When one traverse the north, one would be transfixed by the deplorable state of things caused by man. The north is rich by the standard of nature having been blessed with vast arable land, sunlight, rivers, valleys, lakes, springs and ponds, varying vegetative belts suitable for the cultivation of a variety of crops, favourable weather and climatic conditions, forests, livestock, solid minerals and a budding population, etc.
Yet, the north suffers chronic poverty and is buried in ignorance, darkness and backwardness. It is a common belief of Nigerians that you must suffer to barely make enough bread to sustain yourself. Why must humans suffer in the 21st century, an age of science and hi-tech when darknesses and brain do the job and not brawn?
Despite being the agricultural hub of the nation, the north’s rural peasant is emaciated by illness and starvation. He is deficient in many nutritional requirements of the body. This affects his mental and physical abilities to explore his potentials and maximise them.
What is responsible for this paradoxical state of things; a region so reach in natural resources could at the same time be so poor in living standard.
I have gone round Makarfi Local Government Area of Kaduna State and was thrilled by the abundance of nature at the disposal of the inhabitants, yet sad at the deplorable state of these hardworking but humble peasants caught in the web of political intrigues and the exploitation of their ignorance by comprador bourgeoisie and their imperialist masters.
A visit to Gimi dam would keep one enthralled. The sight of the lush vegetation that stretches as far as the eyes could catch as well as the activities of fishermen around the dam creates an aura of man’s fraternity with nature.
Despite the presence of this dam and farming activities around it, little has changed as far as the traditional primitive method of farming is concerned. Farmers labour day and night to put bread on their table. They exhaust their energies and suffer in ploughing, planting, harvesting and storing their crops. In the entire process, from planting to harvest, crude implements are used and the primitive traditional methods employed. Nothing has changed as far as other stages are concerned.
We have our so called businessmen with dearth of ideas. They are mainly concerned with reaping profits and exploiting the citizens. They build petrol retail stations, warehouses as distributors of fertilizer and groceries produced by their southern counterparts, car wash centres and block industries that exploit labour returning labourers to the stone age where they have to work under harsh and unbearable conditions receiving a wage that hardly feeds let alone clothing them.
These labourers rely on drugs to give them the strength to work until they finally breakdown from nervous overstretch by which they will be abandoned to their fate without any provision for their upkeep.
Truth be told, you will never find these businessmen engaged in real businesses that impact positively on their people or providing jobs while ensuring sustainability of the businesses.
Makarfi, despite being an agricultural hub has neither the presence of agro-allied industries nor any modern methods of marketing and storage that will guarantee farmers against loss.
There are vast areas of investment that will generate employment and wealth for the citizenry that waiting to be tapped. A major producer of tomatoes, pepper and onions, Makarfi has no presence of a single tomato processing plant. Known for the production of sugarcane, the town and its environs has no single sugar production plant nor that of other by-products.
The most irritating problem is the near absence of investment in education. Many succesful indigenes of Makarfi town are beneficiaries of western education yet chose to remain conservatively primitive. In these days of partnership, education is one area our investments can be guaranteed over a long period. For instance, they can set up Computer Based Test Centres (CBTCs) to enrol students for both training and tests.
These computer centres can also serve several other purposes such as training in computer certifications through affiliating with internationally renowned ICT institutes such as the Microsoft, CISCO, etc.
In conclusion, it is high time the Northern leaders and all stakeholders concerned came up with policies and programs that will uplift the North and salvage its inhabitants from the severe stings of poverty, destitution, darkness, general backwardness and underdevelopment.
Anonymous