For the north, it is not enough that it bleeds, by Barr. Suleiman Hassan Gimba, FIFS
State of the State
The north has a penchant for power and how it is played, but has never been one to leverage on it to better the socio-economic wellbeing of its inhabitants. It is little wonder then that a cursory glance at its problems from pre-independence would reveal that none has been solved. Instead, more have been added to it.
Its plan – or that of its leaders – seems to be to allow the population to spiral out of control. This guarantee votes but as the supervillain, Thanos opined, “this universe is finite, its resources are finite. If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist.” Of course, real life isn’t a movie, but the Thanoses of the region have sprung up and life is ceasing to exist, and on a scale never seen before. The spate of killings, kidnappings, rape and displacement of citizens shouldn’t be happening anywhere there is a government.
For the past six years, the solution to every problem has been the same – routine patrols after attacks by terrorists or bandits, fast and pray, hope for better, trust the good intentions of the president and blame the last sixteen years of the opposition. Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result. A wise man told me this, the Villa probably has no access to a wise man. So, we have no right to blame them for six years of daftness.
For the north, it is not enough that it bleeds. First aid would put a temporary halt to it, but old wounds would resurface if it doesn’t champion a complete upheaval of its social structure and ask for nothing less than a restructuring of our union. The current setup guarantees us acing every election, but the influence ends there. With a magnificent structure, one doesn’t need to have the president to thrive.
Despite the failings of this administration, one policy stands out, and it is the linkage of NIN with sim cards. But as it is with this administration, one step forward is followed by three steps backwards and months of sleep. The policy has failed – even as it is yet to get – and the north would have been its biggest beneficiary. The north must champion its implementation, no government cannot afford to not know any of its citizens. That is a recipe for disaster.
Newborn babies should be compulsorily registered from birth and given NIN to grow up with. Once a child has been enrolled in school, it should be updated on the database, with results posted – including WAEC, NECO, IELTS, JAMB and the likes, up to the highest postgraduate studies. Although politicians that like to forge secondary school certificates would not want it but so would fraudsters.
BVN, TIN, INEC identification and Nigerian passport number should use NIN, with travel history on trains, aeroplane, vehicle, land and house registrations, monetary transactions, hospital records and everything should be updated with no exceptions. A business no matter how small should be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission and linked to the NIN of its directors, shareholders or proprietors. Although politicians making secret profits would not want that but so would criminal groups
It is a pity that as the world is embracing equality, diversity and inclusion, and campaigning for its full implementation in schools, business and in the decision-making process, the Gender Equality bill was killed again, not long after its second coming. The bill got opposition from mainly northern lawmakers because it is against their religion and culture. I wonder if it was also against their religion and culture when women played significant leadership and economic roles in pre-colonial times.
The number of out of school children continues to rise amidst economic inequalities and free speech continues to suffer. Truly, I have suffered with those I have seen suffer as the north continues to orbit a ring of chaos. The positive sign is that many are finally realizing that while a protest isn’t halal, it isn’t haram either and awareness should be continuously raised over its role in a democracy. This means only one thing – the north It is never going back to what it once was but it can be better than it has ever been!
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