THE WATCHDOGS

the illness can only persist.

 

The Sovereign National Conference being advocated should be geared towards rebuilding this single sovereign nation from its collapsing foundation, not to tear the country into several sovereign nations. If we don’t, I'm afraid to think of the catastrophic consequences to the very existence of the country and the horrible effects it would have on the black race, Black Africa and the world at large. 

I was listening to an interview with Chief Richard Akinjide on Channels TV couple of days ago, when he was asked of his views on the 53rd Independence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, if truly Nigerians deserve to celebrate: he replied "yes" and added that Nigeria truly has come a long way as an indivisible entity that needs to celebrate. He was asked if Nigerian leaders have really done well because as it is, it seems we have created bad leaders over the years since independence; Chief Richard replied that our problem in this Nation did not start with the Independence, he added that the blame is not on our leaders but on the colonialist. he said that the Nation Nigeria was founded on a wrong notion, therefore our leaders only had little blame, most of the blames was placed on the forced marriage between the different tribes thus: the Amalgamation of 1914. 

WHY SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE? 

 The call for a Sovereign national Conference can only be because there are problems that needs a solution. The approach to this SNC in order to attain a possible solution is not far fetched.

The Problem

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.”  (Nigeria Council Debate.  Lagos, 1920).  This description captures the problems of today’s Nigeria vividly. The ill-faithed Ad Hoc Constitutional Conference, which got dismissed by Lt. Col. Gowon on November 30, 1966, can arguably be considered the start of demands for a Sovereign National Conference.

Chief Gani Fawehinmi (Late) "The primary duty of the Sovereign National Conference is to address and find solutions to the key problems afflicting Nigeria since 1914 to date. The concern is to remove all obstacles which have prevented the country from establishing political justice, economic justice, social justice, cultural justice, religious justice and to construct a new constitutional frame-work in terms of the system of government-structurally, politically economically, socially, culturally and religiously".

Osazuwa maintained " The Sovereign National Conference will give ethnic nationalities an opportunity to examine the questions that have made Nigeria such a disaster and come up with some answers such as the right of every nationality to have greater control over their resources".

However Dr. Ransome - Kuti sees it as "Long before 1914 when Nigeria was amalgamated, the present space was not a void. People, empires and modes of production existed. The far North was ruled by Hausa Habes which was the home of many tribes, Hausa Magajiya, Abyssinian or of coptic stock. From 900 to 1500 AD. The Hausaland was besieged by political forces from Bornu, the Berbes, Tuyaregs and Arabs. The most formidable was the 1804 Jihad which swept the Habeland, imposed an oligarchy, seized the people and the land until the advent of British rule. The Yorubaland had the Oyo empire which triumphed until about 200 years ago, we also have the Bachama, Birom, Angas, Tiv, Kaje, Nupe, Ijaw, Igbo and numerous others. The merging of the Southern and Northern protectorates in 1914 was accidental so also was the name, Nigeria given to its people. It is important to say that British rule was not forged on negotiations with Nigerians, but negotiations with ethnic nationalities. So also there was no “Nigerian position,” but ethnic nationality positions. The 1960 independence, to our knowledge, was preceded by a curious finding conducted by Henry Willink supported by Gordon Hardow, Philip Mason, and JB Shearer which compiled a report on July 30 1958 now known as the Willink Commission of Enquiry. I advise the senators to read carefully the various positions of nationalities visited by the British agents in compiling their reports. It is of note that every nationality in the space called Nigeria had a position and there was not and will never be a ‘Nigerian position’ except that imposed by the few people in power (www.nigerdeltacongress.com)". 

This view is shared in a published academic work by Major Abubakar A. Atofarati, student, US Marine Command and Staff College (1991/92). and he wrote:

"The Federation of Nigeria, as it is known today, has never really been one homogeneous country, for its widely differing peoples and tribes.  This obvious fact notwithstanding, the former colonial master decided to keep the country one in order to effectively control her vital resources for their economic interests.  Thus, for administrative convenience the Northern and Southern Nigeria were amalgamated in 1914.   Thereafter the only thing this people had in common was the name of their country since each side had different administrative set – up. This alone was an insufficient basis for true unity.  Under normal circumstances the amalgamation ought to have brought the various peoples together and provided a firm basis for the arduous task of establishing closer cultural, social, religious, and linguistic ties vital for true unity among the people.  There was division, hatred, unhealthy rivalry, and pronounced disparity in development” (http://www.africamasterweb.com/BiafranWarCauses.html).

However, SNC-like activity did not start today (and failing) in Nigeria with Obasanjo’s failed so-called National Political Reform Conference (NPRC) of 2005. Forty years before that, on Saturday, January 2 1965, then Prime Minister of Nigeria, “…said today that to avoid bloodshed an urgent meeting of regional representatives should be called to resolve Nigeria’s election crisis…” in response to widening and serious electoral crisis to which the South had reacted with the threat of secession. The meeting or conference never happened, because within the ensuing day, then President Nnamdi Azikiwe, with the aim of preserving one-Nigeria, was intimidated by the North into a compromise, which essentially handed power to the North over the rest of Nigeria. Supposing that meeting of regional representatives had actually happened and they truly tackled the issues equitably then? We’ll never know; but what we certainly know is the catastrophic result of that failure, and it didn’t take long to manifest. That result continues today.