AKURMI NATION-THE POLITICS OF 2019 AND BEYOND

By YUSUF GOJE

Recently, I had the privilege of conversing with two vibrant and politically conscious youth on the political history and future of the Akurmi people in Lere local government in particular and Kaduna State in general. Of particular emphasis in our discussion is the present misfortune of the Akurmi people not holding any elective or appointive office of executive or legislative significance, which gives us political advantage or attracts development to our communities. We also took out time to x-ray and rank the activities of our elite politicians over the past eighteen years who have immensely contributed to our political fortune or retrogression. The late Barrister Musa Shekarau stood-out tall in terms of achievements among his political contemporaries, as some of his legacies are what many of our politicians today are riding on.

Furthermore, our discussion dwelled largely on why, even with our population, we are yet to produce a lawmaker at the National Assembly and presently without one at the State House of Assembly. When only some few yes back we had at one time or the other a Deputy Speaker, Majority Leader and House Committee Chairman on Judiciary at the State Assembly before 2015. We all agreed that the 2015 general elections regrettably exposed our political naivety by putting all our political eggs in one basket, because we refused to move outside our comfort zone, and we ended up without an elective office. Also, it showed that many of our elite politicians are lightweights without being in either elective or appointive positions, as their political structures collapsed immediately after losing their seats.

However, what became more worrisome in our discussion was when we reeled out the distribution of polling units in Akurmi dominated areas in Lere local government with that of others. Even with the unfair distribution of polling units, it came out that there are one hundred and two (102) polling units in Akurmi dominated communities alone; while the combination of Gure, Kahugu, Piti, Amo and Janji shared forty (40) polling units. On the other hand, the areas dominated by the Hausa-Fulani among others have a total of one hundred and twenty (120) polling units. We also realized that the Akurmi people have substantial voting population around polling units in Hausa-Fulani dominated areas such as Ungwan Bawa, Lazaru, Saminaka, Dan’Alhaji, Kayarda and Ramin kura.

Simple political calculation shows that if the Akurmi people with 102 polling units can strategically break the chains of divide and rule by forging political alliance with its sister ethnic groups (Gure, Kahugu, Piti, Amo and Janji) with 40 polling units, in total we will have 142 polling units to win all elections, not forgetting our large voting population in Hausa-Fulani dominated polling units as an advantage we can tap into. It is high time we show more respect to our sister ethnic groups by creating an enabling environment that gives them a sense of political belonging in an alliance that sufficiently captures their interest. Over the years, when we get power we try to subjugate and look down on them only to remember that we need them during elections; it is time to extend a hand of political fellowship to them in order to ensure that our lost political glory is regained by producing a lawmaker at the National Assembly in 2019 and beyond.

With the 2019 general elections just by the corner, our first point of engagement should be the forthcoming local government elections where we have young Akurmi youth contesting for various elective positions. Supporting them can be the building blocks for our political victory during the 2019 general elections. It is now a matter of survival for us to massively come out and vote for Akurmi candidates, because in a democracy everything is politically influenced and determined, so without our people in political positions, decisions will surely be taken without our input. Our political experience after 2015 till date should have taught us that the “devil we know is better than the angel we do not know”.

 We must put aside the “pull him down syndrome”, as everyone has his or her weakness, so we should not use it as an excuse to vote against our people regardless of their political parties. I am a stickler for merit as against primordial sentiments when it comes to candidates seeking for elective positions; so while I call for us to vote for our kinsmen, we must also x-ray their manifestoes to ensure we can hold them accountable when they get to power. However, the advantage of voting our kinsmen is that it opens up the political space for more of our people to effectively participate and bring about development to our communities.

Every ethnic group has a political agenda, the question is, what is the political agenda of the Akurmi people for 2019 general elections and beyond? Or do we just want to commercialize our support to anyone with deep pockets that we can praise-sing into giving us money for our votes. Rather than our politicians waiting for their political benefactors (former governors who gave them appointments and only see agents to be used to generate Akurmi votes) before taking any political decision; they should be busy building and strengthening their own political empire.

 It is time to wake up or 2015 political misfortune is bound to repeat itself.

