A manifesto for Northern Nigeria

One of the problems we have in Nigeria is that as soon as someone who is perceived as an outsider speaks to certain issues, he is told to shut up. Thus, I fully expect that I will be abused for this piece. For me, it’s the surest proof that Nigeria is not a nation. You see, in a nation, everyone sees themselves as a part of a whole, and thus the problem of the man in Kaura Namoda will be the problem of the man in Eket, and vice-versa. But here, when the man who’s ancestors are from Bagadry tries to talk about issues in Nguru, he will be reminded that Nguru does not concern him, even if he has lived there for generations.

The irony of all of this is that most of the people doing such reminders probably have very detailed opinions about the storming of the Capitol. Another irony is this: even if Nigeria breaks into different countries tomorrow, we will still have to keep an eye on our neighbours, just for the simple reason of geography. Because we share boundaries/borders, what happens in another region, will still have an effect on us. A solid example that springs to mind is the peace and good relations enjoyed by France and Germany today. It is not an accident that this peace came after a very destructive war, but more importantly, is sustained because ever since the formation of the Common Market, both countries (and their neighbours), are in each other’s business so deeply, that slowly, they are starting to see themselves as one. Another good example is the simple fact that the meltdown of Syria affected all the surrounding countries except Israel. Geography has an effect.

Back to Nigeria, and there are zero arguments that Nigeria has problems. At every point. Nigeria is a hot mess. But when you think of it deeply, the problems in the country do not have a uniform solution. Each region has unique challenges that require different solutions. When I say regions, I mean our real, natural, regions, not this geopolitical zones rubbish that started in 1995.

The North, which in practical terms is what is called the North-West and North-East (perhaps minus Taraba), has a burning need for investment in education. This is the thrust of my argument in my column in Financial Nigeria…