Makarfi lists Northern region’s woes

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has identified high illiteracy, poverty levels and the heterogeneity as some of the causes of incessant ethno-religious conflicts in the North. He said, however, that the government had the capacity to contain such mayhem by simply earning the confidence of the electorate.


Makarfi said that while the South-East and the South-West can be said to be largely made up of Igbo and Yoruba, respectively, none of the three regions that make up the North can pass the test of homogeneity in the real sense of it. He added that although this was what made the region unique in the past, the differences in religion and tribe have now become its albatross.


Makarfi spoke at the presentation of a book, Clash of Identities: State, Society and Ethno-Religious Conflicts in Northern Nigeria, written by Dr. Hussaini Abdu in Abuja, weekend.

He said: “Though crises are a part of human nature, our experience in Kaduna has taught us that government has a singular leading role to play in reducing their frequency, averting them where possible, blunting their ferocity when they inadvertently happen as well as rapidly containing them and returning situations to a state of normalcy.


“This can be done by simply, but importantly, earning the confidence of the people.’’
Makarfi, however, regretted that the situation in the north is being exacerbated by politicians, who promote the differences in the people’s religion and ethnicity, “unfortunately, in their quest for political power.’’
He added: “Religious and ethnic inclinations are beginning to dwarf service and development and the capacity to deliver them. This is what usually heightens tension. Sometimes, the scope of crises widens because Nigerians are highly mobile. You find Nigerians from all parts of the country in any part of the country.”