Ethnic nationalism: Challenges and prospects of a Pan Nigeriana (1)

Nigeriana Ethnic nationalism: Challenges and prospects of a Pan Nigeriana (1) BY PROF TAM DAVID-WEST I consider it logical that in order to know or fashion out the better than now Nigeria, the “Pan Nigeriana,” our eschatology of sorts, we should be aware of where we are coming from, and also where we are today. In this interlocking triad, the last, where we want to be, is of course very much obvious to us. In fact this is why we talk of “Challenges and Prospects of a Pan Nigeriana.” My interest is to invite us to have another look at this much pilloried, much blamed, much-demonized 1914. And here I tend to blame the eggheads, the intellectuals, for also jumping on to the fashionable bandwagon of the demonization of Lord Frederic Lugard. The Nigeria-Britain Association kindly invited me to give their 2003 Annual Lecture. The title of my lecture was, “Fighting with the past: How Africans Underdeveloped Africa.” I posited that in fighting with the past, we continually engage the past in combat. We immerse ourselves with alibis and excuses. We work ourselves into paroxysm of anger, hate, even vengeance. Self Pity. We tilt at windmill like Don Quixote, The Man From Lamancha. On the other hand, in, fighting the past, we engage our unacceptable past shortcomings rationally and circumspectively with a view to having a better than “the past.” I then concluded, “Fighting with the past is wasteful. Fighting the past is useful. And as Winston Churchill rightly said: “If we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” And perhaps also the present. Because we dissipate our useful energies quarreling with the past, and thereby allowing golden opportunities to improve the present to pass us by. My other problem with the Lugard-phobia has to do with selective extraction of who said what about 1914. This is oftentimes tendentious and a trifle intellectual fraudulence. Some even went ahead to say that Lugard had some hidden agenda. He was not sincere. I am afraid I disagree. He was quite sincere. We cannot blame Lugard if we over-read him. We have no strong moral grounds to blame Lugard for our failures. For instance, it was Lord Lugard’s fiancée (some terribly even say “his mistress”) Flora Shaw who in 1897 coined the name Nigeria, being so inspired by the River Niger. She later became Lady Lugard. Seventeen years after the coinage of Nigeria, in 1914, the Northern and the Southern Provinces (Protectorates) were amalgamated for administrative convenience. Quite logical. For instance, it is trite or normal practice among Counsels (Lawyers) to consolidate cases that have essentially common ingredients. Sometimes even the trial Justice will demand so in order to facilitate the judicial process. Lord Lugard, thereby became the first Governor-General of the amalgam, Nigeria. In order words, the “British are the sole creators of the political entity known as “Nigeria” James S. Coleman: In his “Nigeria Background to Nationalism” (1958). There was no pretensions whatsoever about the intensions of Britain or Lord Lugard id est the creation of an amalgam to serve their purpose, “Administrative convenience.” Simpliciter. In chemistry, as we all know amalgam is different from compound. Without being pedantic in an amalgam (alloy) say of “A”, “B” “C” though bound together neither “A” nor “B” nor “C” loses its identity. But on the other hand, if “A” “B” and “C” form a compound, each of them sheds or melts away its original identity and form an indivisible new object, say, “Y.” In this metaphor, compound represents nations, which I now tag “Pan Nigeriana.” In short, it was not Lord Lugard’s mandate or assigned responsibility to forge a Nigerian nation. Thus, there was neither any sneaking “Hidden Agenda” nor insincerity on his part. None. In a recent interview with the Sunday SUN 04 March, 2012 page 5, Richard Akinjide, under the caption, “The British conspiracy,” stated inter alia, “Lord Lugard deliberately created things so North will be dominant and South subservient.” This is arrant nonsense. It is like many other obsessional anti-Pan Nigeriana stereotypes of the South, spins the truth on its head. An objective dispassionate analysis of the records will debunk Akinjide and people like him. Let’s for the sake of argument, and for that alone, accept that there was British anti-South conspiracy. Question: Why has the ‘victim’ South not been able to correct it even after some 100 years after Lugard? And much earlier, some couple of years ago, a Briton who claimed to be an administrative officer during our colonial era also subscribed to the Akinjide, nay the south, “Conspiracy theory.” All nonsense. I believe in objective non-sentimental analysis of our socio-political problems. No stereotypes. No pre-conceptions. As a research scientist, I don’t presume. I don’t work from answer to question. For instance, when Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto insisted in 1950 that the North must get 50% of the Central Legislature or it will secede. We South shouted foul! Some still believe that the North was over pampered. However, time has vindicated the Sardauna as a better expert in demography. For instance, all the National Population Census after Independence still gave the North even more than 50%. The Sardauna could therefore be said to be generous. Example: 1953, North 53.8% 2006, North 53-6%. (South, 46.4%). It should