 

REBRANDING KURAMA ANNUAL CULTURAL & TRADITIONAL FESTIVAL

The Kurama people remain the single largest ethnic group in Lere local government of Kaduna state; we also boast of having one of the richest, diverse and long standing cultural heritage north of the Niger. This has made us the envy of our neighbors and won us the admiration of other equally blessed ethnic groups in Nigeria. One of the ways the Kurama people have preserved and celebrated our rich heritage has been through the annual cultural festival; which was first celebrated in 1970.

This encompassed various activities through cultural songs and dances. Guest from far and wide annually troop in to catch a feel of the rich dose of the Kurama history, culture and traditions in our local dialect. For instance, at the 1975 festival the types of play on show were the Enyan (Wasan noma na gida) from Akirsa; Damaiya from Maigamo; Enyani (Wasan noma na gona) from Garu; Awuni (Kaho) from Woba; Idon ya shiya (Girayan yanmata); Idawai (Kidan bori) from Wuroko Sabon Birni and Gurza; Ubaza from Abadawa; Kidan maharba from Gwauron Dutse; and Damalgo from Were, among others. At the end of the dances prizes were given to the best dancers.

The successes of these festivities which were also covered by the media drew widespread recognition for the Kurama people; it is even being said that the Kagaro people borrowed the idea of celebrating the Kagaro Day from us. Ironically, the Kagaro Day has gone to become an internationally recognized event which attracts tourist globally, while the Kurama Day is barely being celebrated among the Kurama people.

 At a point in time the youth had to step in to salvage it from extinction by celebrating it at Yarkasuwa rather than Saminaka the initial location.  This is contrary to the resolution of the meeting of the Kurama Cultural Committee in 1979 through a press release, which adopted Saminaka as the permanent centre for staging the festival annually. Also in attendance at the meeting were ten Agwama-Kurama Village heads and also for the first time had Village heads from Kano, Bauchi and Plateau in attendance.

With the corrosive speed with which globalization and local colonization is eating away ethnic groups like ours into extinction, steps must be taken to preserve our culture and tradition especially through rebranding the annual Kurama Culture festivals. This will place the festival on the international tourism map and a cultural heritage centre. We have what it takes to achieve this feat, all that is needed is proper planning and execution. This will go a long way in infusing the Kurama people with pride in their heritage and also foster the desired unity for our overall progress.

Towards rebranding the festival the objectives of the festival should be as follows:

·         Celebrate the cultural diversity of the Kurama people through increasing cultural awareness and education.

·         Facilitate & promote meaningful opportunities for dialogue and networking to increase ethnic bonding and cohesion.

·         Raise the international profile and public knowledge of the Kurama people and its rich cultural heritage.

·          Organize a social and cultural festival that will gain national & indeed international significance.

·         Provide direct and tangible opportunities for tourist to learn about and also engage in various aspects of our local cultures and traditions.

·         Generate business opportunities to drive the growth and development of Micro Small Medium Enterprises through the exhibition fair at the festival.

·         Organize the carnival through Public-Private Partnership.

In rebrand the festival I propose that the activities should be spread across four days, this include:

·         Press conference held before the festival starts.

·         Street procession extravaganza with caravans, motorcades, parade-goers and masqueraders dressed in vibrant breathtaking costumes dancing to pulsating traditional and contemporary rhythms.

·         Cultural trade exhibition fair will be held for visitors eager to acquire locally-created and culturally-linked products.

·         Cultural dancing and singing competition with awards to be given at the grand finale.

·         Conference on cultural renaissance and exhibition fair of historical artifacts and display of traditional hand-made crafts.

·         Traditional wrestling and other games such as football competition.

·         Cultural pageantry and debate (essay) will also take place with the winner crowned and presented with the prize at the grand finale.

·         Masquerade band display.

·         Awards and prizes will be given out to the winners of the cultural dance competition, cultural pageant, and the essay competition.

·         Fundraising for our museum

This will be funded through Public-Private Partner, hiring-out of market and exhibition stalls, sponsorship, donations and contributions in cash and kind. It will be carried out through setting-up of a fundraising committee with an endowment funds to be managed by a board of honorable elder statesmen.

