AmanaOnline

THE NORTH AND ITS LEADERSHIP VACUUM.

A story is trending online on how a certain Chief Fabian Nwaora moved to Abuja and successfully became one of the biggest property developers in the FCT, and the entire nation.

According to the story, his land holdings began from his humble lodgings in Idu, and he successfully grew it over time to what it has become today; and the story is quite inspiring.

At of last count, he is said to own over 15 ultra modern estates in the territory. He is the face behind the Efab Estates in the FCT, and given the well-documented and globally acclaimed mentorship system of the South-East, he is certain to have inspired many others from his region to escape the yawning jaws of poverty.

By contrast, his counterparts from the North, whether as political office holders or crony businessmen, also received massive land allocations from successive FCT ministers who hailed from the North, dating back to when the FCT was still a vast virgin territory.

There is nothing on ground to suggest any investment from them on the same scale; and the case of Chief Nwaora is just one example out of hundreds for certain.

Instead, they sold the lands allocated to them on platters of gold, and returned to their towns and villages to hand out crumbs to their gullible followers for primitive political capital, like the local champions they undoubtedly are.

Their lives remain grounded on primitive accumulation and consumption of illicit wealth, without the requisite productivity to benefit their local communities.

The “Ranka Ya Dade!” syndrome is what they feast on. It sustains their societal relevance at tremendous cost to the hapless communities.

We glorify clowns masquerading as leaders, even when one is caught converting his richly embroidered agbada into a mini bank.

That such people still have a say in the overall wellbeing of the nation in general is also a slur on our collective intelligence, if truth must be told.

Imagine how the same communities would have benefitted if their thieving elite had invested even a fraction of their illicit wealth in agro-allied industries to provide the desperately needed jobs to take our beggars of the streets.

I once had a lengthy conversation with the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi in the company of his close friend, Alhaji Adamu Fika, the Wazirin Fika, which inspired my subsequent column in the DailyTrust the same week. May the souls of both illustrious sons of the North continue to rest in peace.

Both were fans of my rested column, and would call from time to time to share some useful insights with me from their rich experiences.

On that day, they took me down memory lane with factual narratives on the exemplary leadership qualities of the late Sardauna. Chief Awoniyi served as the Secretary of the Executive Council of the North, up till the tragic events of January, 1966. One was a Christian and the other a Muslim; but they remained very close friends for the rest of their lives.

They were soulmates who defined the sort of unity the Sardauna desired for the North to progress, and resist its predators from other regions in the First Republic.

By the time they were done with me, I could hardly move out of my seat in utter bewilderment and admiration in equal measure.

I struggled to reconcile what I heard that day with the reality of what has become of the North, and indeed Nigeria, since the Sardauna’s sad demise.

When I finally recovered my voice, I asked Chief Awoniyi how the Sardauna would have felt if he were to be brought back to life to see what has become of his beloved region and his response was devasting!

“Ha! He would prefer to be taken back to his grave!” Those were his exact words and that was more than a decade ago!

Today, even Chief Awoniyi would be traumatised, if not mortified, at how the situation has badly degenerated since our meeting. God, in His infinite mercies, spared him from that calamity.

It is not even remotely possible for anyone to believe what I heard on that day, within the context of present day Nigeria, unless they were privy to the meeting.

The startling contrasts in leadership and governance, even without the elaborate but largely cosmetic legislations of the current Republic, are startling.

I align myself fully with Dan Bello and the likes of Ahmed Isah, the “Ordinary President”, founder and CEO of Human Rights Radio & TV, 101.1 FM Abuja, popularly known as Berekete Radio, (of Berekete Family) in their laudable efforts to provide critical enlightenment on this issue any day.

The present generation of Northern leaders who benefitted most from Sardauna’s uncommon strategic vision for the region have failed us, and only unredeemable bigots can deny the obvious.

The North has never been more disunited or insecure. Endemic poverty has made millions of our people hungry paupers in the midts of abundant opportunities and mediocre leadership.

But above all, through our individual acts of omission and commission, the people of the North are also its worst enemies, and that is the most pathetic part of it all.

The North must resist the inclination to romance poverty.

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24/10/24