₦airaland Forum

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

Dis Guy:
So Jonathan has been funding the NTA but prefers to get across through facebook  and CNN

Ignored by our leaders

She might just cure me of my crush on Hajia Amina Mohammed Az-zubair

KunleOshob:
I hope the likes of Oledepo are learning from the highlighted examples above.

angelUK25:
Lmao!! I find this Post amusing, some off these replies are from bush men surely 

We white woman very rearly employs house maids to do daily duties around the house and look after our children, but from my experience alot of Nigerians do from what i have seen. what is the big deal if any of us women WHITE OR BLACK use a Washing machine anyway Please inform me I'm intrigued, are you against developing and inventing new things?? do some of you male sexes enjoy watching your wife's break their backs hand washing your clothes sweating in the heat. They could be spending that extra quality time with your children or yourself while the washing machine or dry cleaners are doing your clothing. Tut!! some men are unreal!! I have a washing machine at my place in Lagos and the way Ne-pa is the washing machine is still as new lol so my other options are mmmmm Handwash, NOPE!! (don't get me wrong i have tried but the size of my partners clothes when pulling them out a tub off water i started to get bigger biceps than him, which was worrying haha!!) its hard work and i would be there all day and i refuse too as my life's worth alot more, so i tend to use dry clean.
Now when I'm in the UK i am able to use the washing machine 24/7 so that's how its done.

Can i ask this?
When in a marriage if you have a fun loving wife and family and you all spend quality time together, you are all washed, fed and watered, you both work hard for your household even if that means your wife works and then collects your children where then she plays and helps with home work. or shes a housewife keeping everything in order for your return, then what does it matter who washes your clothes unless its some sexual fantasy then i don't see what the big deal is. 

 

if your hussie-to-be is a bush man and why you had to prattle on and on about washing machine & dry cleaner when a simple YES would have been enough to answer the question?

honeric01:
NOW, LETS CONCENTRATE ON THE LOCAL LEAGUE, BUT THEN I STILL WANT BIO FIRED, PATRICK EKEJI SACKED AND ALSO ALL THE POT BELLIES LEFT,

enough of all the disgrace they have brought to this country.


Bio, the fact that you went ahead to call back all the 4 relegated teams, you should be sacked with immediate effect

THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE SPONSOR OF THE LOCAL LEAGUE, THEIR MONEY IS NOT IN THE LEAGUE, THE LEAGUE IS A PRIVATE ENTITY, SO WHAT RIGHT HAS BIO GOT TO DICTATE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE LEAGUE?

just like the DSTV basket ball league, the sport ministry does not have any right in that league because it's a privately run league, financed and manage by DSTV alone.


HOW MUCH HAS THE GOVERNMENT PUT IN THE LOCAL LEAGUE? THE LOCAL LEAGUE ALWAYS FUNDS ITSELF THROUGH SPONSORS AND ALL THAT, WHO GAVE BIO THE RIGHT TO INTERFERE IN A PRIVATELY RUN LEAGUE? so i am happy that at least FIFA used this as one of the reasons to ban NIGERIA.


IF UNA LIKE, DO THE RIGHT THING, IF UNA NO LIKE, MAKE UNA CONTINUE DEY PLAY INSIDE UNA URINE.

SENSELESS BUNCH OF PEOPLE

04kaa:
wait a minute .,semilyfe who is abdullegend??, is he an hausa boy in london.lol

creamish: You touch Akon?

Waaaaaooooooooooow!!

DISTINCT89: Yeah or you don't believe me?

googles:


see Akon belle. . . na wa for kwarans o dem don lem the guy correct amala and shine shine bobo

Sagamite:
Sho!!! The guy lie? Why you dey compare am to dog? 

Would you lead the choir or the ushers if I start the church?