The North persistent poverty
I have to admit that two things inspired me to write this piece. First, an issue raised by a friend in New Nigerian Weekly (April 11, 2009), on Zakat. Second; is the issue of social security which the National Assembly and the Federal Government want to introduce [?]. Also a friend posted a piece on trust writers’ forum blog commending Alhaji Adamu Kiyawa on an educative programme he presents on Freedom FM. Although I am not privileged to listen to Adamu Kiyawa, but I know Adamu has to be courageous enough to present a programme like that.
There is no time in the nation’s history that we need a working social security system like this time, especially in Northern Nigeria, where begging, almajirci, maula or what is popularly referred to as kafanka jarin ka in places like Gombe and some states in the North-East of Nigeria became part of our culture. Nothing disgraces one as a Northerner or a Muslim travelling with a Southern Christian friend, to be faced with a young boy that is supposed to be under the full care of his mother, but is sent away to a distant place in the name of acquiring Islamic education. What a pity. I was discussing with a friend last week who is leaving in Iran, an Islamic country, where he told me that what really fascinates him about life in that country was its social order. Despite being under several US and European sanctions, the leaders in Iran were able to maintain a social and political order in that country.
Several efforts were put forward by some NGOs and CLOs in the country to reform the almajiri system so that it will conform to modern challenges, however to no avail. In fact, it has even worsened the situation. This is partly due to two reasons; one is the failure of governments at all level to drive social welfare programmes that will accommodate poor and disadvantaged families and second is the attitude of our people who are always reluctant to accept changes. I quite disagree with people who suggest that the persistent poverty in the North is caused by ignorance or illiteracy, we have enough educated people and informed society that can be able to stand on its own in terms of economic independence, but our leaders are too selfish to utilise that.
We have a culture, a religion, social and political heritage that provides answer to all our social and economic problems; however we are not finding the solutions from there. Islam has an organised social security and solidarity incomparable to any, obtained in this modern world. Not all will accept that, but if the social security system we have in place failed to take care of our poor, destitute and the old in our society why can’t we go back to the Islamic system? Islam has an established social security system through zakat (which is an obligatory charity), donations, religious endowments, expiation, and vows etc. to enable man to lead a decent life.
However, today Muslims in Northern Nigeria found themseves in a dilemma of managing their society in a fast and changing world, not because their religion did not offer them solution but just because they left it to grab ideas built on the basis of greed and materialism. God says in the Holy Quran what means: “Behold, ye are those invited to spend (of your substance) in the Way of Allah: but among you are some that are niggardly. But any who are niggardly are so at the expense of their own souls. But Allah is free of all wants, and it is ye that are needy. If ye turn back (from the Path), He will substitute in your stead another people; then they would not be like you”(38:47).
Islam obliges a Muslim to help the poor ; even if obligatory charity (Zakat) and (voluntary) charity are not adequate, subsistence available should be common to all the members of society, as God says in the Holy Quran what means: “… Thus, it will not remain monopolized by the rich among you” (59:7).
Leading a decent life is one of the fundamental human rights guaranteed by Islam 14 centuries ago which unlike the one introduced by the West, which started 2 centuries ago, is not a result of human experiences gained through development of the political and economic systems but on the basis that we are not created equal, so we must help each other. Islam stresses the importance of justice by leaders and ensuring a social security and solidarity. The Prophet (PBUH) warned leaders against injustice when he said in an authentic hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (R) that “Whenever he whom God, exalted be He, made a president of some people dies, while he is unjust to his people, God would deprive him from going to Paradise.”
So our understanding of the religion makes us to know that in Islam the final goal of humanity is God. From Him we come, for Him we live and to Him we shall all return. In fact, the sole purpose of creation as described by the Qur’an is to worship God and serve His cause, the cause of truth and justice, of love and mercy, of brotherhood and morality. Until and unless we understand this well, we will continue seeing the deprivation, abject poverty and decay in our social structure. Nobody is advocating for the establishment of shari’ah in Nigeria, which is so politicised that it has lost its flavour and substance. To be frank, if an Islamic social security and solidarity can be established in for instance Kano, Zamfara, Bauchi etc. instead of the so-called shari’ah established in these states we will have a situation where even non-muslims will be migrating to these states to taste the justice which the system offers.
