Freedom Africa Community Forum

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Ra'ayi Riga: Kirkiro sabbin takardun kudi a Najeriya

I may not fully understand the Hausa language but that has not stopped me from observing a certain trend that has gone on in Nigeria for decades.

Ever since my childhood days, i noticed that the most illiterate of 'educationally disadvantaged' Northern Nigerian muslims tend to have transitor radios that are permanently tuned to either BBC Hausa service or VOA Hausa. Like i said,this trend has gone on for decades.

If everything that's broadcast on these foreign Hausa service radio stations are direct interpretations of what their English services offer, then by now Northern Nigerians would have been the most educated and enlightened- just like those of us that are glued to CNN, CNBC or SKY. Not so?

BUT NO...the BBC & VOA Hausa services seem to have kept most of its Hausa listeners mentally and intellectually improverished; only succeeding in radicalizing many and selling the idea that 'Southern Nigerians are enemies.'

During Nigeria's pre-independence negotiations, i have it on good authority that the British promised Northern Nigeria perpertual political power while the South was assured of economic and intellectual superiority.

Decades later it became obvious to many (especially in the South) that political power has overriding influence on every other sector or segment of the Nigerian nation; thus the South began to agitate for political power as well and they succeeded,since 1999, save for Yaradua's three years.

The BBC & VOA Hausa services may have since become tools being used by either foreign interests or aggrieved Northern politicians to keep reminding,provoking and stressing on our Northern brothers and sisters that the Southerners have taken over everything and the North has lost out completely.

The BBC & VOA Hausa services have NEVER acted as moblization tools for Northern Nigerians towards the direction of education,agriculture,economic emancipation, true federalism, development etc.

All they do is to SUBTLY tell our Northern brothers and sisters that the 'Christian' Southerners are now in control and the North must fight back. (This contributed to the emergence of Boko Haram)

Take recent broadcasts from BBC Hausa service on Chibok where unknown Hausa speaking JTF soldier(s) are invited on air to make very serious and dangerous allegations against their superior officers (most likely Christians or Southerners)...all in a bid to ultimately sabotage the central government and force a return of the 1960-1999 status quo of core Northerners retaining political power, even to the detriment and impoverishment of their own region.