Northern Youths and the Need to Reclaiming Nigeria By Professor A.M. Ashafa Department of History Kaduna State University Being a Guest Speaker’s Presentation @ the Federal Co-operative College, Kaduna organized by the Gamji Memorial Club FCC, Kaduna on Saturday 20th April, 2013. Introduction I am indeed delighted to be with you today as the Guest Speaker in this famous Federal Cooperative College Kaduna. Let me first thank and congratulates the Gamji Memorial Association, under the leadership of its President, Malam B.K. Bulama, for organizing this session. Your invitation came at a time we at the Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP), being a group of concern academics and professionals under the auspices of the Arewa House envisioned the need to engage the youth in the North and raise their consciousness regarding what the nation expect of them as tomorrow’s leaders. The term Gamji, it should be noted, is a Hausa name for a blossom tree known for its serenity that accommodates and gives comforting shade to anyone that goes to cool off under it. In a traditional Hausa setting, under Gamji tree people sit to ponder over issues concerning the society. However, with the kind of productive democracy in the North after independence under Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna of Sokoto, Hausa musicians were those who popularised and extended this term in reference to the late Sardauna, the only Premier of the defunct Northern Region of Nigeria in appreciation of his democratic principles, generosity, simplicity, sagacity, large-heartedness as well as rare leadership qualities and style in accommodating dissenting opinions and views in running his humane administration, which by today’s callous, sad, frustrating and shameless standard can best be regarded as saintly. I am equally pleased that those who organized this lecture are youths who are conscious of themselves and have decided to bring me to share the views on their future, the future of the North in particular and Nigeria at large. Certainly we live in a different North left by the late Sardauna who parted this world 47 years ago. That North he left behind is what we all look up today with nostalgia and frustration in relation to the messy situation the North found itself today. Under the leadership of Gamji Sir Ahmadu Bello, the North moved in wind-speed in transforming the region into modernity where democracy and development centered on human beings were the hall mark of leadership and governance. To him governance was a trust that must be upheld and delivered with both sanctity and fear of God as well as in recognition of the diversity of the North. He succeeded in making the North an unbeatable competitor and a positive factor in the unity, stability and development of the country, far from what uninformed, 1|Page myopic and mischievous people from the other side of the country would prefer to describe it. These people, in spite of possessing University degrees, failed to be cosmopolitan and enlightened and yet feel being superior to Northerners. They accumulate certificates without discipline and wisdom that education supposes to offer and were therefore not refined to becoming humane, democratic and accommodating but avaricious and ‘Northphobia’. If the North under the Sardauna were characterised and treated as such by its detractors, what more of now that it remains the shadow of its former self, incapacitated both by its leaders and those that had been longing to see its grave? Today, northerners cannot raise their heads in the Nigerian affairs; its leaders have compromised the teachings and legacies of the first generation leaders; they don’t speak when it matters most and when they so speak it were inaudible and bereft of ideas and not matching the potency that were needed to make a point. For example, only recently that the Sultan of Sokoto called for amnesty for the Boko Haram as a good starting point to solving the insurgency that engulfed the North but was embarrassed by the President in a tactless and porous statement that was not befitting a reply to the person and office of the Sultan. To further demonstrate that the North is now a conquered territory within the federation and its people now in chains and pains and clearly hapless and helpless under a regime literarily captured by parochial ethnic jingoist, opportunistic politicians and unrepentant criminals, the elders in Borno and Yobe states were in the same vein tongue-lashed by President Goodluck in his belated visit to these parts of the ‘presidentially excised’ Nigerian federation, which came only because the opposition Governors in the opposition parties defied all odds to be. The President’s visit was not only hollow, but covered with controversy, criticism, resentment and mass opposition. When the President went to Bono and Yobe, it was not sooth the open wounds of the people and it was without any policy proposition to either resolving the insurgency nor to accepting proposition on how to go about doing so. Instead of being there to talk of reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation, Mr. President’s statements rather made nonsense the essence of being an elder in the Nigeria. He rather alerted us that the North is today an orphan in the scheme of things under his administration. When the President gave a condition to the elders in Borno and Yobe to take responsibility of any security mishap following their calls for the dissolution of the Joint Task Forces in their states whose presence and activities, without any rule of engagements, were allegedly said to not only being detrimental and a source of grievous security risk than the so-called Boko Haram, but also constituted the major source of losses in both human capital and constricting the economies of these states, he knew quite well that neither these elders in Borno and Yobe nor the Sultan have control over the security to