SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT ... FACTS TO CONSIDER : Who Believes the Lie that There Are More People in the North Than in the South? By Femi Aribisala

Everything turns upside down in NIGERIA.  Logic BECOMES illogical.  Wisdom becomes foolishness.  Two plus two becomes seven.  Hospitals become mortuaries.  Stealing is not corruption.  Education is a sin.  In NIGERIA, so many things fly in the face of simple commonsense.

 

One major example is the ridiculous idea that, by some inexplicable freak of nature, more people live in the arid less-developed Northern part of NIGERIA than in the wet, coastal, more-developed South.

 

Insult to intelligence

 

The larger population of the North is an elephant in the Nigerian living-room.  According to the last disputed census of 2006, there are 75 million Nigerians living in the North and 65 million in the South.  This is balderdash!  As long as we continue to accept such blatant lie, there can be no true democracy in Nigeria.  Electoral results must continue to be falsified to conform to it.  As long as we continue to entertain such outright falsehood, we shall continue to be subjected to a “born to rule” mentality on the part of some mischievous Northern politicians.

 

The assertion that there are more people in the North than in the South is an insult to intelligence and commonsense.  All over West Africa, the coastal states are more densely and highly populated than the arid desert hinterlands.  Nobody has been able to come up with a reasonable reason why Nigeria would be the only exception to this rule.  Most of the people in Egypt live on a strip along the Nile River.  But in Nigeria, we are meant to believe most of the people live in the desert.

 

Some make the case that Northern polygamy leads to more births.  If so, why are there only 30 million people in Saudi Arabia, a country more than twice the size of NIGERIA?  The Saudis are also polygamous.  If there are so many more live-births in the North than in the South, this should be reflected in children immunization programs: but it is not.

 

Everything we know about demographics contradicts the inflated population of the North relative to the South.  The economic opportunities in the South far outweigh those in the North.  That means economic migration is bound to be southward and not northward.   The states with the highest internally generated revenues all come from the South; while eight of the last ten are from the North.  No Northern state features in the top ten.

 

Mythical Kano

 

The North regularly trots up Kano as the largest state of the federation, but there is no doubt that this is also pure fiction.  There is no way that there can be more people in Kano State than in Lagos State or even Oyo State.  Let me be even more categorical.  Kano cannot be as populous as Ibadan.  Kano cannot even have half the population of Lagos.

 

We were told Kano State was bigger in population than Lagos State.  Then Jigawa State was carved out of Kano in 1991.  But lo and behold, the remaining rump of Kano was still bigger than Lagos.  In 1991, we were told there were 5.8 million people in Kano State, while 5.7 million were in Lagos.  In 2006, Kano was awarded a population of 9.4 million; more than Lagos which was given 9.1 million. 

 

In the meantime, Jigawa was awarded 4.3 million people in 2006.  If this were to be believed, it would mean Kano (including Jigawa) had outpaced Lagos by more than four million people by 2006.  That is impossible.  Moreover, Kano was awarded 44 local government areas; Jigawa 27 and Lagos only 20.

 

Why any right-thinking person would believe Kano State has more people than Lagos State is beyond me.  For years, the total amount of internally generated revenue in Kano was less than 6 billion NAIRA a year.  In the last year or so, it is now averaging 20 billion.  But get this: the internally generated revenue in Lagos is 219 billion naira.  So why would people be moving to Kano instead of Lagos?  Where are the jobs in Kano to attract them relative to Lagos? 

 

Why would more people keep moving to Kano where there is insurgency; from Maitasine to Boko Haram, relative to Lagos where there is none?  The answer is simple.  The large population of Kano relative to Lagos is bogus.  It is pure fiction!  If there were more people in Kano than in Lagos, it would show up, for example, in waste-generation.  How much waste does Kano produce relative to Lagos?  The answer is only a fraction.  

 

How many houses and physical structures are there in Kano relative to Lagos?  There is no comparison.  Google satellite maps show a concentration of people and houses in Kano city centre.  Everywhere else is sparsely populated.  This is not the case with Lagos.  It is not the case with Ibadan.  It is not the case with Aba.  If there are so many people up North, where are the people?  Where do they live?  Which vehicles take them from A to B?  How many of these vehicles are in Kano relative to Lagos?  Only a fraction!

