The North for Beginners

By Hakeem Baba Ahmed THREE important comments have recently been made on the linkages between poverty, politics and insecurity, and the current state of the North. First, the Governor of Borno State said that poverty and poor governance in the last few years are responsible for fuelling the Boko Haram insurgency in his region. In making a case for massive state spending to fight poverty, he alluded to the secret behind the successful control by the murdered leader of the Boko Haram insurgency, Yusuf Muhammad over his followers, which was his painstaking attention and investment in their stomachs, employment and personal dignity. Then the Governor of Niger State, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu revealed that Northern Governors will soon demand a review of the revenue allocation formula to address the absence of fairness in the manner national revenues from petroleum and gas are distributed. He said current allocations are not informed by equity or the law. He complained that the North is gravely poor, and its levels of illiteracy, poverty, ignorance and general backwardness are rising. The U.S Ambassador to Nigeria, said his country will encourage the Nigerian government to reach out to people in the poor north in its fight against the Boko Haram insurgency, in addition to better use of technology and intelligence. He said the insurgency would not be solved by treating it exclusively as a security issue, and advised the adoption of a holistic approach to dealing with the problem.

Northern poverty and escalating insurgency Now, all three of these comments and insights provide a glimpse into how the North is defined today, by poverty and an escalating insurgency. These defining characteristics are challenged by some basic facts about the North. Its taxes and agricultural economy for decades, had supported the development of the early colonian Nigerian state, including much of the most developed sections of Nigeria today. It was a vital part of a federation where populations meant much, and where resources were derived directly from productive activities of the people, long before virtually all of Nigeria came to adopt a parasitic existence around revenue from petroleum and gas. It was and is the region with the potential to provide enough food for much of Africa; to support a vibrant agro-allied industrial base, continued