Agaju Madugba, Katsina
Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, has identified religious and ethnic considerations as factors which have continued to retard the nation’s development some 60 years after independence. “Regional, religious and ethnic considerations have retarded Nigeria’s development as a nation,” Masari said in his goodwill message on the occasion of the 60th independence anniversary celebrations. “The advanced nations reached where they are today because their citizens have rallied in support of national interest, rather than some divisive considerations.”If we want to see Nigeria up in that league, we would do well to always put her first in our positive actions, inactions, utterances and thoughts. “We should be optimistic enough and view the nation’s developmental cup as half full, given the numerous false it had to contend with in the past 60 years of nationhood. “We should also show more commitment and be more prayerful to Nigeria.”Most of the these false starts are the product of the fault lines that have defined the history of Nigeria as a single entity.”For many in the leadership hierarchy and the led, considerations other than national interest take prime place in their heart, placing Nigeria a distant second or even third.”Katsina more than any other state, has played a key role in this journey, having produced many of the First Republic leaders of Northern extraction, most of whom were either indigenes of, or schooled in Katsina at famous Katsina Teachers Training College, the first post primary school (in the region.“The likes of the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria, Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tarawa Balewa, the first and only Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto, the first Minister of Defence, Sir Ribadu, the first Minister of Lagos Affairs, Alhaji Musa Yar’adua and a host of other Nigerians too numerous to mention.”At no time in the political development of Nigeria are citizens of Katsina State not found in prominent roles in significant numbers from Independence to date. Katsina is the only state to produce one Head of State and three Presidents. General Muhammadu Buhari was Head of State, and now second democratically elected President in his second term, coming after President Umaru Musa ‘Yar’adua of blessed memory.””In between, Katsina has produced heads and deputy heads of several commanding institutions in the country like the judiciary, the military, the police force, the Department of State Security Services and many other security and para military organisations.”Indeed, we in Katsina have every reason to celebrate Nigeria at 60 and pray for its continued success as one indivisible entity that sooner than later, will be up there among the top in the comity of nations.”