Dauda Abubakar
Northern Nigeria is a region that today is faced with many challenges and backwardness. 80% of northerners live under severe poverty situation, illiteracy rate has become higher than ever before and the rate of educated illiterates dominates everywhere which hindered the lower class of people from progressive thinking. The chunk of worst politicians who care only about themselves dominates northern Nigerian politics. Unemployment and youths that are unemployable full the streets of cities in northern Nigeria.
Insecurity, prostitution among young girls, drug abuse and cultism has increased in the north more than 20 years ago. Research shows that at least 70% of the youths in the north are into drug, cultism, theft/street and road rubbery and prostitution.
This is apart from the deplorable living standard; many rich people are joining the class of the poor because of uncertainty in the country’s economic policies. Yet the north has the highest marriage and birth rate, these are hobbies even when people lack planning for the future of their yet unborn children. Children ages 7 and above roam the street begging for food in the name of religious education (almajiri), without any hope of a better life while the children of the elites are prepared for a better life.
Surprisingly, scholars and the clergy who are supposed to mold the society for a better future have mostly become dump either because they do not understand that we live in a 21st century or because they have become egoistic to material accumulation hoping to better the future of only their children.
The situation is worsen everyday, yet nobody among the elites, politicians or the clergy cares and no one is willing to do something to improve even the death ideological perspective of the common people nor improve their life situations. Mostly people carelessly go about their businesses without any concern. Its like living comfortably in a ship that is gradually sinking inside an ocean and not care.
Muslims and Christians who live in the north are pitched against one another and they hate, fight and kill one another while the state politicians enjoy the state’s booty and live flamboyant lifestyle.
Everyday new devastating challenge confront the people, yesterday it was Boko Haram and Muslim-Christian conflicts and today kidnapping, street rubbery and cultism etc are added to the list. Tomorrow’s challenge is by the door waiting apart from diseases.
Suddenly, a reformer (SLS) emerged to enlighten the lower class to stand up and confront their situation for a better future of northern Nigeria. Behold, most elites do not even understand the language of the reformer and the common people do not heed like the situation of reformers in centuries past. Common people are usually like flock of sheep. The only language they understand is their belly, and when its full nobody cares about the anything. It is intellectuals that think about the future of any community while in this situation; mostly seem more confused in a 21st century where many countries in the world have gone far ahead in terms of development.
The reformer (SLS) first acquired enough knowledge of the world he found himself including versed religious and situational knowledge, he is indeed a gifted soul that many nations will wished to make him its citizen. Surprisingly, the reformer emerged within the elite class and by the virtue of his birth and the positions he has held, poverty can never be an issue to him.
Yet he appear to be concern about the deplorable economic and intellectual situation of his people. Knowing the history of reformers, one will quickly expect that the poor whose concern is only their belly will not be concern about him and his thoughts, politicians will detest him because to them enlightening the poor populace means end of business of monopoly for them, while on the other hand, the elites and scholars would definitely not like him because if care is not taken all attentions will be on him.
And of course, all reformers faced persecution by politicians of their time. But also, hope is not lost because that is the path for reform. Now with SLS dethronement, the whole world has become aware of him and people within and outside Nigeria is beginning to look up and is trying to understand “who is this personality and what does he stand for.”
Reformers are usually fearless and do not care. Unfortunately, the reformer seems to appear in a region that is experiencing intellectual death where people fight to retain an Almajiri system while there children are yet to be enrolled.
People do not like to be criticized whereas the reformer understood that criticism is the first step towards correctness. Anyway, why should someone criticize Sharia that is brought by politicians for a monopoly of the common people? So, the politicians in the north who try less to improve the wellbeing of the poor would want Shari’a to control the life of common Muslims masses? Why criticize poverty, northerners shouldn’t know their condition and give it any attention for improvement at all?
Why concern about the situation of women, these are subjects of pleasure for men, and they should not be denied such pleasures? Why criticize politicians, many elites benefit from the booty so its a bad idea to open up people’s eyes? In fact, no one is expected to do anything, we are all expected to fold our arms and wait for the last day.
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, it’s your century and era, am sure you are up to the task, because the condition in northern Nigeria is ripe and yearning for a reformer otherwise, there is no hope for the people. We are behind you my hero and will continue to support your effort for the betterment of northern Nigeria. May Allah continue to make you shine? I am not concern at all about Ganduje and his likes nor see them as obstacles.
In fact, I refused to congratulate a friend who benefit from the millions Ganduje gave them at the Kano INEC office to forced his way into office. He is living in constant fear and it’s always worst if the likes of Sanusi hold a high position in Kano.
But it’s too late. Fortunately, Ganduje cannot control the future and am very sure the Kano people are waiting for him and his Oga at the top at the exit point. We wait to see the reception Sanusi will receive in Kano after 3 years of Ganduje’s tenure and the ending for Ganduje.