For me we can do a lot of good to ourselves if we revert to the Islamic way of social security and solidarity, which in reality is the foundation upon which the shari’ah system is built. In Islam the role of the individual is complementary to that of society. Between the two there are social solidarity and mutual responsibility. The system makes the individual responsible for the common welfare and prosperity of his society. This responsibility is not only to the society but to God, therefore he feels a sense of commitment to his creator which will make him work with a sound social-mindedness and genuine feelings of inescapable responsibility.
On the other hand the society does the same to the individual, thus the society provides security and care, should the individual becomes disabled or old. The concept of one dominating the other therefore does not arise. There is no state to dominate the individual and abrogate his personal entity. Likewise, there is no individual or class of individuals to exploit the society and corrupt the state. There is harmony with peace and mutual security. There is a constructive interaction between the individual and society. This is something that we should start thinking about and base our argument on that, although too idealistic but since it has happened in history I believe we can revive it and do it in order to address the social and economic problems we find ourselves in.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Mega party: Reforming the irreformable polity?
Mega party: Reforming the irreformable polity?
Nigeria, in the last 48 years of its existence has gone through rough roads and turbulent times that nearly tore it apart, from the first military coup in 1966 to the civil war in 1967, economic crises of the early 80s and June 12 presidential election in 1993 and of recent the self succession bids of Generals Sani Abacha and Olusegun Obasanjo. In all these crises, although uncertainty trailed the nation, the country men and women had a feeling that better days were coming and they still had confidence that their leaders will turn things around for the better. It is not the intention of this writer to sound pessimistic; however, from what I have gone through in the last three weeks, the people I met and their views and comments about Nigeria and its leaders, Nigeria has never had it bad like the crises that the country was plunged into by the ruling People’s Democratic Party in the last ten years by their actions and inactions.
With a population of over 140 million people, Nigeria has a plenty of natural resources however the country is faced with the problem of poverty, inequality, political and civil violence (mostly man made), extensive corruption and impunity. These factors and others relating to our educational and social structure contributed in making democratic institutions weak thereby paving way for small, opportunistic group to hold the more than 140 million people of Nigeria to ransom. More painful is our acceptance that nothing can be done to change things. This gave these people the audacity to continue with what they are doing with a sense of arrogance and impunity. They rig themselves into power, instead of doing what is right they turn into something else by misusing their position to exploit their fellow citizens.
Nigeria is at cross-road. Our problems are as numerous as our diverse ethnic groups and cultures, to be frank there is no single solution to our problems. It is not surprising then that some group of Nigerians started reaching out to all who feel the country needs to change, and change for good to come together to design a road map for addressing the present crises. But the question is how sincere are these people? Nobody can doubt the integrity of some people who were part of those who attended a gathering in Lagos to come up with what is referred to as the mega party but we have to point out here that there are many among those present who are responsible for what is happening today, while others are part of the problem. The people who gathered in Lagos are going to make the same mistake which the founders of People’s Democratic Party made in 1998 by forming a party which its members have nothing in common except to wrestle power from the military.
But we have to state that formation of political party whether mega or small is not the solution to our problems. If 49 political parties will not defeat a single political party or reduce its victory in the polls then how possible is it for a single party do that? What we need is civic education or what a political scientist will refer to as ‘civicness’. It is a situation where the personal democratic values of citizens are reinforced thereby creating the greatest scope possible for them to govern themselves. Formation of a successful political party has to be based on individual ideology not on the need to get into a political office. It is through this that citizens can cultivate and practice democracy based on critical rationalism.
