By: Adigamabo Wukari
Gana on his “threat” that the “North” is on its own in the event Nigeria “breaks up”. He commented on a post by Idris Ahmed…
“What is crystal clear is that the forum used was a church and the audience were Christians. One cannot understand on whose behalf this bigot was speaking for. What is the map of Middle Belt?
According to Jerry Gana, the northern minorities will stay where they are if Nigeria splits. Does he refer to the northern Christians as minority in this context or does he refer to minority ethnic groups in the north?
If he is referring to the Christians as the choice of the avenue suggest, then the middle belt like Biafra is an illusion. This is because in every part of the north there are substantial number of Christians. Is Jerry telling all of them to migrate to a certain imaginary landscape in order to have a middle Belters’ identity?
If he refers to the minority ethnic groups in the north as the middle Belters, it is also problematic because apart from Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara and Jegawa all other northern states have substantial number of such minority ethnic groups. Does Jerry mean that all of them should equally be at a particular place to answer middle Belt identity?
If North Central is referred to as middle belt, then issue of religion or ethnicity cannot be a factor. Muslims are dominants in Niger, Kwara, Kogi, and Nasarawa but are minority in Plateau and Benue. In this calculation, if religion is the determinant for being north then four states out of the six must be more northern than two. In the real sense, in the whole north, Christians are the majority only in Plateau, Benue, and Taraba and Interestingly, the Muslim’s population in Taraba makes it easy for them to clinch deputy governor’s seat always.
If ethnicity is the factor, Tiv, Nupe, Igala, Idoma, Ibira, Gwari, Dakarkari, Birom, Kaje, Jukun, Kanuri, Yoruba, Babur etc put together in the north must be the major ethnic group. So, Jerry’s postulation that they are the minority ethnic groups only denigrate them.
In the overall, I think Mr Jerry Gana has not understood working of the north as a political entity. The northerners play politics at convenience and when it is expedient. For instance, Tafawa Balewa, Gawon, Murtala, Babangida, Abacha and Abdussalam are not Hausa-Fulani but nobody is making an issue about it. Shagari, Yar’adua and Buhari are purely Fulani, hence leaving Hausa as an ethnic group with nothing but the heaven did not fall.
From the foregoing, one can see that politics without bitterness is played in the north. However, some opportunists like jerry Gana are the onyes that are fueling embers of ethno-religious crises in the north. His unguided utterance is made in a wrong time, place and audience.”
