When people are secluded and prevented from being exposed to the trends of civilisation and enlightenment for a very long time, either by rigid dogmatic religious beliefs or sticking tenaciously to native customs and tradition without room for personal self- examination or conviction; it is tantamount to a prison state, where inmates are shut out of the wider society and deprived of the benefits of socialization, which makes us to be aware, participate in and appreciate what is around us and, thus have a sense of belonging.
The northern parts of Nigeria have always had the most educationally and socially challenged groups of people in the country. Successive government regimes have tried to address this issue through various incentives by mass enlightenment campaigns, including rewards for parents who would send their children or wards to school in a bid to stem the level of unenlightenment in the region!
This same region, boasts of few elites who have distinguished themselves academically, in some of the best universities Overseas, in their chosen professions and have held many important political positions at the national level of government. These northern elites have been in government in successive turn since the day the country gained independence until now!
In light of this, we need to ask ourselves, how come since all these years, decades to be precise, the north and its elites have been in power, what have they done to better the lives of their people educationally?
The continued activities of Boko Haram terrorists with its numerous followers and their cause, prove otherwise. When the controversial sharia law was proposed by their clerics - a law which has no bearing with the present day civilisation, surprisingly, the northern elites did little or nothing about it in spite of the social uproar it caused nationwide . The same way, they have also reacted to the Boko Haram terrorists!
The dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden, sacrilegious or a sin", which gradually emerged from the shadow of the sharia law, has continued in its war, in Nigeria, with untiring zeal and fervour. They are somehow convinced that the world would be conquered by them. This impression has kept them going because of the successes they have recorded - majorly in the north eastern region of the country, to be precise.
These terrorists, only see the activities of their geographical area or domain since the inception of their native settlements, from their point of view, as that of the whole world. This is the eventual cost and result of decades of lack of education, neglect and unenlightenment of a people. The reason behind all these mayhem of terror they are unleashing, in my opinion, is still shrouded in secrecy.
If the reason behind it is protesting against western education, then we are asking: what has changed in the educational curriculum of the schools in their region that they do not like? Are they complaining that their society is producing more educated persons(their children) who might see things from a different light and thus, change their social status quo and way of life? If western education is a sin, has it not benefited them politically, that many of their sons occupy sensitive national positions because they are educated? Is it now they realize that western education is forbidden?
The north are the most favoured in Nigeria, in terms of political positions and appointments in key government ministries and parastatals including the military forces. Many of the oil blocks in the oil producing southern Niger Delta region, are owned by northerners and they have also dominated the petroleum industry. They have used their political power to transfer wealth from the oil rich south to their homeland!
The northern elites and their leaders who represent government at all levels of administration in the society should account for the activities of the Boko Haram sect. Government is decentralised and represented at levels in the society for the purpose of effective administration and control. Borno State, the heart of operation of Boko Haram, has a state governor, commisioners, local government chairmen, ward councillors, representatives in both the upper and lower houses of the national assembly, community rulers, clan heads who should account for the activities of the sect. In view of this, their hideouts or locations cannot be said to be mysterious or unknown
The leaders of the Niger Delta people, during the militant crisis over the issue of resource control, rose up, out of necessity and mediated actively in the crisis which later produced positive results, because they could not sit down and watch, otherwise, it would seem they are behind the situation.
The same situation applies to the northern elders and leaders, they should do the same. These islamic terrorists are their own people, who they understand better than any one else would, and they cannot continue to wait for the federal government to tackle the problem alone. The government needs their support and intervention! The Boko Haram terrorists need to be reached and if the northern leaders do nothing about it, then nothing can be achieved in the current military action against the sect. Nigeria is one nation which will not divide or break up.
This is both a clarion call and an appeal to the north and its influential leaders to act now and change the orientation of their people towards peaceful and harmonious co-existence as it used to be in the past, where dialogue was used as the instrument of peace.
The elders and leaders of the Niger Delta region played their part towards peace during the militant crisis when the nation needed them the most. The ball is now in the court of their northern counterparts - the northern elders and leaders upon whose shoulders, for now, the threatened peace of the nation depends!