Nigeria as at present is at the brink of collapse. Interestingly, the challenges of the country are properly dimensioned and we can place a finger where they are anchored. It is quite disturbing that the challenge of resolving the issues could be located in the constitution of the people who are also affected by the concerns.
The country is geographically split along the north and south divides with Islamic religion and Christianity dominantly holding sway in each region respectively. The two regions have different perspectives on the challenges bedeviling the nation and this accounts for why there is difficulty in resolving the issues.
While the north has held power more than the south, the region is still far underdeveloped than its counterpart. Relatively speaking there is lower standard of education, lower quality life, poor standard of living and huge religious influence which is antithetical to development. The strength of the north lies more in agriculture.
The polarization of a section of the country’s leadership as the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) and the Southern Governors Forum with each fighting for the interest of the regions weakens the stability of the country.
The Southern Governors group was recently instituted in response to the manner its counterpart has handled some issues that affect the entire country.
The northerners had carried on as if the country belongs to them, provocatively and rudely attributing to themselves the power of ‘born to rule’ while the greater resources utilized in administering Nigeria comes from the South. The policies of the federal government which point to deliberate efforts to Islamize the country is not lost on the southern governors who are now poised to nullify such arrangements.
The separatist agitations leading to senseless violence and loss of lives in the country stems from some of these policies which are skewed in favour the north. Today, the Middle Belt, the South West and South East are all embroiled in the fight to have a country of their own, to assert their freedom, independence and rights to life. They all feel insecure and marginalized under the present arrangement.
The British colonial overlords in quitting Nigeria literarily put the northerners at an advantage through inflated population figures and yielding more status and recognition to them. These they have hung on to lay their superiority claim against the South and have kept playing this game at every opportunity.
Little wonder they wasted no time to shut down the claim of Southern governors that the 2023 presidency should go to the South. Their argument that it is not constitutional flies in the face of the zoning arrangement which has been respected since 1999 and in many other issues between the north and the south. Why insist that power must remain in the north after 8 years rule.
This aside, the north has also taken a negative position on most of the critical issues that are robustly canvassed to bring stability and development in the country. The north is opposed to restructuring, anti-open grazing laws, fiscal federalism, the recent legislations by southern states to collect VAT, rotational presidency, agitation for separatist states, national conference etc
News Echo notes with dissatisfaction its positions on these national issues which gives it up as selfish, power hungry and less concerned about the unity of the country. Its rejection of zoning the presidential seat to the south smacks of greed and a good recipe for trouble. It will sure threaten the fragile peace in existence.
Drawing from the above and other issues it is clear the north is and has been the problem of Nigeria and any resistance from their southern counterparts will land Nigeria where it never dreamed. It is better they back down and re-evaluate their position
