The Problem With Nigeria's North (Case Study: Sokoto) - Sopuru Egbodo

Before my present sojourn in Sokoto, I had always believed, just like most of my comrades on the "South side" (South-east & South-South) of Nigeria where I hail from, that the root cause of every problem emanating from the "Northside" is a result of lack of education. Judging by its decision to build almajiri schools across the northern states, I believe the Nigerian government bought the hullabaloo too.
If lack of education is not the problem, then what is?

Two things are the root causes of the northern "Wahala".

* RELIGION:

Like I have earlier said in one of my posts, everything in the north (Using Sokoto as a case study) revolves around religion. The
religion of the people and its laws dictates almost everything they do, be it in associations,behaviors etc. The women are meant to add the Hijab (that sometimes cover their bodies from the hair to toes) to their daily outfits, not
minding the "extremely scorching" heat. A man can abandon you in his shop or office to go and pray even though you have waited hours for him. If one is bound in such a way by his beliefs,he could as well do anything for its sake even...

*Bad and Visionless Leadership

Even without consulting Nigeria's National Bureau of Statistics on this, I can say (from my observations) without blinking that the illiteracy & poverty rate in northern Nigeria is simply mind blowing!
Even with a myriad of government owned primary and secondary schools dotting the landscapes of the Sokoto's sahara, attendance to the schools is most times than not zero,and government has continued to fund these schools even without plans and ideas on how to increase attendance.
Even the students who attend the schools, not minding their level, still find it hard to arrange a phrase using English words. Why?
English language is "purposely" extinguished from the social curriculum of the average Hausa man right from childhood for reasons I suspect to derive from both religion & economic colonization by the leaders too.
Note that a mind that is bereft of education is very much open to poverty.

Now you know, that lack of education or illiteracy in the North is not the major cause of the problems in Northern
Nigeria,but what clinical psychology calls a secondary symptom.

*In the picture: Almajiris at the Shehu Shagari market, Sokoto Nigeria.

Photo credit:
Sopuru Egbodo

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Sopuru Egbodo is a graduate of Psychology at University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is currently a corper at Sokoto state, Nigeria.