some parts of the article to make t more readable. See link for full article.

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/editorial_opinion/article04//indexn2_html?pdate=210808&ptitle=How%20the%20military%20pauperised%20the%20North


Learn! Learn! Learn!

They should stop giving lectures

Nigeria is begging for credible opposition, The opposition should get themselves together and wrest power from PDP.

If PDP wins the next general election then they will truly be in power for 100years

I cant think of a better time for PDP to loose.

recent history of leaders of the southern states (esp. niger delta) is not any encouragement.

clamour for bigger control of resources doesn't seem people-centred

they will get more and get poorer!

that's the professor's warning.