It's an undeniable fact that the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Aminu Kano, and others, who are referred to as the founding fathers of the modern day Northern Nigeria, had a vision of a prosperous, united and secured entity, where all its people, no matter their positions on the social ladder, religious, political or tribal dispositions, would live a life of near-perfection. The visions of these leaders were so painstakingly packaged that the monolithic North was envied, respected and recognised by other regions within the country. Then, the region took its pride in its large arable land, which was used for agricultural cultivation, huge human population and a well-rooted traditional leadership system in place, which gave room for purposeful leadership. Courtesy of the exemplary leadership style adopted by leaders in the region, life in the then Northern Nigeria was more of bliss and could easily be termed as paradise on earth. The leaders envisaged a society where poverty, hunger, insecurity and other social vices would all be considered taboos. Unlike their present day counterparts, they matched each promise with action, thereby preventing such lofty ideas from gathering dusts on government shelves. For them, the comfort of everyone was their prime concern, little wonder, most of them, after years in public offices, retired into rented apartments. Sacrifice, honesty and integrity formed the thrust of service. Imagine public office holders who had unfettered access to public till but resisted the temptation of corruptly enriching themselves at the detriment of the masses.The present day North is no doubt in sharp contrast with what the aforementioned founding fathers who championed a noble idea of having a region that would be first among equals, stood for. Situations which stare us in the face paint a rather sad, disappointing and embarrassing picture of a region plagued by myriad of man-made challenges. The situation is, however, worsened by the absence of sound leadership, guided by the fair principle of servant-leadership. Leaders feel less concerned about the welfare of those who elected them to power. Elected representatives only think of those in their constituencies in the run-up to elections and disappear into thin air once they emerge victorious.For somewhat obvious reasons, the region has been reduced to a pariah enclave where nothing close to good could come out of. The region has suddenly become an object of ridicule by other regions that had in the past, marvelled at the huge success recorded by the region.The once safe, secured and flourishing Northern Nigeria has become a fertile ground where seeds of violence, civil unrests and other anti-social behaviours are sown. Number of avoidable deaths arising from serial bomb explosions in different parts of the region has hit the roof top.Unfortunately, at a time other regions are daily unveiling well-articulated plans in their drive to fix their hitherto backward and neglected regions, we are enmeshed in needless acts of violence which account for the region's poor state today. Though the knotty issues of insecurity, dearth of infrastructure, frightening unemployment level, corruption as well as screaming poverty figure permeate the entire country, but the situation tends to be more endemic in our dear region.Ironically, while leaders the world over are daily striving hard to etch their names on the sand of time through provision of basic amenities that would make life meaningful for the masses, especially the downtrodden, Nigerian leaders take much delight in amassing wealth, buying choice properties in foreign lands, stacking looted funds in foreign accounts, among other ignoble acts. Examples of leaders who set out for duty with the whiff of the dawn in their quest to justify the confidence reposed in them by the electorate is rather negligible. Instead, the list of those whose stock in trade is to feed fat on the nation's commonwealth is on the increase.Even though the situation is not as pathetic, insurmountable and irredeemable as reports in a section of the media have made us to see, but it is also instructive to note that extreme poverty holds an appreciable percentage of our people by the jugular. We get upset each time people from other regions describe the present situation in our region, using human demeaning terms, yet we do practically nothing to address the issues raised. I strongly believe that we are yet to have elites who are passionate about evolving concrete and lasting solutions to the challenges bedevilling the region. We have elites who are only concerned with themselves and their families alone. There is hardly a day that goes by without elites from other regions under different original or amorphous names don't come out to argue in favour of their regions, especially in the area of allocation of resources and other national considerations. Until we realise the dire need to draw both local and international attention to challenges facing us, as well as map out ways of handling them, we would continue to grope in the dark in all spheres of our existence. It is on this note that I want to welcome a call by the Niger State governor, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu, on the need for the current revenue allocation for states in the country to be reviewed upward. Addressing the gathering at the inauguration of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Advisory Council, Governor Aliyu, who also doubles as chairman of the Northern Nigeria Governors' Forum, said that the relative poverty of the region was attributable to the country's system of revenue allocation, which, he said, unduly favoured the littoral states that get additional 13 per cent from the Federation Account on the basis of the derivation principle. The governor complained that the Niger Delta states also get the 13 per cent derivation from offshore exploration when such revenues ought to belong equally to all the constituent units of the Federation. He said that the current formula which gives the federal government 52.8 per cent was abnormal, because, in his view, states and the local governments, 'which are nearer to the people' share only 47.2 per cent. Expectedly, the Chief Servant's position has since been generating heated debate owing to its sensitivity. It is obvious that Nigeria, which is ravaged by poverty and mutual suspicion, the twin issues of economic justice and accelerated economic development in the midst of abundant resources and revenues that accrue from them, will be of intense interest, not only to the politicians, but also to ordinary citizens. It is in this context that Governor Aliyu's interpretation of the causes of the North's relative poverty should be located. The position of the Niger State governor is not out of place. In our quest for transforming the lives of our people, we must make efforts to explore all legitimate means to realize such goals. The task of attracting development to the North is a collective one that requires the input of all. Yunusa writes from Niger State Government House, Minna.
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