take responsibility of any breach of security when the President should order the removal of the JTFs. In view of all these, we are likely to be forced to think that the entire security situation in the North is being politicized; the aim, which many pundits have argued is aimed at 2015 in order to replicate what happened in 2011 when riding on the insecurity situation, elections were manipulated. If this be true, which it undoubtedly plausible, then it is neither in the best interest of what is aimed at in 2015 nor of those who are to benefit from the manipulation comeb 2015 2|Page that amnesty be granted to Boko Haram and the withdrawal of the JTFs across the northern states. Rather we expect reinforcement of forces with possible declaration of emergency rule across those Northern states most likely to constitute threat to the possible manipulation expected in 2015. In this way and for the North, it would be trapped in a triangle and in the proverbial the chicken has come home to roost because the North has allowed itself to be understood that the more it is allowed to be peaceful and stable, the more it would put its axe together to halt what was not completed in January 15, 1966. We all know that the event of January 1966 created havoc for the North and for the entire Nigeria. Since then politicians would argue that the greatest threat to democracy is the military. But it must be emphasized that the impoverish youth, who are energetic and well-educated but left to be idle and unemployed, leaving in poverty and frustration in the midst of plenty are the greatest threat to our nascent democracy and stability. They youth constitute well over 70 percent of the country’s population but are being underutilized, pauperized with no alternative that seem to be planned for them at a time they are becoming more impatient every day is a dangerous development. Is there any wonder that the Niger Delta militants and Bakassi Boys miscreants, the Southeast kidnappers and MASSOP, the Southwest Area Boys-cum OPC and the Boko Haram insurgents are youths? If nothing is done about and for the youths, not only that democracy is under serious threat but the country would be under imminent collapse. Who are the Youths? This is an interesting question because it goes to tell us who are those that supposed to reclaim Nigeria for us and our children’s children. I remember when in 1991 the late Nnamdi Azikiwe was celebrating his 87th birth day, he was humorous to have declared that “Today I am 87 years young”. When I talk of the youths here I really mean those young adults that are being regarded to be between the ages of 15 and 30 or what others says from 16 to the 40. These are period of human energy capable of being productive or destructive depending on how such energies are channeled and utilized. For example, Usman Dan Fodio waged his jihad that transformed the landscape of this part of Africa at the youthful age of 35. Further example of Nigeria’s founding fathers will reinforce this argument. Zik of Africa for example was born in 1904 and at 30 he had completed his education and had started a newspaper of his own in Ghana in 1934 and in his 30s and 40s had become a pan Africanist of repute; Sardauna was born in 1909 at 26 he was already a District Head of Rabah and at 37 in 1947 he had become the leader of the JMA that became NPC and Premier at 45; Awolowo was born in 1909 and at 35 in 1944 he had completed his studies at the University of London and in his early 40s he had founded the AG as a formidable regional party; Tafawa Balewa was born in 1912 and at the age of 34 he had been elected into the Northern Regional House of Assembly and later Legislative Assembly in 1947 and at 40 he was a Minister and Prime Minister of Nigeria at 47. Samuel Akintola was born in July 1910. At the age of 39 he was already a qualified lawyer trained in the UK and became Minister of Labour, then Health and later Communication and then Aviation. He crowned it with being the Premier of the Western Region in 1959. Michael Okpara was born in December 1920 and at the 3|Page age of 32 he was into the Eastern Regional House of Assembly and held various cabinet positions including Minister of Health, Agriculture and Production. And the famous Malam Aminu Kano was born in 1920 and his 30s he was a voice to be reckoned with in Nigeria’s politics where he mentored many and remains a good example. In short, the founding fathers of Nigeria started their carrier in their formative ages. Who then said our youth today cannot collectively make a difference from the messy scenario we now face in this country? But because the youths are taken for a ride we have made nonsense of what youthfulness is all about so today the youth leader of the largest party in Africa is a little above 60 year old man whom the party of deceiving people and in marginalizing the proper youths foisted as a youth. Appreciating the Challenges of Nigerian Youths Africa is the world’s youngest continent, as the proportion of youth among the region’s total population is higher than in any other continent. In 2010, 70 percent of the region’s population was under the age of 30, and slightly more than 20 per cent were young people between the ages of 15 to 30. The socio-economic conditions of young Africans in South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Rwanda have improved in recent years, but considerably in the decline in Nigeria. While there has been an increase in school enrolment over the past 20 years in most African countries, the gender gap in education in Nigeria has not been narrowing; generally, young Africans, especially in Nigeria, have continue to face major difficulties in the realms of higher education, employment, health, and participation in decisionmaking processes. Youths have the potential to be of great impetus for Nigeria’s development, provided that appropriate investments in health and human capital are