|
|
|
Sunday, May 13, 2001
|
|
ho says the North is afraid of Southern Governors� agitation for RESOURCE CONTROL? Who says the North cannot survive outside the revenue from the oil? Who says the North cannot sustain itself with its natural resources. Who says the North cannot tap all of the natural resources in its region? Who says the North cannot feed the whole of West Africa, and even Africa? May be people had forgotten about the Kano Pyramids of Groundnuts and Cotton of the 60s and 70s! Do people forgot about the Tin Mine in Jos?
I know that some people would starve to death if States control their resources, especially when the North should control its agricultural products. I believe the South would be drinking oil while the North will be feeding very fat on the dairy and agricultural products. There will be no vegetable oil from the North, my wife would cry because she won�t get the Kulikuli from the North anymore, because she has to cross River Niger to get Kulikuli; There will be no warankasin, or any Dairy products, no tin products to roof houses. Some people would look like someone with AIDS. We should all listen to some credible Northern leaders like Abdullahi Adamu, the Governor of Adamawa State, who referred to himself as the chief steward of Adamawa State during Clinton�s visit to Sabon-Gari, May 2001, a sleepy rustic town in Keffi local government area of Nassarawa State. In his words he said, "Today, I have the privilege of hosting you, my political hero, in my capacity as the chief steward of Nassarawa State, otherwise known as the governor." (Underlined mine). The Governor also found time to sell the state�s vast economic resources, which is the way to go with Resource Control. I agree with Governor Adamu that the state has more solid mineral deposit than could be found anywhere else in Nigeria but remained a rural state. This development, according to him, has fired his government to make a change in the quest to transform from the rustic towns to the modern ones. He said American companies have helped in bringing this dream alive with assistance in the area of development of agriculture and the provision of electricity using solar panels. These, he remarked, were the fruits of the African growth and development act passed under the Clinton administration. On a serious note, no State should be afraid of resource control by the States. Forget about Wada Nas�s divisive statements that "we [North] can create problem for Nigeria." Nigeria is still struggling to resolve the problems created by some Military leaders. What other problem does the former Information Minister wants to create again. A well thinking human being, whose love of his country should come first, should never made such public statement. The poor masses would continue to suffer if North adds more problems to the existing ones. Who are those suffering now, the poor masses. Is this how to alleviate the sufferings of the poor masses? Why do we frown at the Southern Governors agitating for Resource Control? What we see from the North is inflicting pain on the poor masses in the North. Whereas they are enjoying all the luxuries they need and want. Another friend of Wada Nas is, Governor Kure of Niger State, the zig zag Governor, who initially dissociated himself from Sharia, and appealed to Yoruba Science Teachers to pick up teaching appointments in Niger State Schools, and later changed to endorse and implement Sharia in his State, chasing the Christians out from the State. Here is what Governor Kure said about resource control: "One act of ours will make this country know that every segment is important. One single act that will not take us five minutes will make the people in Lagos to know that Niger State will eventually carry out that single act." Governor Kure was referring to the Hydro Electrical Power Dam, Kainji Dam in Niger State which his brother, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida stole from Kwara State. That is the type of the Nigerian leaders that we have. A couple of Nigerian leaders sleep with their heads toward the same direction, leaving the poor masses in perpetual suffering. The author of the Sharia Law is building a multi-million Naira (N500m) Sharia Hotel in Abuja. N500m is enough to start very good agriculture projects in Zamfara State. Such a project could be built in Zamfara State where people practice Islamic Law to improve the tourist center in his state, bringing more revenue, and there will be more money for the people�s welfare in his State. Do we see this as a misplacement of priorities? Nigerians should disregard those utterances coming from a sector of the North. Resource Control let us go for it. Remember the saying that those who live in glass houses should never throw stones, because my State is the poorest in the whole Nigeria. Resource Control might bail out States like Kwara from poverty after a couple of years of hardship, which could not be harder than what the State is going through today (2001). The State never knows pleasure anyway. People are waiting what the States sons and daughters will do to help the crippling state, instead of chasing shadows all around with egocentric prowlers. I wholeheartedly agree with Hon. Essien E. Ayi, Chairman, Calabar South Local Government Council, Cross Rivers State, who suggested to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to consider psychiatric evaluation and analysis as part of its screening process for all those aspiring to contest for public office in Nigeria, as a result of "some of their utterances of our elected officials put in big question mark on their mental status." Listening to some of our elected officials you would be amazed of what they do in their various capacities as Honorable, Distinguished and Excellencies. Some of them, I doubt if they know the purpose of their calling. Nas might seem crazy, he do make some sense sometimes. I�ll give it up to him that Agriculture, the main stay of our economy of the 60s and 70s, should be developed. No part of Nigeria is arid or barren. The data available proves that each zone of the six geo-political zones of Nigeria is capable of generating more or less earnings equal to those of oil. As a matter of fact agriculture