ACF peace initiative and matters arising

In response to the crises that engulf some parts of northern Nigeria in the immediate aftermath of the 2011 Presidential elections, the Arewa Consultative Forum felt the need to bring all people from various communities that made up the region, to sit down and table their grievances with a view to curtail recurrence of such an ugly incidence. However, the way we see it, the approach of the northern elders is rather doomed for failure from its inception.

From the theme of the conference of “giving minorities the opportunity to put their social and political grievances”, the conference has from inception taken the usual cover-ups, characteristic of such conferences that were initiated by other groups in the past, which did not yield any tangible or positive result. Apart from that, from what the media reported, the conference is trying to portray a picture of a minority groups being oppressed by a majority ethnic group, which makes it look like what some public analyst see as the minority ethnic groups “pushing back the sense of guilt and say that your grandfathers and fathers oppressed us, therefore now we do not feel we need to follow you hook, line and sinker”.

The truth is that, most crises the north witnessed from the late 80s to early 90s and the indigene settler crises in Jos and the recent carnage in Southern Kaduna are all caused by the northern elite from both divide (Christians and Muslims) due to injustice, bad governance, corruption and arrogance. The average northerner needs nothing from his leaders except a conducive environment in which he can live his life, and do business so as to earn little that can help him in sustaining himself and his family. This is what our parents thought us when we were growing up and they raised us learning and appreciating that kind of life.

However, of recent, what we see from our political, religious and traditional leaders is a competition, each trying to outdo the other, in violating public trust – looting of public treasury on the part of the political elite and on the other, the religious and traditional leaders conniving with and in some instances encouraging these greedy politicians in destroying the legacies which the northern region is known for. Religious and traditional leaders have lost their value and the respect they are known for in the eyes of ‘talakawa’.

I thought the ACF’s peace initiative main concern was to see how the lost value and respect of our political, religious and traditional rulers will be brought back. And also to come out clearly to say that they have failed the region and take the blame and apologise by agreeing on principle that they will change their ways. It was Frank Fannon who said ‘if the building of a bridge does not enrich the awareness of those who work on it, then that bridge ought not to be built and the citizens can go on swimming across the river or going by boat’.

What do the northern elite give their people today? Is it not the same people that take pride in seeing their people living in abject poverty, while erecting big mansions and driving latest cars in the market? Is it not the same that look the other way, when approaching their former primary schools, because they are ashamed to look at the primary school or what was left of it? It is only when we start telling ourselves the bitter truth that the problems we see in the north can be solved.

It is very difficult for one to exonerate even the organisers of this conference from the social and economic crises that bedeviled the north, but since they have initiated this conference, the organisers need to be frank enough to tell our political leaders who will be present at the conference that the attitude of securing a position in either the civil service or ensure winning the next election by hook or crook and afterwards abuse the public office by stealing public funds meant for education, for healthcare, for water is what contributed to the present mess the region found itself.

They should also tell them that an average northerner is daily becoming aware of the events happening around him, including the huge amounts of money accruing to his local government from the federation account, he is also equally becoming aware of the billions his governor receive monthly from the federation accounts, meant for his education, for his health and general well being.

For instance, in 2009 alone, local governments in Adamawa received a total of N21,025,053,493.58, the records are there with Federal Ministry of Finance and the RMAFC. But no one can explain how these monies were managed or how they were used in addressing the mountains of problems that are affecting the people of the state. These are some of the issues that need to form part of what to be addressed if really the ACF want to see a lasting peace in the northern region.