We’re no parasites –Northern govs

[King]

 From KENNY ASHAKA, Kaduna
Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Governors of the 19 Northern states on Monday rose in stout condemnation of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF) leader, Alhaji Mujahideen Asari Dokubo, saying the North was not a parasite on any of the regions in Nigeria.

The governors also said that the collapse of industries in the North was part of international conspiracy against the region.

Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) and governor of Niger State, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, made this known at the first Northern Agricultural Summit, which held at the Arewa House Conference Hall in Kaduna.

 Apparently a reacting to the North’s claim that the leaders of the Niger Delta were responsible for the sufferings of the people of the region, Dokubo had launched a verbal attack on the North labeling the people as parasites who depended on other regions for survival.

Aliyu said the accusation of the North being a parasite was baseless and that the North was capable of solving its problems through agriculture and education.

The NGF chairman spoke just as the Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako, called on the people of the region to “wake up and correct the erroneous impression that we are economic parasites,” pointing out that it was shameful for the North not to be able to feed the nation despite its vast arable land.

According to Aliyu, the North can survive on its own with or without proceeds from oil, adding that all that was needed was for them to develop agriculture.

“The future of the North lies in our hands, and we should today begin to shape her destiny. As a Nigerian of northern extraction, I feel very unhappy when someone describes me as a parasite because of oil, when I know I have the capacity to solve my problems, and probably do even better through agriculture and education,” he said.

Speaking on the collapsed industries in the region, Aliyu said, “most of the plants have been probably sold to Asians who in turn shut them down as a part of international conspiracy to turn the North into dumping grounds for their goods and products while our farmers fold their arms in hapless confusion.

 “We need to examine the issues that led to de-industrialization of the North, whereby many of the Northern industries have been closed down with attendant consequences for the social security of our people. For instance, we need to be very clear on why the two tractor assembly plants located at Kano (tractors) and Bauchi (Styre tractors) are today shut down, or why most of our textile factories are out of business. Our fertilizer plants are producing below installed capacity or have been shut down, thus making the commodity expensive and inaccessible. We must continue to find answers to the question: what went wrong?” he said.

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[King]

Now, that's the right attitude. The north should not fold its arms and expect a monthly windfall from oil proceeds from other regions of the country. As the governor rightly opined, the north can simply solve its problems through meaningful investment in Agriculture and education. So let's not waste any second. The sooner the better. Let the north begin solving its economic problems now and more importantly stop accepting any federal money that comes from Niger-delta oil. That is quite frankly a step in the right direction, and I hope those rascals in the Niger-Delta will develop similar progressive attitude towards their own collective socio-economic interests.
Regarding the non operating factories in the north that were purchased by Asians, well, perhaps the north should buy them back and put them into operation so that jobs can be created and opportunities reawakened. What I have a problem with is the redundant meetings of these governors to address the obvious challenges and then leaving the meeting without any concrete game plan to resolve those challenges. Thereafter, they meet again and discuss the same things they previously discussed without any signs that some of the problems are being resolved or have been resolved. It is either they are unwilling to put their money where their mouths are, or they clearly lack the knowledge, skills, leadership, and wisdom to actually fix the problem efficiently as competent chief executives would.

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[sheriff 05]

King, I strongly sense the latter ..

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[Dave_McEwan_Hill]

The North of course shoud immediately take steps to reverse the disastrous decline in agricultural production. Properly managed the North could feed half of Africa and supply huge amounts of produce to Europe.
The collapse of industrialisation in the North and most of Nigeria is the direct and automatic result of an unstable Nigerian economy and inflation. This is due to economic mismanagement and thievery and has little to do with those who come and run factories in Nigeria. If Nigeria continually mismanges its economy it will only attract a very poor calibre of investor and virtually no serious industry.

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[mallamt]

I am not surprised with the statement.  I have seen this coming and have on a number of times raised concerns with some of the things we say and do in the north.  What we are complaining about here is a case of trying to address the symtoms and not the cause (or disease).  The north govs stand very accused and so do the contemporary leadership the north has produced.  I am for the south to switch their oil taps off for the north so that we may have the masses rise up to the kind of leadership we have.

There is no need for these govs to blow hot air like they are, it is just the sign of guilt, they know very well that the statement is not totally devoid of truth.  In the case of the oil areas and their inability to sort themselves well for now what i can say is that is their problem and it can be contained if and when we have proper leadership

Recently it was reported that Prof Soludo (CBN gov) was addressing some northern leaders in Kaduna and raised some concern in his address to the effect that it is not good and healthy for the country for some parts of the country to be progressing economically, while a large part of the country is lagging behind (refering to the north). He highlighted the progresses made in banking reforms in the country and the virtual non existance of northern participation, the progress made in projects and project finance by nigerian banks and the virtual non presence or participation from the north.  simply put we are sleeping in the north and we do not have leadership that has the peoples interest.

What we must do is watch it Lagos state for instance has decided to focus on its people and developing the state one can say about 90% of the investors coming to nigeria in the non oil sector are targeting Lagos.  The state is working hard in ensuring that condiucive legislative and legal environment are created for investors and enterprenuers while on the other hand they are working hard at providing and upgrading infrastructure.  What this does is create jobs and make the place the prefered destination, my fear is very sone, Lagos state will really not need nigeria because they will be able to generate more money than the federal gov will give them.

