By Nuhu Obaje

I am very fond of Barewa College, Zaria. Yes, that was where I spent five good years of my life and that was where I grew up to feel as a true Nigerian. I remember Harrison Abiakam, Muideen Oyebode, Murtala Dangogo, Abubakar Dasuki, Ukam Okon, Godwin Asuquo, Ali Fika, Abubakar Kyari, John Sba (O-Sebne!). Ibo, Yoruba, Hausa, Efik, Ibibio, Kanuri, Igala and all the rest.

It used to be one house, many tongues; but anything we embarked upon, the result was always fantastic. That was the northern system of training the youths. North-South existed only outside the school boundary. This training manifested later in my life. While I was in Germany for five years, I was much at home with the Germans and other international students, so much that we felt the whole world was just one small global village. To this extent, two of my German friends and a Thai colleague came with me to Nigeria on three different occasions. Many still come as I came back to Nigeria and I go there any time I want.

While I was working on a research attachment with Chevron Nigeria Limited in Lagos, many people used to refer to me as a Hausa man. It was useless trying to explain. This later led to my premature disengagement even though a Yoruba professor on the same assignment like me could stay for as long as he wanted. I am not proud to disclaim my tribe (Igala), but I felt great that the North has worked so much to build a united hegemonies unit that the mention of Kogi State makes some people in the South refer to you automatically as a Hausa man. How come the North has been able to amalgamate the Tivs, Biroms, Igalas, Idomas, Angas, Jabas, Kajes, Gwaris, Nupes, Tangales, Wajas, Jukuns, Kanuris and many others (Christians and Moslems) into one indivisible and indistinguishable unit so much that some people cannot differentiate between them except to say - the Hausa man. The South is far from achieving this feat. The South has southwest which is entirely Yoruba, Southeast entirely Ibo, and the many southern minorities who do not have a feeling of belonging in any of the two southern geopolitical divides. Why must the Midwest be excised from the Southwest (West)? Because the Yorubas could neither assimilate them nor could they accommodate them. Why are the Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers (COR) so far from being in the east (Southeast)? Now let us agree that the North has a superior political agenda, a better socio-political system, and a larger heart exemplified in teamwork. Like in every system, the North has its weaknesses but is far superior in political leadership than any of the southern geopolitical divides. The Southwest is calling for a Yoruba nation. The Southeast wants an Ibo country. So, what does the North want? Definitely not a Hausa nation. I have never heard of one demand for such.

The North has always opened up to all to come and work together. In the presidential election of 1993, (before its annulment) Kano, the home state of Bashir Tofa, and many other northern states gave winning votes the to Chief MKO Abiola (of blessed memory); but not a single state in the southwest made a single mistake to give Tofa the minimum 10% of votes required to win in a state. This points to the political sophistication of the North. While the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, the intellectual nerve center of the North, continues to recruit and retain its southern workforce (despite abundant availability of qualified persons from the North), it would be a silly mistake to hear of a Nuhu, an Ibrahim or Abubakar at our premier University of Ibadan. In any political post, ministry or parastatal, if the head is from the North (as generally but erroneously believed); the deputy, vice or assistant and many other key positions are from the South. In the oil industry where our economy lies, for the North it is a no-go area.

Some elements in the North today have agreed to concede power to the South. What a large heart! These elements have been touched by the larger-than-life propaganda mechanism of the south. Balarabe Musa said power must shift to the South. Abubakar Umar said annulment of the June 12 election is a crime. Solomon Lar walked out of PDP (People’s Democratic Party) National Executive meeting when Abubakar Rimi contemplated on contesting in the presidential primaries. What a grand political sophistication. When will somebody from the South say something good about the North or fight for the North for some jobs well done. It's like the North has never done anything good. Always at the receiving end.

Today, out of greed, the South is calling for secession, restructuring, sovereign national conference and all the grammars. Because of the oil resources in parts of the south, they can now hold the North to ransom. Pure greed. Despite the fact that efforts to find oil in Northern Nigeria in the Benue Trough is being sabotaged by southern techno- crats who at any rate control the oil industry, the North has never held on to one Nigeria because of oil. It is rather the larger heart of the North, opening up to all and uniting different ethnic groups that has kept it always agitating for a united Nigeria. If anybody thinks the North can never go its own because of the oil resources in the south, then surprises will never end. Germany does not produce one barrel of oil and neither can it afford to export half a barrel, yet, it has the best economy in Europe. Japan, going by the same argument, neither pro- duces nor exports oil, yet, it is the second largest economy in the world. But let us not forget that the tax payers money from his labour whether in the North or in the South and the earnings on exports of agricultural products from the North or the South have been sunk at one stage or the other in the exploration and production of the oil we are all talking about today. This notwithstanding, the oil companies apart from doing everything for the South, continue to pump a lot of money into offering scholarships to prospective university students from the South, thus widening the educational gap between the North and the South. These scholarships are never enjoyed in the North except the so-called meagre National Merit Award. And worse still, these are awarded mainly to southern candidates studying in northern universities.

From the foregoing, it is clear that the South is yet to unite its house. The job is very demanding and challenging. The North has done this successfully. The South is still divided, and many people there still live in tribal enclaves. A father that cannot unite his household cannot be trusted to lead and protect members of other families. The North has completed its assignment at home and only it can be trusted to do the job at the national level. The North, therefore, has the right to continue to produce the President and C-in-C of the Armed Forces of Nigeria until the South is ready to open up.

Obaje is a lecturer in Geology at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

Culled from Concern Magazine,