Education neglect: Northern leaders failed to heed Fawehinmi’s warning -Uba Sani

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has said the failure of northern leaders to heed the warning of late human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Gani Fawehinmin about the need to invest in education 26 years ago contributed to the poverty, unemployment and educational deprivation currently confronting the region.

Sani spoke yesterday at the presentation and book launch of himself and Gani: A Tale of Mentor and Mentee, authored by Fawehinmi’s daughter, Mrs Basirat Fawehinmi Biobaku.

The governor used the occasion to reflect on his relationship with Fawehinmi, his involvement in the pro-democracy struggle and the continuing challenges facing northern Nigeria.

Sani recalled his role in the Gani Fawehinmi Scholarship Foundation, saying he once persuaded the late activist to establish a scholarship programme specifically for brilliant but indigent students from northern Nigeria.

According to him, his concern arose after he participated in the selection of beneficiaries and discovered that only seven of the hundreds of students benefiting from the scholarship were from the North.

“I told him, out of hundreds of people that benefited, only seven were from Northern Nigeria,” Sani recalled.

“I told him that, look, if there’s any region that needs this support from you, it must be Northern Nigeria.”

Sani said Fawehinmi accepted his argument and subsequently asked him to initiate a scholarship programme for northern students.

He added that many of the beneficiaries later became professionals, including medical doctors working in different parts of the world.

However, the governor said Fawehinmi’s warning about the consequences of neglecting education in the North had become even more relevant today.

“He warned all of us at that time that if leaders in Northern Nigeria do not invest deliberately in education, we will all regret it in the near future,” he said.

“Today, the genesis, the drivers, the symptoms of all these issues in Northern Nigeria is poverty, unemployment, lack of education, and Chief Gani Fawehinmi is vindicated today.”

Sani said northern political leaders must accept responsibility for the region’s problems instead of blaming people from other parts of the country.

“If at all our leadership 26 years ago listened to Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s advice, we wouldn’t be where we are in Northern Nigeria,” he said.

“We should stop blaming the people from other parts of Nigeria. Why are we blaming others?”

He challenged political office holders who had served in the region over the past three decades to examine their contributions to addressing its challenges.

“If you were a Vice President, governor, senator, member of the House of Assembly, a local government chairman, you are part of the problem of Northern Nigeria if you didn’t do anything from 26 years ago till today,” Sani said.

“We should stop shifting the blame. And the problem of Northern Nigeria is not about power. It’s about our people accepting responsibility and coming together.”

The governor also rejected attempts to frame Nigeria’s problems primarily along ethnic and religious lines, saying poverty affects citizens regardless of their background.

Sani urged Nigerians to move beyond identity-based politics and concentrate on issues capable of improving the lives of citizens.

He urged Nigerians to view the book launch as more than a literary event, describing it as an opportunity to preserve Fawehinmi’s legacy of justice, democracy and national unity.