In conclusion, the festival has the potential to reawaken the dying cultures of the Kurama people under threat by globalization, and furthermore, project our cultural heritage to international limelight. It also holds a lot of commercial and economic value for our community, local government, state and country at large.

A cultural festival such as this is an important social and cultural event that continues to gain regional & indeed international significance globally. For Instance in Nigeria, the Sango, Osun, Calabar and Lagos Carnivals are such festivals that have gotten global attention with enormous commercial and economic value.

Yusuf Ishaku Goje

greatnessygoje@gmail.com

greatnessygoje@mail.com

THE GULF IN-BETWEEN THE YOUTH AND PARTICIPATION IN AGRICULTURE

For many, agriculture is a way of life, while for others; it is a business or an entrepreneurial venture. Either way, it is a socio-economic activity that is as old as human existence and which also affects all spheres of human life; starting from the age of hunting and gathering which mainly consisted of crude methods of farming, through to the agricultural revolution which has given birth to mechanized farming as we have it today. Agriculture has been consistent in serving as a reliable source of food supply, income generation, raw materials, employment, better standard of living, social interaction and integration.

Agriculture is a physical activity that requires the exertion of both mental and physical energy that can only be supplied by the youth population. The youth have an indispensable role to play in the various stages of the agricultural value chain; without which, the potential embedded in agriculture cannot be maximized. This is irrespective of the reality that mechanization, which is replacing human labor with machinery, is the in-thing around the world especially in developed and technologically advanced nations.

In developing nations where mechanization in agriculture is yet to take its root and the physical labor of the youth is in high demand; youth interest and participation in agriculture is at its lowest ebb. In a country like Nigeria; where agriculture is the highest contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP, over 40% ), it provides 88% of the nation’s non-oil earnings, and also the highest employer of labor (two third of Nigeria’s labor force). One wonders why the youth are non-challant about agriculture and the lucrative potential embedded in it. The answer is not far-fetched.

Factors that quickly come to mind as to why the gulf in-between the youth and their participation in agriculture keeps widening, among many include: redirection of attention and investment from agriculture to crude oil production in post-independence Nigeria, policy summersault, unavailability of critical infrastructure, corruption and economic pull towards white collar jobs. These factors have conspired in making agriculture unattractive and unproductive, thereby building apathy among the youth population towards it.

One begins to wonder why a nation which foundation was built with the proceeds from agriculture would turn its back on such a productive venture. With nostalgia, many are quick to recall the days of the groundnuts pyramids, high production of cocoa and oil palm plantation which were the major earner and the financial proceeds judiciously used to put in place some of the monumental infrastructure that are still in use till date.

 This condemnable act of neglect was/is perpetrated by no other generation than those who benefited the most from the proceeds of agriculture. Agriculture or trading in its products directly or otherwise provided the financial income that funded the education and up-keep of those who ensured that agriculture is in a comatose state today.

Going back to the issues that have pushed the youth farther away from engaging themselves in agricultural activities; which if not address would perpetrate the status quo. With the discovery of crude oil in Nigeria, and its high demand in the international market, this had prompted subsequent governments to focus more on crude oil production to the neglect and detriment of the agriculture sector.

This has manifestly reflected in low budgetary allocations, incoherent or inconsistent policies, tedious bureaucratic processes, corruption, sabotage (politicization of the process) and lack of the political will to ensure diligent implementation of programs.

These factors have made agriculture non-lucrative and unattractive to the youth. Over the years, programs have been initiated and institutions established to boost agriculture development; but they have largely failed due to the above mention man-induced challenges. This include among many the Young Farmers Club, Green Revolution, Operation Feed the Nation, People’s/Community Banks, Back to Land, Fadama program, Extension services, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), and Agricultural Research Institutions.

The failure of these initiatives and institutions have widened the gap that has kept the youth away from actively participating in agriculture; as a result of ineffective agriculture education in schools, limited access to land and funding, inadequate storage facilities, lack of or low quality fertilizer, non-existent or ineffective extension services, lack of or dilapidated transportation infrastructure, deficient rural development, lack of access to markets, importation and near absence of mechanization.

