By Lanre Adeyemi
As a journalist working in the northern region for over a decade, I have built strong ties and developed a deep affection for the people, but I have never been this displeased with the youths of my new home; Northern Nigeria.
The lack of passion and vision is just bewildering. At a time of mass action in cities in the south, northern youths should have awakened to the truth that they and their region have more to benefit from the agitation for reform of the Nigerian police and wider demand for good governance.
But while their compatriots in the south mobilized, raised funds, and held vigils, northern youths maintained a loud silence, despite suffering more from the incompetence and rot in the Nigerian police.
The Boko Haram insurgency on the other hand has devastated the region, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions from their homes, should send a clear signal that this is a direct result of abuse of power by the police.
The leader of the sect, Muhammed Yusuf was killed by trigger-happy policemen. Yet, despite over a decade of insurgency and the trillions of Naira spent, the Nigerian state is still struggling to solve the problem the police caused.
From Zamfara to Benue, Kaduna to Katsina, Sokoto, and Plateau, the Nigerian police has failed to fulfill its constitutional mandate.
Each time there is a crisis, the military is deployed to handle issues that should have been police operations.
While these went on, northern youths mostly stood by and watched in silence, aside from a pocket of brave hearts in Kaduna and Jos.
When, not if the reforms occur and then the youths of Nigeria take their right of place, the same northern youths who ignored the call for action and refused to join the struggle would demand the lion share.
I have met courageous and forward-thinking young people across the North, but it seems like their voices have been drowned by the majority who seem to love to worship politicians and rejoice at the crumbs that fall off their tables.
Posterity is a very harsh judge. What would the youth of the North say when the question is asked; what did you do when the South was demanding police reform and good governance?
It is time for the youth of the North to arise and join their compatriots in the South to demand good governance and hold their leaders accountable.
The hash tag for the Northern campaign could be #ENDBOKOHARAMNOW or #ENDBANDITRYNOW.
What is important is for the region to rise and demand action.
The region should be tired of failed promises and always being the least in development or human capital index.
The era of rouge leadership who do not believe in accountability and service must end.
The Northern youths must awaken from their slumber and be the vanguard for good governance and a prosperous Nigeria.
Lanre Adeyemi writes from Gombe.
