by Cheta Nwanze

Sadly the ACN decided to play politics with the #SoE in the North. This hard-hitting editorial tells them precisely where to stuff that play.

Truth is bitter, or so the old saying goes. However, if you want to have any form of progress, you have to tell yourself the truth, or a variation of it at least. So let’s tell ourselves some hard truths.

Our country’s north has some of the worst indices of human development on God’s green earth. One of the states in which a state of emergency was declared, Yobe, had only 74 students register for the National Common Entrance Examinations in 2011. Kebbi, also a northern state, had 82! Nigeria is one of only three countries on earth that still has cases of polio. A disease we came close to eradicating ten years ago. All of the polio cases are in northern Nigeria.

The poverty rates in the different geo-political zones of the north are 59.7% (North-Central), 69% (North-East) and 70% (North-West), poverty being defined as those who live on less than US$1 a day. The irony of all of this, is that save the South-South states, Adamawa state, one of the #SoE states, gets more from the federation account (sharing the money), than any state in the South-East as an example. As a matter of fact, both Adamawa and Bauchi get more revenue per person than Ogun, Oyo, Lagos, Anambra, and Enugu.

And no, the problem with Northern Nigeria is not as a result of Islam. Some of the most progressive countries on the planet, think Turkey and Qatar, are Islamic countries. No, the problem with Northern Nigeria is the naked greed and avarice of the successors of Ahmadu Bello. That is the reason why, from the safety of the Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, these geezers can tell the President that he has “declared war on the north”!

No Sirs, you declared war on your own people by not taking care of them. #BokoHaram has provided them an alternative, no matter how flawed that alternative may be. #BokoHaram has provided them with what you have so spectacularly failed to provide them.

Bits and bobs

Sadly the ACN decided to play politics with the #SoE in the North. This hard-hitting editorial tells them precisely where to stuff that play.

While commending the Prez on #SoE, and seeking compensation for those displaced, Igbo traders are returning to their shops in the affected states. After all, nke bu maka okwu ego…

While we look at the unfolding historical events in the North, the pettiness in Rivers gets even pettier.

Segun Ogunmola will get a few strokes of the cane for theft. One wonders why the Wig, Adams Adesina of Mapo Magistrate’s Court was not in charge of the pensions scam trial.

Charles Ikechukwu was tired of his Nigerian passport and felt that Guyana is a better country. N1,150,000 later, and Anne Chukwurah’s prayers had still not produced the passport.

Finally, No Future Ambition is keeping the Kenyan footie body guessing as to when Papa Eagles will arrive in Kenya to collect their 3 goals from the Harambee. Of course their consciences are not clear, after all, we did this to the Harambee. Only the Almighty knows what drills that those milk drinkers have in store for Obi Wan-Kenobi et al…

Right of Reply

Od Davids wrote, (in response to Oo Nwoye yesterday)

Oo my muan,

What’s your point? Give the man some credence. The insecurity in those parts has assumed dimensions beyond your simple comprehension and the conventional methods you insinuate have proven ineffective. 

The man has tried a lot of *gentleman* means yet the dudes have refused to reason. I think its time to firm up lest we inadvertently lose our already shaky sovereignty. My two Cedis.

Hassan Awodi wrote,

A part of me is praising the president for the very first for this action and a part is scared of the innocent lives that will be lost again.

I hope there is clear rules of engagement else we may not achieve anything other than total chaoes.

I have had conversations with friends in the military who are muslims and from the North and am at least happy to deduce that, they dont see it as a way of killing Nigerians in that part of the country(I hate to use the North/South lingua). It becomes dangerous when those in the military begin to think like most of us.

Our military needs to be told that, just aiming and shooting innocent people will never cut. The country needs to invest heavily in our intelligence assets. Most times, the use of leathal force is the very last option. We need to be more proactive.

Jay-Jay Olu wrote,

I think we have finally, inadvertently, stumbled upon the real cause of all our problems: no original thinking!

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.