 

Magical Zamfara

 

Precisely because we have accepted the lie of Northern population supremacy over the South, Attahiru Jega and his INEC cohorts decided to sneak further falsehood past us.  Having discovered far more double-registration of voters in the North than in the South, INEC still went ahead to create additional polling units, allocating a disproportionate number of these to the North.  However, the very audacity of INEC in the attempted perpetration of this fraud has brought to light certain anomalies in the 2011 elections, especially as it relates to the North-West.

 

INEC’s recent cleanup exercise of the voters register is a big indictment of the North.  INEC discovered that there are far more double-registration of voters in the North than in the South.  The greatest fraud in this regard is committed in the North-West, and the most fraudulent state in the country turns out to be Zamfara. 

 

Sokoto and Zamfara states border the Republic of NIGER.  Niger Republic is 19 times bigger than Sokoto and Zamfara put together in land area.  And yet, we are meant to believe that in 2006, Sokoto and Zamfara had a combined total population of 6.9 million; more than half of Niger Republic’s population of 12.9 million. 

 

Zamfara’s fictitious population in the 2006 census was 3.2 million.  Nevertheless, INEC registered 2 million voters for Zamfara for the 2011 elections.  That means 62.5% of the people in Zamfara registered to vote.  (This is roughly equal to the 64% of people who registered to vote in the 2012 elections in the United States; a country of far higher voter-awareness and socialisation).  This is fraud of the highest order for the simple reason that 62.5% of the population of Zamfara cannot be eligible to vote. 

 

The voting age in NIGERIA is 18 years.  According to U.N. demographics, 44% of Nigerians are below the age of 15.  This means under no circumstances can 50% of the population anywhere in Nigeria be said to have registered to vote in any election.  It is not surprising therefore that although INEC registered 2 million voters for the 2011 elections in Zamfara, the same INEC discovered in its clean-up exercise this year that 1.1 million of those voters (over 50%) were fraudulent; the result of double registration.

 

Voodoo results

 

That means only 914,886 of the names on the Zamfara register could be verified as not pertaining to double registration.  (This does not tell us how many of the remaining names are fictitious).  But then get this: according to INEC records, 927,219 people voted in Zamfara in the 2011 presidential election; mostly for Buhari.  That means more votes were cast in Zamfara than the total number of legitimately-registered voters, according to the revelation of INEC’s clean-up exercise. 

 

Let us put this in stark terms.  It means, according to INEC, over 100% of the Zamfara electorate voted in 2011.  What malarkey!  By the time we factor in the fictitious names that must have been in the register, we can see that the figures coming out of Zamfara have nothing whatsoever to do with reality.  In Zamfara, there is procedural inflation of figures pertaining to population and elections. 

 

This gives us an idea of how fraudulent the North-West of NIGERIA is with regard to population and electoral figures.  This is not to say that manipulation and falsification of figures is not standard operational procedure in other states of the federation, but INEC revealed that it is most exaggerated in the North in general and in the North-West in particular. 

 

It is not surprising therefore that, in the 2011 presidential election, there were 10.6 million “voters” from the North-West alone; twice the number of voters from either the South-West (4.6 million) or the South-East (5 million).  This is preposterous, and is nothing but one big lie!

 

Back to Jega

 

It is on this fictitious super-structure of a larger population in the North relative to the South that Jega’s INEC based its outrageous allocation of 21,000 additional polling booths to the North, relative to 8,000 to the South. 

 

In defense of this regional-chauvinism, Hakeem Baba-Ahmad added insult to injury by saying: “Jega admitted that many states in the south did not even deserve the number of units they got, but for the inclusion of the principle of fairness and equity. In other words, if INEC had been strict in sharing out the units in accordance with voting population and geography, the north would have received even more.”  What poppycock!

 

In what appears to be the triumph of commonsense and logic, the Senate has advised Jega to suspend the allocation of new polling units until after the 2015 general elections.  That should be the end of the matter.  People who don’t understand how the Nigerian political system works feel Jega can ignore this advice.  He cannot!  The legislative branch of the government has oversight powers over the executive branch.  Such a directive from the legislature to an arm of the government is not subject to debate.  It must be obeyed otherwise Jega will be sanctioned.

