One Nigeria?
In considering the question of the
possibility or otherwise of dividing the country
along ethno-religious lines, it seems to me the
appropriate question is HAS NIGERIA EVER BEEN A
NATION UNITED BY FEELINGS OF NATIONALISM?
This question is most important as you
can never divide what has never been one. If
Nigeria has been nothing but "mere geographical
expression" then a division would hurt no
nationalistic feeling or deep rooted feeling of
oneness as there has never been one. On the other
hand, a nation that has deep rooted ties and united
in patriotic feeling cannot be easily divided. People
will die for it. In answering this crucial question,
recourse must be made to the explicit interactions
between the various elements constituting the
Nigerian constituency, historically and presently.
Prior to the Lugard voodoo that
conjured Nigeria in 1914,
no historian would
attempt to draw an inference that the various
tribes of the region ever saw themselves as one.
Not even close. The various tribes conducted
affairs separately, interaction being brought about
by events like trade and war. This activities one
must note breed deeper feelings of tribalism which
is an undeniable existence of African existence. A
Fulani would aid his fellow Fulani in war against
Yoruba. In the absence of anti tribalism or anti
racism campaigns, this was the reality. One must
not however consider this as implying a complete
apathy between tribes to one another, they co-
settled and mingled, inter-married and co habit ed.
But a stranger is always a stranger.
The amalgamation wouldn't changed
nothing. A move aimed at administrative
convenience cannot erase deep sentiments rooted
in culture with love of an entity created on paper.
Nigeria. The tribalistiic feeling was ever present, a
fact seen in the different approach to governance
in each major tribe. Whether or not the British
approach to governance enhanced this feeling or
not is ignorable, presently. However no doubt as
Nigerians became gradually integrated in the
politics of the country, ethnic based politics was
prominent. From the formation of parties, to
elections, to decision making, Nigeria never came
first. The tribe did.
In the motion for independence was the
wall and the handwriting on it. WE ARE NOT ONE.
While some believed the time had come to take our
destiny in our hands, others saw the move as ill
timed. What must be noted is this difference was
not ideology based, it was more in line with the
general feeling in each of the respective regions.
Then the colonial masters settled it, amicably.
Some got autonomy pending the grand
independence while others continued to be under
colonial rule. Why the entity had not simply been
smashed to pieces back then is hard to surmise. It
is incumbent to note that various events, largely of
unpleasant nature had occured from the year 1914
to independence that showed that the union was
incovenient, for all.
Despite the odds,the marriage was
conducted. Britain was the coercive guardian of all
the tribes. And like happy couples, all grudges
were discarded, all rivelled in the moment. For
once, Nigerians felt like Nigerians. But not for
long. As the saying goes, two is a couple, three is a
sin and the unholy matrimony called Nigeria had
more than three parties. The euphoria of an
accomplishment doesn't last forever, you must
move on. Then came the time for business, with it
came the old feelings.
Dogs are dogs, politicians are politicians
complete with all there shortcomings. They
overplay the unnecessary, downplay the necessary.
The captains of Nigerian political ships (there were
more than a ship) didn't let the ethnic factor rest at
independence, they played it alongside there other
jokers. Awolowo SAN for the West, Ahmadu Bello
for the North, Great Zik in the East. Who was a
national figure all Nigerians looked up to? NO
ONE. You might say God, but Nigerians don't even
agree on that point too, or maybe there perspective
of him. Each region was in competition with other,
fiercely. Some say it drove the regions to
development, at an uneven pace! And Nigeria was
supposed to be a single country, so much for that!
Then the politicians pissed everyone
off, including the military. The Igbo officers took it
upon themselves to carry out a cleansing, they
cleaned out the closet. Theirs was left, unwashed.
The first military coup in Nigeria was tribal based,
to a large extent. Am not seeing a country, united.
Am seeing three regions, tied up, divided. Now
what? More plays, drama, no one Northern officer
would take it and they didn't! Merry go round,
merry go round? How do you say merry go round
without the merry? that was it! Then Gowon.
Gowon and the 3Rs, intended to
remould Nigeria back to a single state; to keep
Nigeria one, a task that must be done. But Nigeria
was never one, the Igbos are yet to taste
Presidency since then. When did the discharged
Biafran soldiers finally get there entitlements?
Even till death, Ojukwu never believed in Nigerian
state, rightly. The Igbos and there allegiance to
Biafra justifiably exists till date. The Niger Deltas
would gladly ease out of Nigeria, a passion they
have carried since Oloibiri was discovered. The
Oduduwa race still see Nigeria as the clog in the
wheel of there rapid modernization. Need i
mention what the feeling is in the North?