The party then becomes a link between citizens and political power, balancing various interests and assuming responsibility for the structure of political power. With the active role of media and civil society groups, mobilisation and opinions are formed which direct the selection and election of leaders to various political offices. But as long as we continue forming political parties based on the idea that we want to wrestle power from the ruling party we are bound to fail, because the ruling party also do things the way we do, however they have more advantage over us because they control the state machinery and they are ready to use them in desperate situation.
Our focus should not be on 2011 alone, but let put a structure that will target twenty years from now or even fifty, because the generation that came after the first republic have little or no knowledge of democracy. Worst are our generation, because of the military intervention for over two decades and the way social studies is taught in our primary and secondary schools. We have no sense of history; in fact that is what those who wish good for Nigeria should have started with, instead of wasting their time and resources to form a mega party that will be quashed by PDP next year. It is important for the advocate of the mega party to understand the socio-cultural cum political history of Nigeria, if they are at all sincere about turning things around for the better.
What we face today as a nation is enough for our leaders, whether in the opposition or the ruling party to have a rethink. A bag of maize cost N5300 in the market and as the rainy season sets in, a 50kg bag of fertilizer sells at N7000. Majority of Nigerians cannot afford basic square meal, they cannot pay school fees for their children, our health care system is one of the worst in the whole world, and wealthy Nigerians are taking their children out of Nigeria for education because we cannot afford to sustain our own. Many cities don’t have portable water; poverty has reached an alarming rate despite spending billions of naira in the last ten years, our energy sector is in crises despite being one of the world leading petroleum exporting countries. Desertification is threatening millions of farmers in the Northern part of the country; the people of Niger-Delta are in difficult situation due to environmental hazards as a result of activities of oil companies. The list is endless.
The only thing we hear from our politicians is how to perpetuate themselves on power beyond 2011 or how to wrestle power from the ruling party, is this not ironic? It is indeed. I agreed with Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) when he said recently ‘our politicians and leaders cannot see beyond their noses, they are not good forecasters, they are selfish, self-centred people and they are responsible for the teething poverty in the country’. This was also echoed by Niger state governor, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu when he said what characterised our national landscape is bad politics, violent politics, collapse of public morality, greed and corruption. No concrete programme, no plan of action, their message is simple let us get hold of the nation’s resources and have our own share. It is very hard to believe either of them (the ruling party and the so-called opposition) because both parties are out to consolidate their interest while the rest of us continue to suffer. My belief is that it is a matter of time before nemesis caught up with them and they would soon pay the price for enslaving Nigerians in their own country.
Kabiru Danladi,
Area 11, Garki,
Abuja.
kblondon2003@yahoo.com
08054546764, 08035150369
Nigeria, in the last 48 years of its existence has gone through rough roads and turbulent times that nearly tore it apart, from the first military coup in 1966 to the civil war in 1967, economic crises of the early 80s and June 12 presidential election in 1993 and of recent the self succession bids of Generals Sani Abacha and Olusegun Obasanjo. In all these crises, although uncertainty trailed the nation, the country men and women had a feeling that better days were coming and they still had confidence that their leaders will turn things around for the better. It is not the intention of this writer to sound pessimistic; however, from what I have gone through in the last three weeks, the people I met and their views and comments about Nigeria and its leaders, Nigeria has never had it bad like the crises that the country was plunged into by the ruling People’s Democratic Party in the last ten years by their actions and inactions.
With a population of over 140 million people, Nigeria has a plenty of natural resources however the country is faced with the problem of poverty, inequality, political and civil violence (mostly man made), extensive corruption and impunity. These factors and others relating to our educational and social structure contributed in making democratic institutions weak thereby paving way for small, opportunistic group to hold the more than 140 million people of Nigeria to ransom. More painful is our acceptance that nothing can be done to change things. This gave these people the audacity to continue with what they are doing with a sense of arrogance and impunity. They rig themselves into power, instead of doing what is right they turn into something else by misusing their position to exploit their fellow citizens.
Nigeria is at cross-road. Our problems are as numerous as our diverse ethnic groups and cultures, to be frank there is no single solution to our problems. It is not surprising then that some group of Nigerians started reaching out to all who feel the country needs to change, and change for good to come together to design a road map for addressing the present crises. But the question is how sincere are these people? Nobody can doubt the integrity of some people who were part of those who attended a gathering in Lagos to come up with what is referred to as the mega party but we have to point out here that there are many among those present who are responsible for what is happening today, while others are part of the problem. The people who gathered in Lagos are going to make the same mistake which the founders of People’s Democratic Party made in 1998 by forming a party which its members have nothing in common except to wrestle power from the military.
But we have to state that formation of political party whether mega or small is not the solution to our problems. If 49 political parties will not defeat a single political party or reduce its victory in the polls then how possible is it for a single party do that? What we need is civic education or what a political scientist will refer to as ‘civicness’. It is a situation where the personal democratic values of citizens are reinforced thereby creating the greatest scope possible for them to govern themselves. Formation of a successful political party has to be based on individual ideology not on the need to get into a political office. It is through this that citizens can cultivate and practice democracy based on critical rationalism.
The party then becomes a link between citizens and political power, balancing various interests and assuming responsibility for the structure of political power. With the active role of media and civil society groups, mobilisation and opinions are formed which direct the selection and election of leaders to various political offices. But as long as we continue forming political parties based on the idea that we want to wrestle power from the ruling party we are bound to fail, because the ruling party also do things the way we do, however they have more advantage over us because they control the state machinery and they are ready to use them in desperate situation.
Our focus should not be on 2011 alone, but let put a structure that will target twenty years from now or even fifty, because the generation that came after the first republic have little or no knowledge of democracy. Worst are our generation, because of the military intervention for over two decades and the way social studies is taught in our primary and secondary schools. We have no sense of history; in fact that is what those who wish good for Nigeria should have started with, instead of wasting their time and resources to form a mega party that will be quashed by PDP next year. It is important for the advocate of the mega party to understand the socio-cultural cum political history of Nigeria, if they are at all sincere about turning things around for the better.
What we face today as a nation is enough for our leaders, whether in the opposition or the ruling party to have a rethink. A bag of maize cost N5300 in the market and as the rainy season sets in, a 50kg bag of fertilizer sells at N7000. Majority of Nigerians cannot afford basic square meal, they cannot pay school fees for their children, our health care system is one of the worst in the whole world, and wealthy Nigerians are taking their children out of Nigeria for education because we cannot afford to sustain our own. Many cities don’t have portable water; poverty has reached an alarming rate despite spending billions of naira in the last ten years, our energy sector is in crises despite being one of the world leading petroleum exporting countries. Desertification is threatening millions of farmers in the Northern part of the country; the people of Niger-Delta are in difficult situation due to environmental hazards as a result of activities of oil companies. The list is endless.
The only thing we hear from our politicians is how to perpetuate themselves on power beyond 2011 or how to wrestle power from the ruling party, is this not ironic? It is indeed. I agreed with Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) when he said recently ‘our politicians and leaders cannot see beyond their noses, they are not good forecasters, they are selfish, self-centred people and they are responsible for the teething poverty in the country’. This was also echoed by Niger state governor, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu when he said what characterised our national landscape is bad politics, violent politics, collapse of public morality, greed and corruption. No concrete programme, no plan of action, their message is simple let us get hold of the nation’s resources and have our own share. It is very hard to believe either of them (the ruling party and the so-called opposition) because both parties are out to consolidate their interest while the rest of us continue to suffer. My belief is that it is a matter of time before nemesis caught up with them and they would soon pay the price for enslaving Nigerians in their own country.
Kabiru Danladi,
Area 11, Garki,
Abuja.
kblondon2003@yahoo.com
08054546764, 08035150369
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Re: Sad news from Malaysia
Re: Sad news from Malaysia
One of the shocking aspects of our life in the contemporary Nigerian society is waking up each day to be faced with another twist or addition to our existing heaps of problems. Prof. Brainy’s ‘Sad news from Malaysia’ (Weekly Trust, March 21 & 28) is another of such shocking daily realities of our lives. With decaying educational system and the failure of our government to find lasting solutions to that, some parents resorted to taking their children to other countries of the world for sound and best education. Nobody can blame any parent for finding the best for their children. But the rate at which our University System is deteriorating and the activities of Nigerian children in Malaysia and other countries is food for thought for all of us.