FOR THE RECORDS ... FULL TEXT OF PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN'S INDEPENDENCE DAY SPEECH (2014)

President Goodluck Jonathan today addressed Nigerians to commemorate Nigeria’s 54th independence anniversary.

Jonathan harped on the need for Nigerians to support the efforts of the government in its fight against terrorism. He also spoke of the achievements of his administration and policies put in place to ensure the development of the country.

Here is the full text of his address:

Fellow Nigerians,

Today marks the 54th anniversary of our country’s independence as a sovereign nation. This is also the tenth month of our journey into a new century, having marked the centenary of our nation in January this year.

The first one hundred years were marked by triumphs and tribulations, benefits and burdens, opportunities and challenges. We made some far reaching advances in building a strong, united and prosperous nation. We also overcame the forces of disunity that culminated in a debilitating civil war. We have also renewed our faith in one another, and in our country. We have proven that we are truly a resilient nation.

In my address to the nation last year, I did emphasize that we were in a sober moment in our country. We are still in that mood in spite of the many accomplishments of our administration. Our sombreness has to do with the crises of nationhood occasioned by the activities of terrorist elements who have done the unimaginable to challenge our unity as a people.

On an occasion like this, it is important that we remember all the precious souls that have been lost in the unprecedented war of terror unleashed on some parts of our country by these individuals who want to compel us to live our lives their way. They will not succeed!

In their mission, they have maimed and defiled. They have killed men, women and children, rendering many children orphans and several women widows.

They have made violence their ideology and are bent on destroying our country. Dear countrymen and women, we will not allow them.

Night after night, day after day, our security forces continue to engage the terrorists in battle. My gratitude goes out to our armed forces whose will has been greatly challenged by this insurgency more than any other time, since the civil war.

Yet, they have remained undaunted and unwearied in the face of constant challenge and mortal danger. Driven by patriotic zeal, they are turning the tide by their prowess and determination. As Commander-in-Chief, I will continue to do all it takes to enable them to keep on inflicting devastating blows at the heart of terror. Fellow Nigerians, it is our collective duty as patriots to avail our men and women in uniform of all the support they need to fight and WIN this war.

This Administration is committed to making Nigeria safe for all Nigerians, irrespective of our places of birth, how we worship God and our political persuasion. To all those waging war against our country, I ask that you lay down YOUR arms and embrace peace.

To those who have genuine grievances, I affirm that Nigeria will listen to you, if you bring YOURgrievances to the table of dialogue. To the good people of Nigeria, let me restate that our task of building a better and greater country must not waver.

While we continue to deploy our resources in the fight against the terrorists, we do recognize the great toll the conflict is taking on our people.

This is why, to assist the afflicted, we have launched the Victims Support Fund, an independent multi-sectoral charity, which will aggressively solicit resources to augment Government’s statutory intervention, in bringing succour to the injured, the displaced and the bereaved.

In partnership with Nigerian business leaders and international partners, we have also introduced the Safe Schools Initiative which is aimed at promoting safe environments for education nationwide, STARTING with the North East region.

The Presidential Initiative for the North East, a comprehensive programme to fast-track the economic restoration of this region, which has been the epicentre of terrorist activity, has been set up.

Our overall objective is to do all we possibly can, to sustain in the North-East, the momentum of economic advancement, which is on-going in other parts of the country, despite the machinations of the terrorists and their sponsors.

It should now be clear to anyone who was ever in doubt that these terrorists do not mean well for anyone, of whatever religion or dispensation. Their persistent choice of the weakest and most vulnerable in society, for gruesome attack, provides an insight into their abnormal mind-set.

I urge every Nigerian to put aside political, sectional or other parochial considerations, and support whole-heartedly the efforts of the government and the military, in checking this evil.

We are grateful to the international community, and especially our neighbours who are working closely with us in confronting this challenge, for their increased partnership and solidarity. Our steady progress in weakening the insurgency has certainly justified our cooperation.

