Oil price crash: Nigeria, the north and Sanusi’s prophecy by Enenche Enenche
I am not in that good mood to write much, I would highlight my views with regards to the above topic.
Oil was discovered in Oloibiri in 1956, that was when the cry for independence was at its peak. Nigerians from the south gave our colonial masters so much headaches than Nigerians in the north during quest for independence.
Handing Nigeria over to the south who appeared too strong would jeopardize the interests of the colonial masters in Nigeria’s oil, they turned to the north, handed Nigeria over to them so that they can control the oil through them. Mind you, cold war was on then and the westerner nations and their allies were doing everything to keep Russia at bay from all their interests including Nigeria.
Virtually all the oil deals Nigerians signed or entered was signed by Nigerians from the north. The only southern Nigerian who tried to change some of what southern Nigerians call “atrocities” was Goodluck Jonathan and it cost him winning presidential second tenure election.
The north enjoys the backing of the West including former colonial masters to dominate politics in Nigeria because of one singular reason; OIL.
While oil states like United Arab Emirates were using oil money to build Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Teran, Mecca etc, the north in a bide to “dominate” Nigeria were killing their economy by burning down Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Yola, Maiduguri etc.
Today, the northern Nigeria domination of political sphere of Nigeria has not been able to emancipate a large percentage of her people. That region in Nigeria today has the highest poverty, illiteracy rate and highest in virtually all indices that have penury and lack as signage for survival.
Oil price is crashing, oil are everywhere at sea looking for market. So is the interests in oil crashing. The world’s attention is drifting from Oil, so the backing of the north by western countries would diminish. Politics is all about interests.
Nigeria’s Civil War was not really a war for secession pe say, but an Oil war that got USA, Britain on one side, Russia and France on another side fighting for Oil from Gakem in Bekwera of Cross River all through to Owerri in Imo state.
The day Oil was discovered in Nigeria, the day of her first Military coup and the day the civil war ended in 1956, 1966 and 1970 respectively all fell on 15 January. Coincidence I guess.
Mallam Sanusi saw this, shouted to the north, if she doesn’t renegotiate her approach in the Nigerian state, self destruction is her portion. As the oil price shows elements of instability, so the backing of the north by western nations will.
The northern population today is a great liability. The southern population today, is of great assets as far as human capital development is concerned. The southerners are all over the world doing great exploits and their voices are been heard faster than the northerners at the international level.
The north is far behind them in this regards and the only place you see them abroad is at the Embassies and High Commissions neatly hooked within the framework of power at home. Which means the north can do nothing or little without power .
Like Sanusi has prophesied, if the north doesn’t see the dangers and start to make drastic and frantic efforts to reorganize things, they are definitely on the receiving end at the end of the day.
Today, Abuja-Kaduna road is down, no rationale thinking man would carry his families to travel to Kaduna, Jos, Bauchi or Kano for holidays. This is just a reality of the current economic status of the north.
Like those still running with that old illusion of concentrating appointments in the north, defying Federal Character as a way of maintaining control, no you are not maintaining control but you are only endangering control because the time of that parochial politics has passed. It happened when you have total control over NTA and FRCN as the strongest media backbones of the country. But today, these two media outlets can’t withstand the damage internet, phones and several media outlets are having on your structure of dominance and de-activating your total grip on your electioneering assets (large population of the north).
Like Mallam Sanusi has said, if the north doesn’t reorganize her home, I see them embarking on a mission of self destruction.