The government alone should not be blamed for the low interest by the youth in participating in agricultural activities. The loss of important moral values such as that of dignity of labor and hard-work which has resulted in get-rich quick mentality without labor, laziness and the overwhelming thirst for white-collar jobs by the youth is a flagging factor. These negative attitudes, coupled with the perception and stereo-type that agriculture, due to the crude method being used in Nigeria and other developing countries is a form of punishment, laborious activity and dirty non-lucrative endeavor speaks to the abhorrent treatment by the youths.

With the above factors still waxing strong, the gulf in-between the youth and their participation in agriculture would continue to expand while we would continue to lose out on the benefits, which among many include: food security, nutrition, wealth creation and employment generation.

Hope is not yet lost though. This is so because of the initiatives and programs being implemented by the current Minister of Agriculture under the Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA). He has brought in innovative ideas that are beginning to make agriculture attractive not only to the farmers but also the youth, private sector, civil society organizations and development partners as a whole.

Worthy of commendation is the activities of both national and international Non-Governmental Organizations in promoting youth participation in agriculture. Ambassadors Initiative for Development and Empowerment (AIDE) is championing and promoting youth participation in agriculture through its Agric-entrepreneurship development program as part of its Monthly Business Executive Break-Fast Meeting for Young Entrepreneurs. Also, under the Global Partnership for Poverty Reduction in Nigeria (GPPRN), being championed alongside its partners, it projects to build Agric-model cities in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria, in order to make agriculture more attractive to the youth.

The Y-Farm campaign as anchored by Fresh and Young Brains Development Initiative (FBIN) is championing the establishment of ten thousand youth-led farms in Africa, and the August 12^th yearly Africa Youth Agric. Festival.

The “Do Agric, It Pays” Campaign by ONE.ORG is another significant effort that is worthy of commendation, which also has its focus on promoting youth participation in agriculture.

These are just a few among many other efforts by Non-Governmental Organizations within and outside Nigeria working hard to encourage young people to build passionate interest in actively participating in agriculture for the purposes of food security, wealth creation and employment generation. As laudable as these initiatives are, its greatest impact can be maximized and sustained only if the key infrastructures that would service the agricultural value chain are put in place by the government and are functional and effective.

Yusuf Ishaku Goje

Programs Officer, Ambassadors Initiative for Development & Empowerment (AIDE)

greatnessygoje@gmail.com

@YusufIshakuGoje

KADUNA STATE AND THE NEED TO FOCUS ON MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTREPRISES by Yusuf Ishaku Goje

The elections and swearing-in are over, and also, the tension, anxiety and excitement generated by the process are gradually fading out. What is trending now is the avalanche of expectations and advices coming from all directions, with few realistic ones, while majority of the opinions are idealistic. Kaduna state being the then administrative capital of the north, and now its unofficial political capital, is of interest to many. For reasons of being the third most populated state in the country, and also, it’s cosmopolitan make-up. It is largely believed in many circles that the state has not fared well under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over the past sixteen years. This is more so, when one considers the huge allocation that accrued to the state all these years and also the economic potentials of the state without commensurate development.

Unfortunately, the economic potential of the state has not been robustly exploited with the consequences being an unemployment rate of 25.7%, well above the national average of 23.9%. While as for the poverty rate, it is put at 52.4% as core poor, and 38.2% as moderately poor; the second highest incidence of poverty in the zone just behind Zamfara State. The coming of the new administration under the All Progressive Congress has the burden of excessive expectations to grapple with in upturning the state of underdevelopment that has been inflicted on the state.

Meeting the expectations of residents of the state has been made more herculean for the administration of Mallam Nasir El-rufai as a result of the high debt profile, compromised revenue generation system, comatose manufacturing industries, dilapidated or absence of critical infrastructure and social amenities, polarization along ethno-religious lines and a public service structure that encourages corruption and cronyism. The upside being the fact that the new governor, considering his antecedence of diligence and excellence; has the will, credibility and competence to confront these challenges head-on.

