The ‘Gospel’ according to Senator Shehu Sani

In Nigeria, the band of those who look themselves or others in the face and tell the truth, no matter how bitter has become very thin. Perhaps for ‘political stomach infrastructure’ or safety reasons, many now decide to play the ostrich. Things are going wrong and people are afraid to speak out. I really get puzzled. In this diminishing band of apparently fearless political and social commentators were Tai Solarin, Mbonu Ojike, Sam Gomsu Ikoku, Gani Fawehenmi and Beko Ransome Kuti. Currently, surviving members of this diminishing tribe include former Governor of Kaduna State- Balarabe Musa, Colonel Abubakar Umar, Professor Nwabueze, Prof Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana, Tunde Bakare and Prof Tam David-West, though some  seem to be losing their voices and some, the ‘men’ in them seem to be dying. But one man who seems not to care about political correctness in recent time is the social and human rights crusader turned senator- Shehu Sani.

Last week, I saw a report in the Naij.com that drew my attention. He was said to have admitted that the North had a major challenge of poverty among its people. He said he wanted the Northern leaders to tell themselves the truth and focus on ways to end poverty in the region. He further said” I will use this opportunity to remind us, especially those of us from Northern Nigeria, that there are a number of steps we need to take for us to be economically equal with that part of the country that provide the resources on which this country is being run”. In saying this, Senator Sani has joined a couple of Northern voices that are speaking truth to the North. Recently we have heard Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi speak to the Northern leadership concerning the high poverty rate, high disease burden including childhood preventable diseases, the high illiteracy rate especially among school-age children and such other social challenges facing the North and he laid the blame squarely on the doorstep of the leadership. Because truth is bitter, the Northern political leadership felt offended by comments of the Emir of Kano and responded by ruffling him. I do not know if they have succeeded in calming him, but I doubt, because I think it is in his DNA to speak the truth to power.

Also recently former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has been stringent in telling the truth to the Northern leaders. One major area of his repeated focus is the advice to the Northern leaders to stop resisting the loud and popular call to restructure the Nigerian federation. He insisted that the North must take its proper seat on the restructuring table and that it would be in the interest of the North if the restructuring was done peacefully. Of course, he has received flacks from the Northern establishment for his truthful advice. Recently he complained that he has been sidelined by his party and even the Adamawa chapter of APC wants Senator Aisha Alhassan, the minister of women affairs ‘fired’ for expressing her support for Atiku’s presumed presidential ambition. I believe the Northern leaders are still planning on what to tell or do to Ibrahim Babangida for voicing his support for restructuring the Nigerian federation.

Shehu Sani, in his ‘gospel,’ went on to identify five ways through which the North would get out of poverty. First, he said that the North must guard against terrorism and extremism. Second, that the North must bring to an end its over-dependence on oil. Third, that the North must massively invest in education because that is the basis upon which other sectors of the economy rest. Fourth, that the North must invest and revive agriculture and industries. Fifth and finally, he said that the North must bring an end to the disunity and disharmony that exist between Muslims and Christians living in Northern Nigeria. He asserted that every person that lives in the state or local government must be treated with dignity and respect.

I indeed applaud Shehu Sani for his statement which is well thought-through and far-reaching. But the truth is that this ‘gospel’ is not only valid for Northern Nigeria but it is applicable to every part of Nigeria. This ‘gospel’ must be adopted as a national gospel which must be preached and practiced in every part of Nigeria. The issues raised by Sani as afflicting the North are the same that afflict the East, the West, the South and the centre. Everywhere in Nigeria we are experiencing terrorism and extremism; we are all over-dependent on crude oil (most states virtually stopped functioning when income from oil declined); we all need to invest much more in education (even the people of the South West complained about education in Ibadan last week); that we need to invest more in agriculture and revive industries is a must for every state in Nigeria, otherwise we would all soon be out of job and may die of hunger; and that we need to bring an end to disunity in Nigeria and disharmony that currently exist between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria is perhaps the most important matter that this country must deal with today. Next to that is the need to ensure that every Nigerian living in any state or local government is treated with dignity and respect.

This ‘gospel’ according to Shehu Sani is what I have preached on this page severally in the last three years or so. And I am aware that many other writers and commentators have preached the same. And for long, the government seemed to ignore all the preaching and acted as if they did not care. And even now, they still think that Nigeria’s problems can be solved by pretending that all is well or in the alternative bellowing out orders and threatening fire and fury (including python dance) to anyone who complains loudly. Unfortunately, the problems continue to stare us in the face, threatening to keep us stagnated at the least or to break us up into pieces at the worst. The only outstanding issue is how to achieve these intentions, desires and ideals both for the North and the entire nation. Though Shehu did not elaborate on how the North can achieve the five-point agenda, I will like to suggest to him, that not much would be achieved without rearranging the way this country is organized and governed, the way we invest and get rewarded, etc. For example, how can he get the North to depend less on oil and depend more on agriculture and industrial input if the Northern governors continue to gather in Abuja every month to share largesse from oil? Where will the incentive to seek alternative revenue sources come from? How will terrorism and extremism be stopped or curtailed if we continue to marginalize and discriminate against some sections of the country or society? Let Shehu Sani’s voice be raised in support of fundamental and constitutional restructuring of Nigeria so that the intentments of his ‘gospel’ will be achieved and Nigeria will live in peace thereafter.

Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa OFR