On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained political freedom from its erstwhile colonial master, Britain while much later on October 1, 1996, Nasarawa state was detached from the apron strings of old Plateau state headquartered in Jos. The state has traversed a rather long route from being a part of Northern region through being Benue-Plateau state to Plateau state and now Nasarawa state which appears to be the final bus stop, at least for now.
Lafia, a hitherto sleepy city renowned more as a transit stop for long distance travellers and food (melon, yam, etc.) market for big time traders from especially the east, suddenly found itself on October 1, 1996, bestowed with status of a state capital, the responsibility seemingly heavy for its apparently naïve shoulders then. Rumour had it that Akwanga which was then considered more cosmopolitan, was to be named the state capital but that then Head of State, General Sanni Abacha brought his primordial links to bear in selecting Lafia for the prized crown.
Whatever it is, I think the choice of Lafia is not misplaced because there is more value added when a virgin or semi virgin land is developed than one that is already on the development highway. Nasarawa State is 23 years old today and Nigeria 59. A common denominator between both is that the two of them are now adults as by our laws, age 18 is when you begin to assume responsibility for your actions. Whereas Nasarawa State can be referred to as a young adult, Nigeria at 59 is a much older adult. People at that age have gotten children, grandchildren.
Much water has passed under the ground in last 59 years of Nigeria’s existence and Nasarawa State’s birth, for good or ill. The state capital has moved from being a glorified local government and one street capital to one that is expanding with a network of roads that criss cross it. Recently when I was cruising through Government Science School (GSS) with a companion, he told me that when he was a student of GSS years ago, the whole stretch of road from the school down to Kwandere was all bush. Today, the bushes have disappeared and the long road is bubbling with human activity of all kinds. One can safely predict that in 20 years hence, Lafia would be bursting in its seams and Shabu would be regarded as part of the state capital.
Some 23 years ago there was hardly any higher institution of learning in Nasarawa State, save the College of Education, Akwanga of the old Plateau State. Today, there is the Nasarawa Polytechnic (Naspoly), College of Agriculture, Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa State University (NSUK) and the latest of them all, Federal University, (FULAFIA). Needless to add that there are now numerous primary and secondary schools in the state, including Command and Police secondary schools. The result is that virtually all Nasarawa State children of School age can now speak English or Pidgin English, unlike before. There are other spheres of marked improvements but above examples suffice for the space I have.
Nevertheless, there is a downside or better said, the other side of the coin which is associated with ‘urbanism’ so to speak as Nasarawa State is now having its own share of armed robbery, burglary and related crimes. The Nasarawa State Police command may be busier in 20 years time. Also women’s share in project Nasarawa has not kept pace with the times. It is true that more girls now have access to education at all levels; this has not altogether translated to their wielding commensurate political, social and economic influence, overall. The overall picture is still abysmal, nowhere near the 30 percent recommended by the United Nations.
I concur that the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. In this case however, the pace of women in the journey is rather slow. And this is due to traditional and cultural beliefs that cannot be dismantled easily. In our part of the world women are meant to be seen, not heard, figuratively speaking. And so it is that a woman generally has to work twice as hard as a man to gain recognition in her field of endeavour. I speak from experience. But the world is changing fast and women should be allowed to keep pace with this fast moving train by disentangling the shackles that hold them down to enable them contribute maximally to our society. Only with women’s full contribution can we have a balanced development that stand the test of time. This is not to say that women would abandon the kitchen. They should walk side by side with men (not in front or behind them) as equal partners in the up- building task of Nasarawa State and Nigeria as a whole. Therefore men should do away with archaic notions about a woman’s place in the society. In 20 years hence, I expect Nasarawa women to play more prominent roles (in numbers and quality) in various spheres of human endeavour.
Nigeria itself has witnessed a lot of changes since 1960. Findings show that time was when children used to go about their activities naked and also attended school without footwear. Today’s school children are well suited and are taken to and from school in chauffeur-driven cars! Women’s fashion changed drastically from the crude way of styling hairs and the like, to modern-day attachments et al. And a new evil, hardly evident in years gone by has set in 6–rape of minors. Hardly a day passes by without our reading about a minor being raped by an adult male. It is horrible. Of course I cannot forget the latest fad—technology which is overtaking our lives. Our smart mobile phones are now our dear companions; they accompany us wherever we go, even to bed.
The world is now experimenting with self-driven cars while drones (unmanned aircrafts) are taking root in warfare. In some 20 years from now, smart technologies linked to artificial intelligence shall be doing virtually everything for us.Happy anniversary.
Long live Nasarawa state! Long live Nigeria!
Ikeano a journalist, writes from Lafia via [email protected] 08033077519