made. However, if youth issues are not addressed, and if high rates of youth unemployment and under-employment persist, the negative development indices in Nigeria could be worse affected and our democracy and togetherness as a country under threat. The recent global financial crisis is affecting young people much more than the general population, given the fact that most of those presently unemployed are youth. This sentiment has been expressed in terms of civil unrest, as demonstrated most prominently by youth that gave birth to the Arab Spring, and is as Sanusi Lamido Sanusi the CBN Governor said recently, is hardly unconnected with what generated the Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria. The global financial crisis notwithstanding, poverty, low levels of participation in national and local decision-making processes, poor infrastructure, and conflicts have led thousands of young people to migrate from rural to urban areas. Many have crossed borders within Africa, and others have left the continent, in search of better educational opportunities and livelihoods. Dissatisfied youth are often more likely than old adults to challenge their situation actively and to become a socially destabilizing force, as evidenced by increasing demands for change on the continent and exemplified in the Arab Spring. For these reasons, many African countries are placing greater emphasis on youth development except in Nigeria where they are reserved and drugged for rigging elections. 4|Page Even with the much talk on lower standard of education, today’s young people in Africa are more numerous and better educated than ever before. These young people represent a great opportunity, but also enormous challenges to the countries must rise. Africa’s strong economic growth of the last decade has translated into fewer jobs that are not enough for the teeming young people. The economy is not particularly favourable for young labour market entrants, ie school graduates. Especially in Nigeria, working poverty and vulnerable employment continue to be realities for the majority of working class people where the ‘take home’ doesn’t take workers home. Especially in Northern Nigeria whose poverty has been in the rise and whose path of economic development has been decimally low, if not constrictive, the rates of youth in the informal sector especially the unproductive achaba is a threat to productive enterprises that will make it competitive in a federation that looks at it as one without oil and therefore unproductive, consumerist and parasitic. Reclaiming Nigeria and the Agenda for Action Politically conscious Nigerians hold varied opinions regarding the need to redeem and liberate Nigeria from its predators. I was reading an analyst the other time who categorized Nigerians opinions into three. The first he said were those who have woefully failed in managing the affairs of the country; who do not care about the security and welfare of the common man and that is why for 14 good years, they have not been able to fix the problems even in a single sector of the economy. That these set of people were those who do not want opposition because they would prefer their party to continue misruling and looting the nation for the next 60 years or their sympathizers who in one way or the other benefit from the party. These are those who blindly and shamelessly justify, support, applaud and defend the ill-conceived, ill-timed and uncalled for Presidential pardon known Nigerian criminals for ethnic, selfish and primordial political interest. In the second group he said were those who believe that what Nigeria needs at the moment is an opposition party that will oust the ruling party at the center. To this people, merger of opposition parties into a single strong opposition is the best thing that will ever happen to Nigeria in recent times as they strongly believe that the problem of Nigeria will be far reduced if the dominant party can be defeated in 2015. The last of the three categories were said to be those who are neither satisfied with the performance of the PDP nor see the emergence of APC as the solution that Nigeria needs. To these people, the solution to the myriads of Nigeria’s problems lies in the hands of the youths. What this means therefore is that old and spent horse politicians should be completely alienated from the scheme of things as far as reclaiming Nigeria is concerned because they are either part of the problem or have at one time or the other being members of the part they hate most this time and their supporters who couldn’t solve, but compound our problems. This group want the youths to form a movement that will be solely comprised of youths who in turn will contest and fill up public and political offices. Anything short of this to these Nigerians is like putting old wine in a new bottle. The best way to turn things around in favour of the youth is in the field of education that is liberating as well as in the kind of politics through a movement that the youths should be preoccupied with at this point in time is how to make positive impact on who becomes the next President, Governors, Senators etc in the forth coming elections, while formulating long term 5|Page strategies for opening up the space for youths to actively participate in political venture. The youths can set a target date where certain percentage of the Governorship, Senatorial, National Assembly seats etc will be reserved for the youths within a political party that they have chosen to align with. To do this, they need to be empowered by the requisite and qualitative education. The youth must be mobilised to take education serious. Though they have been showing great interest, the opportunities are very limited. Moving the Nigeria’s Educational System Forward for the Reclaim of Nigeria Concerted efforts by Governments, partners and initiatives such as Education for All have had a very positive impact on youth education in some parts of Africa, other than Nigeria, which has continued to do politics with the establishment of Universities both at federal and state levels. Moreover, measurable education returns and favourable outcomes in the labour market remain limited in Nigeria. To me the principal reasons for Nigeria’s high unemployment rates are not limited to the following:  Corruption: The resources meant to turn around the economy are being daily stolen away and stashed in the private pockets of those who hare under oath to do the right thing. Schools and Universities are establish not for what the citizens may benefit but what those in government would thieved away. It has to the level that applicants have to bribe themselves to get employed and no wonder we are witnessing the shameless ‘My oga at the top’ scandal famous in the social media today.  