With an almost empty purse, low revenue and high debt profile; transforming the “change” mantra from idealism to reality, the administration must quickly identify key sectors with the maximum potential to mobilize huge revenue, enhance economic growth, create massive wealth and redistribute same, generate employment and ultimately reduce poverty to the barest minimum. The sector that, without doubt, has the aforementioned potential is the micro, small and medium enterprises; its resourcefulness has been economically beneficial to countries like United States of America and China.

According to UNIDO globally, micro, small and medium businesses constitute over ninety percent of all enterprises, contributes over fifty percent employment to the workforce and significantly contributes to global Gross Domestic Product. While medium and large businesses needs more capital, technical expertise and workforce; small and micro businesses provide opportunity for more people, with lesser capital and expertise, to establish and be involved in creating wealth. It has been discovered that about seventy percent of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) industries account for development in developed countries.

For instance, According to the E-Journal U.S.A – Economic Perspective, it states that: 99 percent of all American businesses are small. Small businesses provide approximately 75 percent of the net new jobs added to the U.S. economy every year. Small businesses represent 99 percent of all employers. Small businesses employ 50.1 percent of the private workforce. Small businesses provide 40.9 percent of private sales. While in China, 50million small businesses produced 500million jobs between 1980 and 2012 (enwegbara 2013).

With its huge potential, a number of critical challenges have over the years inhibited the development of businesses in developing countries like Nigeria; to be specific for the purpose of this write-up Kaduna state. They include but not limited to: lack of or limited access to funds and credit facility, lack of robust and inclusive policies, poor infrastructure, inappropriate legal framework, erratic power supply, multiple taxation, harsh regulatory requirements, difficulty in sourcing raw materials, overdependence on imported products, poor ethical conduct, insecurity, political instability and lack of business and entrepreneurial skills.

Experts and other stakeholders have also propounded other reasons why micro, small and medium businesses fail. For instance, the CEO of Domino Information Company Limited (DICL), Mr. Uzo Nduka stated that “excessive focus on products and services, rather than planning and other management functions, has been identified as the major reason why sixty to seventy percentage of small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) fail in the first three years of starting operations in Nigeria”. 

While as for the former governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola, he strongly beliefs that the poor structure of SMEs in the country is responsible for the inability of the sector to contribute significantly to the growth of the economy. This was contained in his presentation at the maiden edition of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited SMEConnect Conference.

The above are also some of the challenges that the new administration in Kaduna state has to contend with in tapping the huge potential lying in-wait in especially small and micro enterprises. When tapped meaningfully they would surely become the driving force to meeting the huge expectations of especially the residents of the state; in the areas of wealth and employment creation, income redistribution, youth empowerment, rural development, bridging the expanding gap between the rich and poor, increased export earnings, revenue generation and economic growth.

In this direction, the new administration should annually identify not less than ten thousand aspiring and existing micro and small business owners; they should be trained through capacity-building in the areas of business and entrepreneurship skills development to strengthen their market competitiveness. Furthermore, they should be organized into cluster cooperatives for easy mobilization and suitability to access trainings, credit and loans from agencies such as Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Nigerian Directorate of Employment (NDE), Bank of Industries (BOI), Bank of Agriculture(BOA) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

There should be a constructive and collaborative partnership with key government intervention agencies and the private sector financing institutions to increase easy access to credit facility. A mentorship system should be established to be implemented through an effective Business Development Extension Services (BDES). Work towards ensuring that these businesses are formalized in collaboration with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Ensure the development of a robust database of especially micro and small businesses for research, planning purposes and easy revenue mobilization.

Furthermore, the administration must take the responsibility of formulating and implementing inclusive business friendly policies and programmes, provision of critical infrastructure, ensuring stability and security of lives and properties, open-up the state to both local and international investors, and harmonize and eliminate dubious multiple taxation.

With the population of Kaduna state put at 6,113,503 (according to the 2006 national census) and a land mass of 46,053 square kilometers. Furthermore, according to the National Bureau of Statistics 2010 National Literacy Survey, Kaduna has a youth literacy rate of 67.3%. The state has the workforce and market for micro, small and medium businesses to thrive and expand; thereby making it economically viable and prosperous within the shortest possible time in meeting the people’s expectations.

YUSUF ISHAKU GOJE

08133126091

greatnessygoje@gmail.com