TO KEEP NIGERIA ONE IS A TASK
By Patrick Amaefule
Like many other African nations, Nigeria is an artificial institution initiated by former colonial authoriti
es
which had neglected to consider the dichotomy, religious, linguistic
and ethnic differences. Nigeria, which obtained independence from
Britain in 1960, had at that time a population of about 60 million
people consisting of almost 300 differing ethnic and cultural groups.
The integration and unification as one common structure was made
successful by Great Britain and was designed out of West Africa
containing hundreds of different ethnic groups, calling it Nigeria. The
area was made of many different groups, the three predominant groups
were unarguably the Igbo, which formed between about 60–70% of the
population in the southeast, the Hausa-Fulani, which formed about 65% of
the peoples in the northern part ; the Yoruba, which formed about 75%
of the population in the southwestern part.
The Federation of
Nigeria, as it is known today, has never really been one homogeneous
government, for it widely constituting peoples and tribes of diversified
culture and interest. The easily understood fact notwithstanding, the
former colonial powers decided to bring the deferring groups together as
one in order to effectively control her vital resources for their
economic interests. From the time mentioned until the present the only
familiar thing these groups had was their common name-Nigeria because
each differing aspect had unique administrative ambit and pattern. This
exclusively was an insubstantial foundation for true unity.
A
unification that should have brought various peoples together and
provided a formidable system of proceeding for the tiring task of
establishing closer cultural, social, religious, and linguistic bonds
absolutely necessary for true unity among Nigerians. There was division,
hatred, unhealthy rivalry, and pronounced disparity in development. The
Governor General of Nigeria between 1920 -31, Sir Hugh Clifford,
described Nigeria as “a collection of independent Native States,
separated from one another by great distances, by differences of history
and traditions and by ethnological, racial, tribal, political, social
and religious barriers."
It would be pertinent to digress a
while ,let us consider and try to consider this new force that entered
Nigeria ,The Face Of Provocation From North, popularly known as Boko
Haram .
Ever since Boko Haram opened the Pandora’s Box and from that
moment, the pertinacious paroxysm created by their intermittent attack
on Christians in the North, many, especially Igbos have been wondering
if a common course for unity is still vital as a sole dream to be
actualized by the three most prominent groups that were duly amalgamated
by our erstwhile colonial masters. The true tragedy of the last sixty
years, before and after our independence in 1960 is that the entire
effort has been a monumental depression against the Igbos.
The
faceless face of Boko Haram has swayed for half a decade now causing
pandemonium and has repeatedly showed humiliating footage and cartoons
of the slain Igbos forcing the Igbo community to want to secede, though
Igbos have had a good reputation under the umbrella of Nigerian tunic,
but obviously their tolerance and patience have endured enough
territorial limit even as they have been provoked beyond measure and for
the sake of harmony, wear calmness as clothe but the Northern
militants(Boko Haram sect ) and their sponsors( Northern politicians)
should not misconstrue Igbos endurance as white-livered.
There
is every indication that with only residual power left to the central
government, Nigeria politically has taken a turn for the worse, and
there is truly an obvious possibility of three countries emerging out of
Nigeria unless we must commit ourselves and our entire strength to
finding a viable solution to our national predicament which has not
favoured the Igbos. The entire weight of our national aspiration cannot
be balanced if Nigeria failed to put an end to genocide against the
essential cog (Ndi Igbo) upon which the nation’s foundation all depends.
It is pertinent that I remind us of the mass exodus of over 300,000
Igbos from the North to the East resulting from agitation of many riots
and Igbo killings in August, 1966, a replica to the chains of brutality,
unprecedented bombing and killing of Igbos in the North in this era.
For all it signifies, it is visible form of indifferent believe and
devil’s conduct. It has recreated disaffection and panic, there is
persistent preoccupation in the minds of those victimized, and as Igbos
wake to consciousness, the gap between the regions widens, a wake-up
call for the act of secession rings bell in their ears, unity has
deteriorated, assurgency calls for new sovereignties as Nigeria wears a
look of disintegration, it is approaching a terminal stage.
Sooner than later people must carry their differing culture hoist a flag
of their beloved republic and ostentatious flaunting of tunics that
represent many hues of a common symbol.
‘Nothing will happen in
our nation, in our society which did not first happen in our minds. If
wrong is rampant, if indiscipline is rife, if corruption is the order of
the day, we have to search our individual minds for that is where it
all starts’---Justice Oputa
Sir Hugh Clifford, described
Nigeria as ‘‘a collection of independent Native State, separated from
one another by great distances, by differences of history and tradition
and by ethological, radical, tribal, political ,social and religious
barriers ’’.
The building of Nigeria as a multi – lingual state
will continue to be faulted if the ugly wing of tribalism and
sectionalism of the Northern parents fashioned by many of the political
leader of the North are not detracted. The leaders ride with their
notorious wing, secretly heralding as crest of perpetrators, they are
the sponsors of the Islamists-fundamentalists killers of the fellow
citizens which Igbos are taking the highest extent of loss of lives and
properties.
But civil response of the Igbo seen in the face of
extreme , continual cold blooded murder of Igbos does not make them
poltroon .Nation’s interest has derailed ,its direction has constantly
strayed away from a strong centre towards a formidable union of
differing ethnics groups that proclaim continuity and harmony.
This Federation had an ailment from inception and by January 1966, the bedridden, ailment child broke down.
From independent to January 1966 and to this present day, the
Federation system called ‘Nigeria’, has been in a serious commotion, but
the genocide targeting the Igbo nation put Nigeria in a worse
situation.
Most of the bombing sponsors are from Northern
territories, thus the Northern leaders in particular see it as a
deliberate act to forestall the progress of the present government of
Goodluck Jonathan in order to pave way for the Northerners to reclaim
leadership role. It is a civil coup staged by Northern leaders with
three aims: reduce Igbo population, destroy properties, and a breakup of
the country.
Though the delicate act has swayed, senseless
bombing and killing have spread through the North like wild fire, its
aimless purpose cannot prevail. They have made Igbos appear to hate with
the hatred of a rejected suitor but all along Igbo people have had to
love all the tribes with the consuming affection of a mother’s love for
her precocious child.
Riot and killing of Igbos are the
immediate major cause of the Nigeria-Biafra war which altered the
political equality and destroyed the fragile singleness among the major
ethnic groups. As Igbos prepared to return home with news of continual
brutality and chains of bombing against them, any form of peace
negotiation with Federal Republic of Nigeria, the likes of the one which
Late Lt.col. Ojukwu was called under the auspices of Gen,Ankrah of
Ghana in Aburi, could be fruitless.
It is finished, late Ojukwu
declared in 7 June, 1966, after May incident in North: ‘‘we are
finished with the Federation. It is all a question of time’’. If all the
three differing ethnics groups must coagulate, immediate steps should
be taken to nullify all the degrees of genocide against the Igbo nation.
The highest authority must make all condition suitable for
co-habitation by the three ethnic groups as further means of lowering
tension.
Without this, Igbos are through with the Federation. It is just a matter of time.----Patrick Amaefule