be emphasised that some of these post-Independence census were chairmaned by southern elites. And the Census Boards were loaded with southern demographers. Professors of Geography etc. I take special interest in this because Pan Nigeriana is sometimes put on a rugged road because of disinformation from some southern intellectuals about the population of the North vis-à-vis the South. We did (still doing!) the same thing by the obsessional so-called Northern domination. Again, words, words. No structured research. In my “Northern Domination: Myth or Reality,” I challenged it (The so-called ‘Northern Domination’) with facts and figures. No counters. Chief Richard Akinjide, SAN also goofed in the Sunday SUN interview. That “A Sovereign National Conference presupposes that there is no government in place functioning in the country.” Implication? That Government or Parliament, or National Assembly is “sovereign.” This is embarrassing fallacy. Sovereignty belongs to the people. The (our) Constitution is quite unequivocal. People in government are mere trustees. Akinjide and I were among the so-called “50 Wise Men” who drafted the 1979 Constitution – a template for the 1999 Constitution. Benin Republic under President Mathieu Ahmed Kerekou had a Sovereign National Conference in 1990. There are more examples of Sovereign National Conference during extant or existing governments. “Britain did not consciously plan to create an independent Nigerian nation when it established Nigeria’s boundaries, developed a common administrative system; constructed a common transportation grid and a communication network; introduced a common currency; a lingua franca and an educational system; and recruited a corps of Nigeria clerks and artisans who developed Pan-Nigerian perspectives and aspirations – all were simply requisite to the administration of an arbitrary chunk of an overseas dependency.” In: Nigeria, Background to Nationalism” by Professor James S. Coleman. “If the amalgamation of 1914 was aimed at a political fusion of the North and the South, it did not have the objective of building a united state, nor did the British envisage, by the remotest of imagination, that a ‘nation’ would emerge from the ‘geopolity’ ’’ J. Isawa Elaigwu. Did Britain ever envision a united Nigeria or Pan Nigeriana or was it the often quoted and sometimes orchestrated mantra: “Divide and Rule”? From the records, I will once again be somewhat intellectually different. Controversial? I will for instance argue what some may tend to say arguable that in fact British scepticism (sometimes even cynicism) about the possibility or probability of Pan Nigeriana started when our leaders with the historical responsibility to forge a nation or United Nigeria got themselves immersed in regional or sectional rivalries. And these were sometimes very bitter and terrible indeed. Hence, James S. Coleman in his opus “Nigeria, Background To Nationalism” captioned his Chapter 15 appropriately: “The Regionalising of Nationalism.” A good example was from Margery Perham. In 1937 she wrote: “Among many doubts and uncertainties, however, one thing is certain, that it is both our duty and our interest to assist the Africans of Nigeria to build a sound united state.” But after some ten years, doubts began to creep in. This was manifest in her Forward to Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s book, “Path to Nigerian Freedom” (1947) in which the much quoted Awo’s “Nigeria is a mere geographical expression….” was printed. The same Margery Perham, this time around, wrote: “….the day when Nigeria from being a name written on a map by Sir George Goldie and an administrative framework put together by Lord Lugard, becomes a true federation, still more a nation, is still far away.” Raymond Leslie Buell, a strong Afrophile, shared Perham’s doubts. I repeat based on our leaders fighting like Kilkenny cats. He gave us a century from 1948 to achieve Pan Nigeriana i.e. 2048. Terribly pessimistic? No. Remember the United States Intelligence Apocalypse of 2015. The Report stated that Nigeria or a wobbling Pan Nigeriana will quench in 2015. But curiously it did not explicitly state, only by extrapolated implication: “To your tents O! Nigerians” But are the ethnic tents themselves insulated from atomised bickering? I am too sure. In fact, the probability is robust that there are bound to be more internal fights, which are likely to be dirty than the previous. Some more of the British positive expectation: “From 1948 on, Governor Macpherson spoke repeatedly and emphatically in favour of united Nigeria, on many occasions publicly deprecating manifestations of disunity and tribalism among Nigerian political groups.” In his Notes to chapter 15, Coleman, cited a letter written by the Secretary of State for the colonies, James Griffiths, to Governor Sir John Macpherson: “any tendency to break up Nigeria into separate parts would in the view of His Majesty’s Government be contrary to the interest of the peoples of all three Regions and of Nigeria as a whole.” He was favourable for a strong Central Legislature and Executive. From 1960 to 2012 is 52 years. I therefore argue that if even after one Century after Lugard, and if even after half a century after Independence, we are still bickering over Political Order, Modus vivendi; or in fact if integral corporate Nigeria should not cease to exist then we cannot as a people lay any claims to seriousness.

