“My sense is that many in Northern Nigeria feel “dis-respected” by fellow countrymen and certainly Abuja has long ignored it”
– Ambassador John Campbell
My piece today is inspired by fallacies, insults and condemnable portrayal of Northern Nigeria by one Professor G. G. Darah whom I was told is a Professor of Mass Communication. Being an Administrative staff of a University, I have come to respect Professors as the conscience of society being repositories of empirical knowledge. I know the rigours one goes through to become a Professor. I have listened to Professors speak at gatherings where men and women of power are present and I marvel at their ability to say it as it is. Very recently Professor Umar Pate himself a Professor of Mass Communication told FRCN Management at their retreat in Calabar that “The general population has little confidence and trust in the credibility of the broadcast media system to act as watchdogs and platforms for the promotion of democratic values and developmental goals in their immediate communities”.
This is a clear indictment of the FRCN and other Local Broadcast Media in Nigeria. But it was told to the FRCN leadership at a function organized by them by a guest they invited to speak to them. That is the real stuff Professors are made of. This statement was backed by statistical data on broadcast media reach in Nigeria, audience attitudes and role of external broadcasts stations in shaping public perceptions in Nigeria. In contrast, Professor Darah without any empirical evidence, without any statistical support, without any sense of shame or modicum of intellectualism said “What the President has done in three years are more than what Tafawa Balewa plus Shagari, plus Buhari, plus IBB, plus Abacha did in 30 years. Jonathan has done more than all of them”. What arrant nonsense! What is he, a Professor of lies? No wonder Nigeria has remained backward in the vice-grip of a ruling elite inspired only by greed, hate and falsehood; having no sense of shame. Even if the above quoted statement were true, which it definitely is not, why did the writer single out only Northern Muslims as examples? What of Obasanjo who ruled Nigeria twice as both a Military Head of State and a civilian President? What of Yakubu Gowon who had a long reign? What of Shonekan, no matter how short his stay in office was?
Another thing I have observed from the man’s submission is that like all southern hate mongers, Professor Darah displayed total ignorance of the North and its people. With all the schools in the South and the claim to knowledge by many Southerners, a number of them including the likes of Professor Darah know next to nothing about the North. After all even the President of the Federation with his PhD was said to have asked a question recently which embarrassed everyone around him. He rhetorically asked “Where is Gwoza sef? A President of a country, with all the access he has to reports, records, charts and maps, does not seem to know where a portion of his country is located, even when some other persons are claiming it as a new Caliphate? It is either that he genuinely doesn’t know or he was just being contemptuous of the location. Either way it will surely make the hate monger Daras of this country happy.
It is in the light of the above that I place the stupid conclusions drawn by Professor G. G Darah that Ugheli North is bigger than Taraba State in terms of population. What arrant nonsense! I was opportuned to spend part of my formative years in Warri, so I know Ughelil very well. Being from the then Gongola State, I also know Taraba equally well. So I know the two locations being discussed from an informed position. But I will not be so foolish as to discuss them based on just “native intelligence”. Rather, I would like to base my discussions on public documents obtained from the National Population Commission. In their report on population figures in the Country, which the Southern hate mongers are free to challenge in Court if they so dispute, the population of Taraba State is 2,330, 736 while that of Ugheli North is 321, 028. Uvwie Local Government which the Professor also said has more population than Taraba State has only 191, 472 people, a population that is far less than Jalingo, Ardo Kola, Zing or Wukari Local Governments Areas of Taraba State.
Another glaring fallacy in the writer’s contributions relate to the number of Local Governments Areas in Taraba State. In trying to sound a profound advocate of hate, the writer claimed Taraba has 25 Local Government Areas where as in actual fact it has only 16. What was he trying to achieve? He was only trying to create the impression that the North is favoured when it actual fact that is not true. If anyone is favoured it is the people of Koko, Burutu, Patani and other riverine Local Governments of Delta State with populations that are less than a ward in most Northern states. Another motive is to lend credence to the lie that Southerners sustaining the North. That is totally false. In actual fact, the North contributes more to the union than the south. Is it because of the oil wells in the South that these hate mongers have taken such astand? For most of us in the North, these oil wells are more of a curse than a blessing.
Honestly, what the oil wealth has done to Nigeria is simply to prop-up greedy, selfish and self-centered ruling elite that place earthly possessions above human welfare and even human lives. A ruling elite that is concerned with only the protection of their oil wells and wealth in all situations no matter how adverse they affect the people. In the process they have sold their people into perpetual penury and despondency. Today, it is because of the desire to acquire wealth occasioned by oil that some people have allowed an insurgency to fester and consume hundreds of thousands of lives and a lot more as displaced persons. It is because of the oil that corruption has been given the status of a VIP citizen in Nigeria. It is because of oil that nothing works in this country except propaganda.
It is also because of oil that I and fellow Northerners (particularly Northern Muslims) are insulted daily by the likes of Professor Darah. And it is exactly because of this arrogance occasioned by oil money that I believe that some of us in the North need a rethink about being Nigerians. A lot of us are beginning to lose interest in being part of country where we are being insulted on a daily basis. A lot of us are beginning to have a rethink about being in a Union where we are not respected by our compatriots. A lot of us are beginning to believe that it is better to be respected citizens of a tiny component of this country than be insulted by a people who by and large have equally earned us disrespect outside the shores of Nigeria. I want us to do a thorough rethink. If and when it becomes increasingly clear that we have no respect in the eyes of our compatriots as is the case presently, then some of us will definitely prefer to opt out. I have read several statements from some Southerners calling for a break-up of Nigeria saying they want to be on their own because they no longer believe in the union. Our silence up North is what creates the impression that we are desperate to remain in a Union we are not respected. With nearly 80% of our population totally disconnected from the formalized oil-driven economy, we have very little to lose from any break-up of the country. I do understand that some members of the Northern Ruling elite have oil blocks in the South and so are willing to accept any insult in order to retain them. I also understand that those who hold juicy political offices would rather that the monthly allocations from oil sales be shared to them no matter the insults. But I am sure the majorities of our people who are poor, hungry and despondent do not care a hoot about oil, oil money or oil blocks. They live off the bounties of nature provided by the unchanging God Almighty. For them the insults are unnecessary and unwarranted.
Ahmad Sajoh wrote from Wauru Jabbe, Jimeta Yola, Adamawa State.
Follow Us On WhatsApp
