LAMENTATION OF A NORTHERNER. Where has thou gone wrong? By M K Ilyasu
LAMENTATION OF A NORTHERNER. Where has thou gone wrong?
“Those who dream of the banquet, wake to lamentation and sorrow”.
/realist
We are always busy talking of THE NORTH, our cultural heritage, yet the North is being sacrificed with lots of tears being shed. Who do we hold responsible? Is it a collective mistake or a deliberate act of those dedicated at misleading and destroying the North.
I was told that I talked a lot when I was a child. I was small, curious and nick named “KAUDI/ INQUISITIVE” in my primary school days by my classmates for being VERY inquisitive. I was always good enough to make the team, but I never distinguished myself. I was always on the brink of greatness in my own mind and effort, but I was never allowed to excel. That may be the work of FATE. I think and to make up for that, I probably just have to keep talking because I am living reality of many hopefuls.
I’m not 30 years anymore, my wife isn’t dependent. I’m not trying to raise little children. I owned my house and am not in debt, so it takes less courage for me to speak up.
My father through a lifetime of triumph and tragedy, has learned, in his words, to become a respecter of FATE. It is always Allah’s will that suffices. He totally believed that Allah SWT is enough for him. That is the mark of a TRUE PATRIOT and BELIEVER. The “motto” we inherit says “WORK AND WORSHIP” and so is my belief.
How come we are unable to balance between the left and the right? Where one is missing, the balance is lost. The right washes the left and vice versa. Destiny by definition can be altered. Fate emphasis external control and fixed outcome, while Destiny emphasizes personal agency, suggesting flexible path and active pursuit.
No generation ever knows what history will ask of it. All we can ever know is whether we’ll be ready when that moment arrives. It is important to note that Progress can sometimes skip a generation.
We were so busy trying to avoid sin that we could never make friends with our children and our women. We never share ideas, never cared how they felt, thus allowing organised religion (as in many Faith based groups) that has been very unfair to God to take over our sensibilities. So the question now “IS WHERE and HOW DO WE START SALVAGING OUR PEOPLE, THE NORTH AND THE COUNTRY?”
We live in a time of terrible crisis and tremendous opportunity. The story of the North is the story of how we got to where we are and why we currently face crises that seem insurmountable. These stories must be told because only by understanding our past mistakes will we be able to take advantage of future opportunities.
We have had civil war where we lost millions of people and billions worth of properties, currently facing criminal activities like kidnappings and insurgencies with million casualties who died at the hands of terrorists.
In addition, hundreds of people die every single day because they are unable to obtain life sustaining food. Most importantly, this story must be told because today, for the first time in history, one nation has the ability, the money, and the power to change all this. It is the nation where I was born and the one I serve, NIGERIA.
Since moderation and common sense are not the stuff that headlines are made of, the Media eyes focus worriedly on the North imperialistic designs elbowing of cleric summons and above all, on the supposedly bloody chaos in the last protest.
In the long run, the most important and enduring face of the North might well prove to be that presented by other parts of Nigeria. Where so many of her neighbors have shaken off traditionalism only to bring some social development in their communities.
Northern Nigeria no longer preaches and practices the dignity of the individual. Begging by Youth, Elders, Community leaders as well as Almajirai has taken the better part of the lives of the inhabitants. And where such other geo-political zones in Nigeria as the SW, SE and SS lack the size and power to overbalance the North, including their combined population, the Federated Northern Nigeria stands as the giant among equals.
Backed by such numbers, Northern’s sober voice urging the steady, cautious way to prosperity and national greatness no longer seems destined to exert ever rising influence in emergent democracy.
Our conversation should remain focused on the importance of internal resilience and the dangers of both underestimating and overestimating challenges. We must also examine modern applications of our experiences, focusing on the critical need for unity and the creation of a coherent, connected societies.
We need to work hard and give our societies the desired peace to encourage our neighbors to come and help us to develop our communities. We can not do it alone as we are meant to understand the wisdom of our founding fathers. WORK AND WORSHIP. Worshipping alone is not the SOLUTION we are seeking to the myriad of our problems.
My enthusiasm towards the NORTH was dying as my concerns has remained a routine. From all indication, the North is no longer a living legend, but living REALITY.
25th August 2024
M K Ilyasu a retired foreign affairs officer and public affairs analyst writes from Kaduna Nigeria