Nigeria 2nd Most Corrupt Nation —Gallup Poll

The perception of Nigeria’s government seems to have crashed further, with most Nigerians rating their country’s leadership as the second most corrupt in the world, a Gallup poll just made public has revealed. Gallup, in its first-ever report on “Global States of Mind: New Metrics for World Leaders.”, said 94 percent of Nigerians believe there is widespread corruption in government. The poll shows that in the world, only Kenyans believe their government is more corrupt. About 96 percent of Kenyans said there is widespread corruption in their government while only five percent of Singaporeans said their government is corrupt. Singaporeans believe their country is the least corrupt in the world. Gallup said last year’s revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt where GDP was rising, shows that world leaders need more than just GDP and other traditional economic metrics to run their countries. “Economic data are becoming less and less valuable because they tend to be outdated by the time they are made available. More significantly, GDP is less valuable because leaders now need to know much more than what people are spending — they need to know what they are thinking; GDP isn’t enough if you are watching for instability,” said Jim Clifton, Gallup Chairman and CEO. “All institutes worldwide knew GDP was rising in Tunisia and Egypt. They knew what 11 million Tunisians and 80 million Egyptians were buying and selling — but they didn’t know what they were thinking,” Clifton added. Clifton said GDP isn’t enough if leaders are trying to figure out levels of hunger, hopelessness, or suffering, adding that the United Nations did not see those revolutions coming, neither did the World Economic Forum (WEF), nor the World Bank. “The U.S. spends tens of billions on intelligence— and it missed those revolutions too,” Clifton said. Gallup’s World Poll spans more than 150 countries, territories, and areas, annually capturing what more than 98% of the world’s adult population is thinking on topics from basic needs to job creation. Gallup’s World Poll data set now includes more than 1 million interviews conducted since the research initiative started in 2005. Respondents were asked questions on law and order, food and shelter, institutions and infrastructure, good jobs, wellbeing, brain drain and quality GDP growth

Obasanjo Warns Jonathan: Revolution Is Coming!