Fellow Nigerians, in my independence anniversary address last year, I informed you that we had taken cognizance of the suggestion over the years by well-meaning Nigerians on the need to focus attention on rebuilding and strengthening the ligaments of our union. It was in that regard that we announced the convening of a National Dialogue on the future of our beloved country.

We have successfully delivered on that promise as we established the 2014 National Conference headed by Justice Legbo Kutigi. After months of deliberations, which did not come without its challenges, the conference concluded its assignment and has handed its Report to me.

I have made a firm commitment that we would act on the recommendations of the conference. This, I have started by setting up the Ministerial Committee headed by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation to work out the modalities for implementing the Report. Every promise I make, God willing, I will see to its fulfilment. I assure you, we shall implement the report.

One major lesson which the 2014 National Conference has taught us as a country is that, a multi-ethnic country like ours, must learn to embrace painstaking dialogue until consensus is established.

To me, the National Conference is the greatest centenary gift to our country that we must cherish and sustain.

Fellow Nigerians, our 54 year-journey as a nation has not been easy. There have been tough periods, but the Nigerian spirit and the unflagging resilience of our people have seen us through. We will continue to march forward to greater heights.

We have been able to sustain a big, strong and influential country with a robust economy. We are currently in our sixteenth year of uninterrupted democratic rule, daily improving on the consolidation of our democratic process.

Our Administration has made a commitment to ensure that we build and sustain a democratic infrastructure anchored on free and fair elections. International and local observers have attested to the positive evolution of electoral credibility and we cannot afford to relent.

We will continue to ensure that the will of the electorate prevails so that political leaders would be reminded at all times that there is a day of reckoning when they have to go back to the people at the polls. Election days must not be days of violence and death. We must remain vigilant to ensure that our electoral process is characterised by peace, security and transparency.

I enjoin the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), all security agencies, politicians and the electorate to work conscientiously and peacefully, together, to consolidate on the gains of the recent elections. Free and fair elections have come to stay; nothing else will be acceptable to our people.

My dear countrymen and women, occasions such as this PRESENT an opportunity to thank God for our country and to report to you, on our journey so far.

Our power sector reform is on course with the ultimate objective of generating enough electricity to power our homes, industries and businesses. We are making giant strides in the Agricultural Sector which we are re-positioning to diversify our economy. We will continue to upgrade our infrastructure to make life easier for all and create an enabling environment for enterprise to flourish.

Over the last four years, the implementation of the Nigerian Content Act in the Oil and Gas Sector has ensured major increase in the participation of indigenous Oil and Gas companies in the industry. Several critical infrastructure projects have been commissioned and commenced. The level of indigenous asset ownership has greatly increased and utilisation of Nigerian-owned and built assets such as marine vessels and rigs is being progressively enforced.

There has been maximised local value addition by encouraging the manufacture of equipment components and parts within the country. There has also been massive growth in indigenous participation in the provision of goods and services to the upstream sector from 10% to 60% within the last four years.

Today, following the rebasing of our economy, every international monitoring and ratings agency now acknowledges NIGERIA as the largest economy in Africa, with a Gross Domestic Product of five hundred and ten billion DOLLARS ($510 billion) which also places us as the 26th largest economy in the world. This is progress.

Earlier in the year, we launched the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) with the stated objective of fast tracking inclusive growth, job creation, enterprise development and industrialisation.

The success of these policies is already evident in the increased value addition in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.

In line with our objective of encouraging the production of made-in-Nigeria vehicles and making Nigeria a regional hub for the automobile industry, a number of foreign auto manufacturers have established plants in Nigeria, complementing the laudable efforts of our local vehicle manufacturers who have also demonstrated great innovation and COMPETITIVENESS.

We have also launched a special support programme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises with an initial intervention fund of two hundred and twenty billion NAIRA (N220 b). This is in addition to the Presidential Job Creation Board which I inaugurated recently with the charge to create three million jobs annually.

In demonstration of our Administration’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s housing deficit, we have commenced the new mortgage re-finance programme with the establishment of the Nigerian Mortgage Re-finance Company. It is expected that, in addition to creating additional housing units across the country, this initiative also represents a huge job creation opportunity.