Education Mismatch: there is system mismatch between educational systems and the skills needed in the labour market, and the saturated public services and small private sector bases that are unable to employ large numbers of people. It is not surprising to find, therefore, that potential employers say that our institutions aren’t graduating people with the skills they need to enhance their success. At the university level, Nigeria has the highest number of universities of technology or agriculture faculties as well having the highest share of social science and humanities graduates. Yet its share of engineers is the lowest. Only 2% of students are in agriculture and engineering respectively. Experience worldwide has shown that no nation has achieved a technological and socio-political advance where less than 15% of its qualified young citizens have access to tertiary education. The US has achieved over 80% access while in Europe the average is 35%. In emerging economies like South Africa and Brazil whose percentage of access to tertiary education is 18% and 25% respectively and which Nigeria had squandered all the opportunities to be ahead of. This means there is need to fundamentally address the skills gap, as well as the skill mismatch. The abilities of job-seekers are falling short of the ambitions of industry. Other relevant reasons include labour demand barriers, such as observed discrimination by employers towards young people on the grounds of lack of experience; information gaps between job seekers and potential employers; and barriers to the creation and development of business opportunities, particularly in gaining access to financial, physical and social capital.  White Collar Job Mindset: Another reason for high youth unemployment rates is a mindset that tells educated young people that they must be employed in white-collar jobs. In relation to this sentiment, a low status is also afforded to vocational training. Furthermore, most young people in Africa do not finish school. Another reason for high youth unemployment rates is a mindset that tells educated young people that they must be 6|Page employed in white-collar jobs. In relation to this sentiment, a low status is also afforded to vocational training. Furthermore, most young people in Nigeria do not finish school and universities with a plan to engage in self-employment.  The labor markets Dimension: The rate at which young people find jobs depends on how prepared the labor market is to receive them, and how ready they are for the labor market. Even with high primary school enrolment with an equal number of girls and boys starting school, today primary school completion can no longer be our goal. In the North today, it is observed that out of every 100 students who start primary school, only 40 transition to secondary school; and just 8 of this group go to universities or tertiary institutions to learn the skills. How then are we prepared to give move the North and the country forward as well an edge in an increasingly competitive world? To provide young people with the right skills and to overcome skills mismatches therefore, governments must focus on expanding education beyond primary schooling and improve its quality and relevance. Analysis has shown however that higher education is linked to higher unemployment among young people, but also to better employment status, higher wages and lower unemployment among adults. Conclusion It was Edmund Burke who noted that “evil in society thrives where men and women of good conscience say or do nothing’. The youths in the North must rise to the occasion of these serious challenges. Today’s and tomorrow’s world are for the youth; they must not remain aloof; they dire not be casual about their fate and generation of youth to come. They must reclaim Nigeria and they cannot do this without adequate preparation in education, values of hard work, honesty and transparency, patriotism and love for the country etc. You must understand your history. By next year Nigeria will celebrate its 100 years as a nation after the amalgamation. Some say that amalgamation was a mistake; but our biggest mistake is the kind of democrats we have who dashed our hopes, squandered our goodwill, messed up our resources and future and yet rewarded with ‘re-election”. Our worse mistake is to allow these continue. And when and how do we end this? Your education must be used to liberate and reclaim this country. You must be ready to make sacrifices. Arab youths have done theirs abruptly and violently, we must do ours calculatively, timely, differently but effectively. Enough blood has been shed in and for this country, yet no sacrifice will be too much for Nigeria to walk straight. The North too must be reclaimed by responsible youths to return it far and above where Gamji had being stopped. The time of the spent horses is over and should be sealed off for good. As I stop here I wish to sincerely thank the organizers for the invitation and opportunity and the audience for your patience in listening. May God help Nigeria!!!! 7|Page