EDITORIAL

NIGERIA AT 50

When, on the midnight of September 30, 1960 the Union Jack was forever lowered and the Green-White-Green flag of a new Nigeria was hoisted to replace it, Nigeria emerged the following morning an independent and sovereign nation, ready to assume her rightful place among the comity of nations. Expectations were high that the most populous black nation in the world was set to provide a beacon of hope to Africa and the black world.

With her abundant human and material resources, benign and hospitable environment and a plethora of more than three hundred ethnic groups with varying religious and cultural backgrounds, Nigeria was, in 1960, the envy of less-endowed nations as it was thought that a fettered giant had been let loose.

But this optimism proved illusive, for within a space of six short years, the new nation collapsed under its own weight. Fifty years on, the political experiment or the geographical entity called Nigeria is still groping. It is still in the woods - some say it is a failed or failing state, while others call for a complete dismemberment. What actually went wrong?

In 1914, Sir Frederick Lugard 'amalgamated' the two Nigerias - the Northern and Southern Protectorates. This is a forced union of two diametrically irreconcilable entities. Before the amalgamation, the two Nigerias were under two different administering authorities; for where the Northern Protectorate was under the British Colonial Foreign Office, the Southern Protectorate was under the supervision of the British Government.

At this time, the thinking in colonial circles was to have the two Nigerias exist as two separate nations, just like North Yemen and South Yemen; North Korea and South Korea. But the amalgamation was principally made to cut costs and ensure administrative convenience, and never in the interests of the amalgamated components. This remains the bane of the country.

The North, mainly Muslim, has proved to be the real problem of the nation since independence. The South has had to sacrifice almost everything to carry the North along. In 1953 when Chief Anthony Enahoro of the Action Group moved the historic motion that Nigeria became independent in 1956, the North objected, complaining that they were unprepared.

In terms of population, the North has always given out the myth, hallowed by the British, that it was more preponderant than the rest of the country put together. Hence, every attempt has so far been made in all censuses to ensure the demographic dominance of the North. This unfortunately, may continue to be so as long as population remains one of the major yardsticks in resource allocation.

Another danger posed by the North is her intolerant Muslim population. Over the years, the Muslims have proved that Nigeria cannot contain them and others. In 1953, there was a massacre of non-Muslims in Kano. In 1966, there were pogroms in many towns in the North in which Easterners were the target.

This agenda is still being pursued; viz, the Maitasine killings of 1981; the spectre of Boko Haram; the marauding and murdering Fulani herdsmen in the Plateau and what have you. Curiously, no group has ever been indicted for unleashing those mayhems and systematic extermination of fellow Nigerians. With the present state of affairs in the country, no group may ever be indicted till thy kingdom come.

Then comes the almighty oil which was discovered in the South (Oloibiri) in 1957. It is clear to any discernible mind that this resource has mainly been deployed to oil the wheels of progress and development in the North. It is never in doubt what Nigeria would have turned into if the oil was to be mined in the North.

In recent political alignments and permutations, no Southern politician is ever relevant if he does not key in with the North. It is unarguable that the North calls the political shots and the rest of the country are only crumb eaters. This scenario gives rise to such shenanigans as “the dominant political party,” “mainstream politics,” “biggest political party in Black Africa,” and such mind-boggling and puerile idiocy.

However, it is still “morning yet on creation day,” as Achebe would agree. Much havoc has been done on both the nation and the collective psyche of the population. Southern legislators in all their habitats have not been men enough. They can always match their Northern counterparts jaw to jaw. But unfortunately, they have always been more concerned about their purses than their integrity and the welfare of their people.

Even some Southern elite are a disgrace. They are timid and hypocritical. The same goes for the business and merchant class. All of them shamelessly connived, either through silence or active participation in endorsing the 2006 census which gave everything to the North.
There is only one thing to do. And that is to reverse the trend. We all must be men - men in the real sense of the word. At fifty, Nigeria, especially the South, needs only men!