If ever there was a time Nigerians
discarded the cloak of partisan politics, briefly, that
would be June 12! Most people voted not along
ethnic or religious line but for the best candidate. A
yoruba won in the home state of his rival in the
north, a Muslim-muslim ticket emerged as winners.
Incredible! Then what happened? Like a scene
from a typical nollywood drama, General
Babangida wont have it, some powerful people
were pissed at the idea of Nigeria holding a free
and fair election, albeit, in unity. Nwosu
disappeared, as they say the rest is history. Instead
of finding himself in Aso rock, MKO was locked up
for winning an election.
Fast-Forward to the NADECO struggle
which was more of a struggle by an ethnic group
against injustice melted against it than one for the
struggle of Nigeria. The struggle was that of the
Yoruba against the junta, not Nigerians against
them. Thanks to Indian apples, Abacha kicked a
bucket! That was good news, the battle was being
won. Then Abiola kicked another bucket. There
were many buckets lying around then to be kicked.
The West went wild, very wild. Then
Nigerians needed to pacify the Yorubas, yes, the
country compensated the Yorubas by installing
Obasanjo. This time around, it was not Nigerians
voting for there own leader, it was an installation
ceremony of a farmer. Our current democratic
dispensation was not born of unity but a miraculous
contraption by the military alongside the
constitution, every word in it.
WE THE PEOPLE OF NIGERIA........
Never has there been such people in truth,
especially not in 1999. However we tagged along,
despite the various challenges. Ethnicity continued
to influence appointments, contracts, projects and
employments even in private industries. Even in
educational sector. It is a widespread practice for
indigenes in state owned universities to pay less
than non indigenes, yet both are Nigerians. I
witnessed the deliberate refusal of censors
officiasl from counting a partiular family during the
last censors. Why? They were settlers in South
West and not indigenes. In Plateau and many other
parts of the country, the indigene-settler dichotomy
continues to lead to violent outbursts of rage.
Once was it proposed that there should
be a National indigeneship for all Nigerians. You
are from anywhere and everywhere! You can vote
and be voted for at any state. As promising as the
idea seems, it will not work for the simple fact that
feeling of ethnocentrism cannot be expunged by
law. It is a deep rooted feeling that will prevent
Lagosians from voting Amaechi as Governor, even
if the other option was state of emergency. So will
it be if Fashola contexts in Rivers. So would it be
everywhere. What is the greatest fear on state
police? Victimisation of non-indigenes by the state
police! Nigerians owe allegiance to there tribes
and not Nigeria.
Having established that Nigerians dont
want Nigeria, and owe no feeling of attachment to
the nomenclature, why do we have Nigeria? The
young underaged hawker on the street, the
unemployed graduate, the underpaid workers, the
students standing to receive leture, the man
languishing in jail awaiting trial, the strike loving
lecturers, the people living on less than a dollar a
day and all impeverished people of Nigeria dont
care if there provblems are solved under the name
Nigeria or any other. What they want is result.
They are tired of trying to make Nigeria work,
waiting to get to the promised land when there is
no Moses in sight, how can they find the land.
Why cramp oourselves together as one
nation when all we reap of it is visions and
agendas; Vision 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010,
2015, 2020, 2035, 2050 etc and 3, 5, 7, 10 point
agendas. The only agenda we need is one;
RESULTS! Positive Results! Despite the obvious
failure of the Nigerian experiment, why do we
continue to experiment? Its easy to deduce, like a
group of scientists being funded by a grant to
carryout an experiment, who have realized the
impossibility of sucess in the venture but in other
to continue enjoying the grant they stay busy doing
nothing, raising the hopes of there funders. Such is
the case of Nigerian leaders.
Who are those interested in One
Nigeria; those who benefit from it through unlawful
acquisitions because it works for them. Nigeria is a
lie that is being perpetuated to siphon the oil
wealth of the Niger Deltans and keep so called
Nigerians in perpetual servitude. Having realized
the practical impossibility of delivering the so
called dividends of democracy, our leaders have
settled down to do the possible; exploitation.
Nigeria is a failed state. Its not an
indivisible state it has been painted to be but one
that should infact be divided in other to encourage
accelerated development bourne by true
nationalistic feeling to the resulting countries. The
earlier this is done, peacefully, the better for all.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN