– Prominent researcher, Dr. Katch
Ononuju says the lack of education in the north threatens Nigeria’s unity. –
The researcher berates northern elites for not converting political power to
economic power.
A prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) and researcher into politics, economics and opinions in Nigeria,
Dr. Katch Ononuju, has said that President Buhari will not better the north
even if he rules for 20 years unless he invests in education. In an exclusive
chat with Naij.com in Abuja, Dr Ononuju said
the lack of education in the old
Arewa federation is one thing that threatens the unity of the country. “If President
Buhari rules for twenty years it will not better the north if he doesn’t invest
in education. Like Awolowo invested in education. If he doesn’t follow suit the
north will continue to lack behind. And as far as the north lacks behind our
stability will be threatened. Because if I gain advantage in an economic
expansion and those who don’t gain …I don’t think I can sleep with my two eyes
opened because those who are outside the net is either they will climb the
fence to come and harass me if I am sleeping at night or break my gates.
“Somebody asked me long ago in America that what do I think could threaten our
tomorrow. I said our lack of investment in education in the old Arewa
federation. As an Igbo man I don’t feel very comfortable in the north if the
economic expansion favours me and my people and the Hausas are not carried
along. And I know a lot of people are afraid that the Hausas and Kanuris gain
education en masse that they might use their numerical strength on democracy to
topple the presently available minority hegemony you have in northern Nigeria,”
he said. Questioning Nigeria’s independence, Dr Ononuju said that a lot of
people in northern Nigeria are not totally free because of the lack of
education. “Nigeria may be independent it is only just on mouth. A lot of
people in northern Nigeria are not free and that is what we must work towards.
We must work to free the north. And the biggest way to help the north is by
investing in education. It is the same old way that missionaries helped up in
the south. They come, they like people in a community, and they take one or two
or three and send them to school. They then become the bridge between us and
Europeans. They become first interpreters, they become the elites, they become
those that bring their new motor from Lagos and then they become those voted
into office.” Dr. Ononuju also berated northern politicians for not converting
political power to economic advantage for the people in the north. “Our
diversity I believe has been our biggest strength. If not for our diversity am
sure some people would have sort to pocket this country. We can see here in the
north. Politicians from the north know how to grab political power but they do
not know how to convert that to economic advantage to the people in the north.
No rich man can sleep comfortably if those around him are poor and in penury
because nobody was born a criminal or a thief. It is out of the need to fill in
gaps that people make move and as they say when alarm blow na yawa,” he
posited. Meanwhile, a faction of PDP has stormed the headquarters of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja. The aggrieved house
of representative candidates who stormed the INEC headquarters did this in
order to probe the continued delay of the Supreme Court to act on the judgement
in respect of the rightful winners of the National Assembly seats in Anambra
state in the 2015 general elections.
