By Gambo Hamza
The North today stands at a crossroads — battered by insecurity, strangled by poverty, weighed down by poor governance, and divided by clannish politics.
What was once a bastion of promise after independence has steadily decayed into a region marked by violence, elite selfishness, mass illiteracy, and an eroded collective spirit. Despite possessing abundant human and material resources, northern Nigeria continues to sink deeper into crisis.
Politically, the North is fractured — power struggles have replaced vision, and personal ambition has supplanted public service. Economically, agriculture, once the pride of the North, has been crippled by insecurity and mismanagement. Socially, communities are polarised along ethnic, religious, and class lines. Morally, leadership at every level has often abandoned sincerity, meritocracy, and justice, favouring instead short-term gains and parochial interests.
Against this background of decline, this article seeks a different approach — not another political analysis or economic projection — but a spiritual reminder.
The story of Makaru, Hassadu, and Nakasu: A cautionary tale
Islamic teachings deeply warn against three societal cancers — Makaru (deceptive plotting), Hassadu (envy), and Nakasu (corruptive destruction). These are not mere personal failings; they are destructive forces that, when embedded in leadership and institutions, precipitate civilizational collapse.
Makaru – Plotting with malice
The Qur’an warns: “And they plotted, and Allah plotted, and Allah is the best of plotters.” (Qur’an 3:54)
While divine justice ultimately prevails, human scheming born of arrogance and selfishness often leads to ruin.
In the North, political scheming has become a tragic art — governors undermining successors, military officers betraying elected leaders, and elites preferring sycophantic loyalty over competence.
Power-sharing became a chessboard, not a mandate for service.
Hassadu – The fire of envy
Allah commands the Prophet (SAW) to seek refuge: “…from the evil of the envier when he envies.” (Qur’an 113:5) The Prophet (SAW) further warned: “Beware of envy, for it consumes good deeds just as fire consumes wood.” (Abu Dawud, Hadith 4903)
Nakasu – The drive to destroy
Although “Nakasu” is not a classical Arabic word, it reflects a reality — from naqs (deficiency) and nakaba (calamity). It describes a societal illness where leaders, institutions, and even ordinary citizens act destructively rather than constructively.
The Qur’an warns: “Do not cause corruption upon the earth after it has been set in order…” (Qur’an 7:56)
In the North, we have witnessed the crumbling of once-strong institutions. Universities, once beacons of scholarship, have become hollowed. Agriculture, once the pride of the Sahel, has become subsistence at best.
Where wisdom retreated, destruction found a home, giving rise to Boko Haram, banditry, and endemic insecurity. 2
A mirror to the North: The rise and fall from within
Emerging from colonisation, northern Nigeria held a proud heritage: vast land, rich culture, and Islamic knowledge. But from within, the seeds of collapse were planted.
Makaru poisoned elite politics.
Hassadu crippled talent development.
Nakasu hollowed institutions.
Historical echoes are undeniable:
The 1966 coup and counter-coup revealed internal divisions among northern officers.
The collapse of the Second Republic was hastened by northern political betrayals.
In the Obasanjo and post-Obasanjo eras, northern politicians preferred to undermine one another rather than forge a united national vision.
Today, bodies like the Arewa Consultative Forum struggle to articulate a common northern agenda, as selfishness, fear, and mistrust dominate.
Philosophical reflections: Ibn Khaldun’s timeless warning
In his Muqaddimah, Ibn Khaldun describes the death spiral of civilisations:
“Luxury and ease lead to laziness; envy replaces brotherhood; and plotting becomes the tool of desperate power.”
This perfectly describes northern Nigeria’s trajectory. Instead of nurturing brotherhood, the North embraced tribalism and entitlement. Instead of investing in collective progress, elites fortified personal empires.
Even religious leaders, once custodians of truth and accountability, increasingly mirror the corruption of political classes, selectively quoting the Qur’an and Hadith to serve vested interests while ignoring the Prophetic model of justice, humility, and unity.
Towards redemption or ruin?
The story of Makaru, Hassadu, and Nakasu is still unfolding, written daily through appointments, policies, and political betrayals. But the Qur’an offers hope: “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Qur’an 13:11)
Redemption requires a return to core Islamic virtues:
Unity over division.
Meritocracy over mediocrity.
Sincere leadership over selfish power games.
The northern elite — politicians, technocrats, business leaders, and religious authorities — must honestly reflect:
Will they continue to sow the seeds of their own destruction, or will they embrace the hard path of reform and renewal?
The choice remains ours. History, and ultimately Allah, will judge.
*Hamza wrote from Kaduna