alone would bring twice the revenue we get from oil sector today. Think of what we can produce around Eruku, Oro, Minna, Kotangora, to Yobe, Borno, Kebbi through Sokoto, and Kaduna to Benue, Plateau area. In addition to this we have gold in the north, solid minerals, precious and semi-precious stones. Realistically, the north is the food basket of Nigeria. Its animal husbandry and dairy products remain less than 5% tapped. Whereas Nigeria imports more than 85% of its dairy needs. We need very sound policy to supply the States� needs, under Resource Control so as to improve on the region�s productivity, hence my bone of contention with the past Northern Leaders. The North is capable of developing dairy industries that can earn N30 billion, ($300 million US Dollars a month), all year round. The North could feed the whole country and have surplus to export to other parts of the world. No question about that. Nigeria is just sitting on vast wealth, outside oil revenue, which needs committed citizens to explore. Doing this would definitely bring an end to poverty, illiteracy, desertification, economic backwardness, and ecological problems. The Federal Government should assist the Northern States to explore the untapped resources in the North, especially the petroleum products along the shores of Lake Chad in Borno State and in Akaleri, Bauchi State. The Northern Governors had requested the Federal Government to suspend issuance of mining licenses suspended, and revoke all the existing licenses issued. My only disagreement with them is the reason given, because of the devastating effect on the ecology and environmental degradation? If we may ask, what about the damages done to the oil producing areas in the South. We should not be hypocritical about resource control. If they are telling Nigerians that the North is potentially rich, let us go for the Resource Control by States. The oil producing region of the South have been destroyed, people could no longer farm nor fish because of the destruction of the ecology and environmental deprivation. What is wrong with the Resource Control or Oil Deregulation when most of the oil revenue goes into the individuals at the expense of the people from the oil producing areas? Our �most trusted� politicians are siphoning off the fuel to sell at about 400% markup on the black market at the expense of the suffering masses in Nigeria restricting their movement within their country. The legislature has blocked all moves to deregulate the heavily subsidized price of gasoline, making smuggling inside and outside the country extremely profitable. Nigeria needs legislators that can move mountains. The Senate takes one step forward and takes six steps backward. Distinguished members of the Senate found some of their colleagues guilty of misappropriating public fund. Thereafter, the Distinguished Senators immediately compensated themselves by spending about N917, 816 million to purchase 126 Peugeot 506 cars and 14 Peugeot 607 cars from the Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited, and the Senate President�s security car was alleged to have been maintained with an equivalent of N4.8 million Dollars in deutsche Mark. That is our Distinguished Senators at work for the suffering masses in Nigeria: Distinguished in enriching themselves when 90% of Nigerians are suffering in abject poverty. People might think that I am crazy when I fully support resource control by individual states, because I am from the poorest State in Nigeria, Kwara State, whose revenue fully and wholly depends on the Federal allocation, coming mainly from the oil sector. Resource control would get people to wake up from their sleep and start thinking of ways to improve the welfare of their citizens. It will also bring out those committed within the States to come forward and serve. Looking for outside help would be intensified. We would be surprised how much natural and human resources are available in these States. Resource Control is one of the ways we can explore all other resources yet untapped in Nigeria, and manage the revenue appropriately. I understand that the initial take off might be rough, especially for some States that are financially weak to explore such resources. Resource control by States would encourage States of making lemon out of lemonade as ways of improving the States revenue. We would be able to check on your public officials appetite to enrich themselves through the public money. Within each State we know who is who in the political arena, his family history etc. My people would not allow the State to mine the mineral resources in my village and leave it to an individual to keep in his account, whereas, the road to my village is a death trap. The oil revenue has taking over our mental ability to think of other alternatives. Allow the States to keep their resources and remit certain percentage to the Federal Government. It�s a way of making the Federal less attractive and makes States control their public officials. December 1999, if we may revisit my message to the Northern Governors, they can still make things happen in the North.
Progressive Nigerians should support resource control by States. The North is NEVER afraid of its loyalty and support for the States to control their resources. Definitely, the North is sitting on what sustains human existence, that is FOOD. What we expect the North to do at this point is to focus on agriculture, and forget about oil money. Who is going to drink oil or use it as substitute for food, whereas the revenue realize from oil makes people greedy about wealth? I would like to see people getting greedy about agricultural products, not another �Baba Sala� on the eating spree. The North does not have to do anything to inflict more pain on Nigeria any more. Nigerians should put their resources together to move the country forward. When we start pointing fingers, working to put someone, or a group down that meant well for the country, it won�t get us no where. We are one � G.O.W.O.N. We should all say yes to Resource Control by States. Let it happen. We have abundant yet untapped Natural Resources, and a huge number of human resources (Nigerians) wasting outside Nigeria. Tap them and let us move forward.
|