We have recorded notable success in the social sector. Nigeria has been globally acknowledged for reducing extreme hunger by more than half, with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) formally PRESENTING the country with an award for achieving the Millennium Development Goal on Hunger three years ahead of the 2015 target date set for the Millennium Development Goals.

This progress is as a result of the deliberate policy of government to increase capacity in our agricultural sector of which the first step was to address and eliminate the graft in our fertilizer procurement system and ensure that the product gets directly to the farmer. We are expanding our irrigation infrastructure to ensure that our farmers have sufficient water supply for dry season farming.

A benefit of these combined actions is that our national food import bill has declined from 1.1 trillion NAIRA (6.9 billion dollars) in 2009 to 684.7 billion naira (4.35 billion dollars) by December 2013, and continues to decline.

Modern hybrid schools are being provided for less privileged children across the country, resulting in significant increase in the national school enrolment figure.

In order to further enhance access to education at the tertiary level, fourteen new Federal Universities have been established; and, to encourage persons of exceptional abilities, our Administration has also introduced a Presidential Scholarship Scheme based strictly on excellence and merit.

On infrastructure, we are building roads, bridges, and new rail lines to make it easier to traverse Nigeria and increase the integration of our people and our ability to do business with each other. In this regard, we have commenced the process of building the Second NIGER Bridge. The Loko-Oweto Bridge over River Benue in Nasarawa and Benue States, will significantly reduce travel time by road between Northern and Southern Nigeria. The on-going dredging of the River Niger up to Baro in Niger State is opening up large parts of the Nigerian hinterland to maritime activity.

The Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro-electric power projects are on course, and the Kashimbilla dam which we STARTED a few years ago, is nearing completion. The successful privatisation of our power sector will in the long run enhance industrial growth. Policies such as this and others have raised NIGERIA to the enviable status of being the number one recipient of Foreign Direct Investment in Africa in the past year.

The result of this infrastructure drive is that two and a half million jobs have been created over the past two years. This is a record, which we are committed to improve upon to continue to provide jobs for our youth.

An unprecedented number of Airports across the country, are not only being reconstructed at the same time, but being re-equipped and reassessed with emphasis on maintaining global standards.

Fellow Nigerians, the goals we set to achieve for our country involve expanding the frontiers of economic freedom. Let us therefore unite with one heart and one mind. All our people must have access to the good things of life. All our people must be empowered to pursue the gift of life with happiness. This is our country; we must build it for our common posterity.

As we move into an election year, desperate moves to overheat the polity are BECOMING a regular occurrence. Our political leaders in particular must know that the contest for power should not translate to the destruction of the polity.

The contest for the leadership of our country must yield good governance, and not ungovernable spaces. The love of country should rank higher than our individual ambitions.

We must remain committed to a united and indivisible Nigeria within democratic parameters. The protection of individual rights, liberty, equality before the law, freedom of thought, and a progressive pursuit of a sound economy must be our goal.

I cannot end this address without commenting on the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) which was sadly brought into our country recently. My directives to the Federal Ministry of Health saw the ministry leading the charge in curtailing the spread of this deadly scourge and managing its impact. This is how it should be: swift, effective and comprehensive action in defence of citizens.

It must be pointed out that the Ebola battle is still raging elsewhere in our sub-region. I therefore enjoin all our citizens to continue to adhere strictly to all the guidelines that have been given by our health officials to keep Ebola out of our country.

I appreciate and welcome the spirit of collaboration, unity and partnership with which we confronted the threat of the Ebola Virus Disease. I thank all Nigerians for working together to prevent what could have BECOME a major epidemic. I particularly thank the medical personnel, some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice.

This is the spirit which we must demonstrate at all times as we face up to our challenges as a nation: one people, united by a common resolve, in the pursuit of one common national interest.

As we look forward to another year in our national life, I am more than confident that our tomorrow will be better than our yesterday and today. NIGERIA has got the human and material resources to excel and we shall lead the way in that journey to our manifest destiny.

Fellow countrymen, brothers and sisters, in all our plans, and in all our words and our actions, we must stand together in love and unity, as one people under God.

We are one people from the womb of one NIGERIA. We are brothers and sisters. We are one family. We are Nigerians.

God bless the Federal Republic of NIGERIA.