Brig-Gen Abba Kyari: Forgetting our heroes past

Between 1967 and 1975 when General Kyari held forte in the state, a quantum of achievements were recorded in virtually every sphere of human endeavour. It was created after the NorthernRegion was balkanised into six states by the Gen Yakubu Gowon administration. North Central and the other five states had to share the resourcestheyinherited from the defunct region.
I do not know what parameters those at the town and country planning departments in our statesand the federal capital are up to when they keep naming streets and highways after people who were or are either sheer opportunists or in fact, liabilities on our collective patrimony.
You move along the streets and you see names that sometimes you can hardly comprehend or remember what role they played or are playing in the general well-being of the society. In my view, this is a direct derivative of how low government business has become in Nigeria today, where only those who plunder the treasury are recognised, while the few who have contributed or are contributing to the development of the society and humanity are left unrecognised.
This has some serious implications, among which is the loss of value of service and integrity. I am sure, as a schoolteacher, I have a fair idea of what constitutes the ambitions of several young people in this country today.
One thing that is for sure is that at the moment, we lack role models. The young ones do not have people with the upright attitude with which to model after. Every young one wants to be rich and comfortable without having to work hard. The concept of integrity is fast losing space in the nation’s lexicon and instead what we have is a bunch of young people growing up in an atmosphere of uncertainty and risks.
That is why in Nigeria today there is violence, there are all sorts of vices and the elders and the leadership are unable to point to the direction of rectitude since they have also lost out due to selfishness and what you may call stupidity.
In a sane society, the leadership is the shepherd; it directs the society to what is ideal; it applies reward and sanctions and therefore is an independent arbiter. In our case, they are unable to do that and the priority of leadership has been plunder and unnecessary stealing. This is what the young ones make up as then ideal and that is what they strive to achieve.
In school, they cheat in examinations. They hardly attend classes but they want to pass their examinations. A clear case of wanting to reap where they did not sow.The situation is so pathetic that if left unattended to,it could lead to a future of great uncertainties.
The leadership in our society is guilty, as it has failed to appreciate hard work as an integral aspect of societal growth and development. It is failing to set standards and thus the society is sliding towards the unfortunate.
I cannot comprehend what type of mistake it is that in the whole of Kaduna there is no street named after its first governor. If it is a mistake, the authorities should own up by immediately designating a major road or at least immortalising the name of its founding fathers by naming a project after him.
This is not limited to Kaduna. Katsina too is involved. The two states must give recognition to one of their founding fathers in the name of the present and future, so that the children of today and tomorrow will ask questions and they have the right answers.
Any society that does not recognise the inputs of hard work of its past is bound to forget whatever its present and future leaders may come up with no matter how good they may be.