It is important to understand that there is nothing wrong for Nigerians to go overseas for further education, but most parents take their children off the shores because they have been left with little or no option. We all know the rot that took over our universities, from poor infrastructure, lack of teaching and research facilities and more disturbing, lack of qualified or shortage of staff. The universities in Nigeria are mere shadows of their former selves. It is a problem we know is facing us, we see it daily, but there is nothing one can do about it.
Nigeria has reached a stage where people like Prof. Brainy is afraid[?] to proffer solutions on how to revive our educational system so that our children will no longer be taken to Malaysia for a university degree because he feels he might be considered as too idealistic. Instead he prefers to give temporary solutions to the problems. If we are able to manage our universities well, can any parent think of taking his child to a third world country like Malaysia for an undergraduate study? Parents should panic, especially those who prefer to pilfer the nation’s resources meant for education and use it to pay exorbitant prices as tuition fees for their children overseas, in this way developing the education system of other countries.
Is it not a shame that a country like Malaysia will be the one to host Nigerian children for their undergraduate study because on our part we failed to sustain our educational system? Since the 1970s, with population explosion and competition to fill the few spaces available and with the reduction of government subvention to universities, and the continued establishment of new universities due to political reasons, the components which make-up a world class university like quality facilities, curriculum, access, funding, competition, infrastructure, faculty, and diversity cease to exist in virtually all Federal Universities.
To me that is where our focus should be. What is the use of spending millions of naira to sponsor a single child for an undergraduate study in Malaysia, while the same amount, if judiciously used can help in training ten here in Nigeria? I think the focus should not be on advising parents to have guardians that will monitor their children in far away Malaysia; rather it should be how this new trend should be stopped. Prof. majority of these children that study in Malaysia are the children of well to do, mostly top government officials and technocrats; don’t you think that if they can change their attitudes towards governance and accountability becomes their watch-word, we need not to worry about sending our children overseas for undergraduate study.
Prof. Nigeria is in crisis and few, if any within the corridors of power realise the magnitude of this crisis. How I wish you followed the BBC a karkara programme recently. This is the reality of Nigeria and nobody cares. The National Assembly is busy legislating on issues that have little or no direct bearing on people. Our governors are worst; don’t even talk of members of State Assembly or Local Government Chairmen.
Today, as we entered our 49th year of nationhood few Nigerians will tell where the country is heading to, we lost focus and direction as a nation, and we don’t know our priorities, one can confidently say that there is no such thing as democracy in Nigeria, because our past as well as our present history has become so interwoven into crises, which has often left us in constant struggle for survival. Our leaders have toiled with our educational system, which at the long run, the money voted to ran the programmes ended in the pockets of corrupt politicians and their cronies. While 4million children according to UNESCO have no access to basic education, the few lucky ones that are in school are given sub-standard education.
Something is wrong, when a single individual can steal billions of naira meant for education, for health care and that same individual can be applauded because he built a mosque or church in his community. Until and unless we redirect what our priorities are and we stop deceiving ourselves and have the feeling that Nigeria is our country and we have no other country like Nigeria, what we are seeing will continue for the next century.
Therefore, what we need is not telling parents to find guardians for their children in Malaysia, but to tell them to try and do something in order to revive our educational system. By doing that it not only accommodates our children, but their children also. Then may be, they will have the opportunity to monitor their children in A.B.U Zaria, Ife, Ibadan or Nsukka first-hand.