Now what have we been doing in the north?  In the last odd 8-9 years we have been fighting to impliment our own brand of sharia no blue print/masterplan to carry our states forward.  We have had professors and all sorts of academics agitating for this our brand of sharia with no one looking at the implications, today we wonder why the industries are closing one after the other or why asians buy up what there is and close them down.  jus go to the south of the country you will see these same asians setting up these same industries.  We have on our own created the environment that is hostile to investment so why do complain.  By the way who said you can not limit or ban drinking, prostitution etc without imposing sharia? So what have we achieved with the program - the highest rate of production of almajirais, they are now even being sent out of some southern cities in nigeria to be dumped anywhere in the north

It was during this 8-9 year period that we were arguing about polio vaccines and that they have a compound or component from a pig by product, our children in they mean time were exposed to the risk of contracting the disease, during this time we had highly educated professors in medcine supporting this position and today we are the worlds leading exporters of the polio virus, suddenly we are aware that we can use the vaccines and it is ok at what costs?

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[Dan-Borno]

well done mallamt, a progressive minded northerner will no doubt
concur with what you said.  the issue of notherners left behind
in all sectors is undisputable and it is a fact that is glaringly clear.
the recent nothern nigeria agricultural summit that was held in
kaduna was scantly attended by the northern governors, instead
they chose to send their deputies who are toothless bulldogs.
a reknowned agriculturalist at the summit decried that it is very
shameful that the core agriculturalist where not invited to the summit
as all the attendants where politicians who have over the past 8
- 9 years deprived north of its blessings.

the challenges are enormous, especially for the growing youths in
this part of the country.  gone are the days of the political shariah
and i doubt much if underdevelopment of the north will be attributed
to its implementation since this trend is traceable since time immemorial.

its time we put our heads together, work out the issue for a better
nothern nigeria and nigeria at large.

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[gogannaka]

The poverty rate in the north is indeed Alarming.The worse is some people still don't believe it.

I remember discussing the CBN governors statement with someone and before i finshed making my point he said that he didn't believe. I asked him why he thought the statement was incorrect.
His reason was that Soludo is against the North,that he is part of the reason the Nigerian economy is performing poorly. From then on i changed topic.

The northerners have to tackle this issue seriously and squarely. This northern governor's forum ma self  i can say is useless,just like someone said. They hardly take any action. With all the meetings they couldn't save Bank of the North from collapse,the NNN,NNDC an co are all failures right in their doorsteps. Take a look at Wema bank and Odua telecoms.They are all surviving.

Just as much as the Governors of the Niger Delta squander money ther northern counterparts do same.
And to an extent what mallamt said is right. The use religion as basis for squandering money.
A typical example is Kano state where religion is so much politicised that if u accuse the government of mismanagement the people say you are acting against the will of Allah. An mai da mutane sakarkaru.
In Kano i can beat my chest and say you cannot stay 5 minutes in a place within the metropolis without a beggar begging you for assistance.
We have become so so lazy.

The able bodied men that are son's of farmers would rather come to the cities to either beg,steal or ride achaba.
Go to the industrial areas and see for yourself.We can't even do factory work.

Our local governments have become stealing houses,the grant is shared like booty.
It is so unfortunate.
How do we tackle this problem.

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[HUSNAA]

Wani abin takaicin ma sai mutum yana sauraron kowane gauta, then zai san the sort of caliber of ppl that call themselves our active northern politicians. I like the program becos it entertains me no end, listening to the silliness of some of these ppl. The other side of the coin is that if these ppl knew their jobs and were serious about shaping policy for the good of all, I'd find the show more staid, informative and boring, but i'd view them less as the Harold Loyds of Kano politics and take them  more seriously than I do at the moment.

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[neozizo]

Na yarda da ke haj. Husnaa.
The calibre of most of our current leaders leaves much 2 b desired,
i dont see on the horizon, the kind of politicians that can help the north get better.

Imagine! Dan Borno might know this, idea of poverty eradication of a certain north-eastern gov is to buy and disburse 10000 motor-cycles to youths

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[Dan-Borno]

  neo!!!! give them okada so that during your rally
they will raly arround with you in thier midst. great!
i heard that some northern states are enacting laws
to back the use of okada while progressive states
are trying to face okada out with a better means of
transportation. 

the truth of the matter is that we need a very strong
revolution here in the north - the bloodshed one. if
not i see no sign of progress, its the Umaru Dikkos,
the Babangida's, the Buhari's, the Shagari's, imagine
Rimi and Gaya still active in today's politics?

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[gogannaka]

The whole thing boils down to our politicians and leaders.
The so called representatives are as inactive as they can be.
I have a friend from ogun state who told me that their councillor bags a masters degree and he sponsors his people to study.
In the north is is quite a shame. In Kano a Phd was turned down as senator and was replaced by a common politician who just bench warms. Just recently as his constituency project he built a 'mazauna' for his unemployed supporters,yan ganye,yan cuwa cuwa and the thing was transmitted live on state radio.This is a place where youths will sit and play cards and drink and smoke weed[CONSTITUENCY PROJECT].
The other senator forged his secondary school certificate(he didn't even finish sec scl) and whenever he speaks at the chamber no one understands a word.
So you can see the kind of dream they have.

May God give us the strength to save ourselves.
Really we need a revolution.

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[Dave_McEwan_Hill]

It is refreshing and encouraging to read so many posts on this topic which recognise that the North's problems are manufactured by the North and nobody else.
That means that it is also undestood that the North's problems will be solved by the North and nobody else.

Shouldn't a Governor that steals the people's money be stoned like any other thief or is the law only to punish the poor?

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[neozizo]

Shouldn't a Governor that steals the people's money be stoned like any other thief or is the law only to punish the poor?

That sounds like a slap on the wrist Dave when what really should be done is to chop of the wrist.

I watched a documentary on some of great things the Lagos state Government is doing to develop the state (further)..
Northern Nigeria is eons  behind in terms of relevant sustainable development.

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