Kabiru Danladi,
Area 11, Garki,
Abuja.
kblondon2003@yahoo.com
08054546764, 08035150369
One of the shocking aspects of our life in the contemporary Nigerian society is waking up each day to be faced with another twist or addition to our existing heaps of problems. Prof. Brainy’s ‘Sad news from Malaysia’ (Weekly Trust, March 21 & 28) is another of such shocking daily realities of our lives. With decaying educational system and the failure of our government to find lasting solutions to that, some parents resorted to taking their children to other countries of the world for sound and best education. Nobody can blame any parent for finding the best for their children. But the rate at which our University System is deteriorating and the activities of Nigerian children in Malaysia and other countries is food for thought for all of us.
It is important to understand that there is nothing wrong for Nigerians to go overseas for further education, but most parents take their children off the shores because they have been left with little or no option. We all know the rot that took over our universities, from poor infrastructure, lack of teaching and research facilities and more disturbing, lack of qualified or shortage of staff. The universities in Nigeria are mere shadows of their former selves. It is a problem we know is facing us, we see it daily, but there is nothing one can do about it.
Nigeria has reached a stage where people like Prof. Brainy is afraid[?] to proffer solutions on how to revive our educational system so that our children will no longer be taken to Malaysia for a university degree because he feels he might be considered as too idealistic. Instead he prefers to give temporary solutions to the problems. If we are able to manage our universities well, can any parent think of taking his child to a third world country like Malaysia for an undergraduate study? Parents should panic, especially those who prefer to pilfer the nation’s resources meant for education and use it to pay exorbitant prices as tuition fees for their children overseas, in this way developing the education system of other countries.
Is it not a shame that a country like Malaysia will be the one to host Nigerian children for their undergraduate study because on our part we failed to sustain our educational system? Since the 1970s, with population explosion and competition to fill the few spaces available and with the reduction of government subvention to universities, and the continued establishment of new universities due to political reasons, the components which make-up a world class university like quality facilities, curriculum, access, funding, competition, infrastructure, faculty, and diversity cease to exist in virtually all Federal Universities.
To me that is where our focus should be. What is the use of spending millions of naira to sponsor a single child for an undergraduate study in Malaysia, while the same amount, if judiciously used can help in training ten here in Nigeria? I think the focus should not be on advising parents to have guardians that will monitor their children in far away Malaysia; rather it should be how this new trend should be stopped. Prof. majority of these children that study in Malaysia are the children of well to do, mostly top government officials and technocrats; don’t you think that if they can change their attitudes towards governance and accountability becomes their watch-word, we need not to worry about sending our children overseas for undergraduate study.
Prof. Nigeria is in crisis and few, if any within the corridors of power realise the magnitude of this crisis. How I wish you followed the BBC a karkara programme recently. This is the reality of Nigeria and nobody cares. The National Assembly is busy legislating on issues that have little or no direct bearing on people. Our governors are worst; don’t even talk of members of State Assembly or Local Government Chairmen.
Today, as we entered our 49th year of nationhood few Nigerians will tell where the country is heading to, we lost focus and direction as a nation, and we don’t know our priorities, one can confidently say that there is no such thing as democracy in Nigeria, because our past as well as our present history has become so interwoven into crises, which has often left us in constant struggle for survival. Our leaders have toiled with our educational system, which at the long run, the money voted to ran the programmes ended in the pockets of corrupt politicians and their cronies. While 4million children according to UNESCO have no access to basic education, the few lucky ones that are in school are given sub-standard education.
Something is wrong, when a single individual can steal billions of naira meant for education, for health care and that same individual can be applauded because he built a mosque or church in his community. Until and unless we redirect what our priorities are and we stop deceiving ourselves and have the feeling that Nigeria is our country and we have no other country like Nigeria, what we are seeing will continue for the next century.
Therefore, what we need is not telling parents to find guardians for their children in Malaysia, but to tell them to try and do something in order to revive our educational system. By doing that it not only accommodates our children, but their children also. Then may be, they will have the opportunity to monitor their children in A.B.U Zaria, Ife, Ibadan or Nsukka first-hand.
Kabiru Danladi,
Area 11, Garki,
Abuja.
kblondon2003@yahoo.com
08054546764, 08035150369
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