Unless the government of Nigeria takes urgent steps to arrest the menace of youth unemployment and poverty, it is a certainty that Nigeria will see a revolution soon.
This dire prediction was made at the weekend by the country’s former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, in a speech at a West African regional conference on youth employment in Senegal, sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the African Development Bank.
The former president said that the rate of youth unemployment in 1999 when he assumed office was 72 per cent, but was reduced to 52 per cent [by his government] in 2004, only to rocket up again, to 71 per cent by 2011.
Obasanjo, who left office in 2007 after eight years, declared he fears for the future of Nigeria.
“I’m afraid, and you know I am a General. When a General says he is afraid, that means the danger ahead is real and potent,” he told the conference.
He said that the unemployment menace is responsible for the social crimes being perpetrated by various categories of youth, categorizing three of them as Area Boys, Yahoo Boys and Blackberry Boys.
Obasanjo, who is himself often accused of being behind some of Nigeria’s most severe problems, including the same unemployment predicament and foisting bad successors on the country, accused the current government of lacking “serious, concrete, realistic, short and long term solution” to youth unemployment.
He drew attention to doctorate degree holders who were recently found to have applied for jobs as drivers at the Dangote Group as an example of the problem, saying the patience of the youth will soon reach its limit.
Delving into the genesis of the crisis, he said that government officials in Nigeria talk of growth but not development, a phenomenon he said has led the rise in poverty levels.
He urged national leaders to create incentives that will encourage entrepreneurs to flourish, particularly in agriculture, a sector in which he called for special attention to agriculture as business as opposed to mere farming.
The former president, who has been largely successful in agriculture, although Nigerians say he took advantage of his position in government, called for easy access to land and micro credit, as well as a review of school curriculum for undergraduates to spend an additional year in school to learn entrepreneurship.
Obasanjo’s remarks are guaranteed to lead to harsh criticism in Nigeria because he single-handedly put into play the machinery that put President Jonathan, whom he is criticizing, in power.   In addition to Jonathan’s incompetence, the current government is also known to be very corrupt, an ailment Obasanjo studiously avoids talking about

Nigeria at 50: What does Naija means

  Nigeria at 50

The word Naija aptly captures the variety of emotions I feel for my country, especially as it celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence.

We Nigerians are confident people - proud of our culture and identity, industrious, hard-working,

The word was coined by the country's youth as a way of distancing themselves from the old guard”

BBC's Peter Okwoche

Let's face it, we need to be resilient - Nigeria can be extremely frustrating, annoying and inefficient.

But an optimistic outlook on life makes it a place where anything and everything is possible.
No wonder a survey once found that Nigerians are the happiest people in the world - we have a great capacity for laughing at ourselves.
Whether things are going well or whether it seems the world is about to come to an end, "Naija!" -also written 9ja - expresses it all.
It is about the food, the flamboyant dressing, the mannerisms, the boisterous - some say loud - interaction among complete strangers who on meeting immediately feel bonded by their "Naija-ness".
Like your family, you love them and you hate them at the same time.
You love them so much you would die for them, and yet you get so exasperated at the way they drive you up the wall.
And for the young, the word has entered their slang - spreading rapidly through social networking sites and through music.

Nigeria profile

After lurching from one military coup to another, Nigeria now has an elected leadership. But the government faces the growing challenge of preventing Africa's most populous country from breaking apart along ethnic and religious lines.

Political liberalisation ushered in by the return to civilian rule in 1999 has allowed militants from religious and ethnic groups to pursue their demands through violence.
Thousands of people have died over the past few years in communal attacks led by the al-Qaeda ally Boko Haram. Separatist aspirations have also been growing, prompting reminders of the bitter civil war over the breakaway Biafran republic in the late 1960s.

At a glance

• Politics: People's Democratic Party (PDP) has dominated since the return to civilian rule in 1999. The al-Qaeda-aligned Boko Haram armed movement is conducting an insurrection in the mainly Muslim north
• Economy: Nigeria is Africa's leading oil producer; more than half of its people live in poverty
• International: Nigeria plays a prominent role in African affairs; has withdrawn troops from oil-rich Bakassi peninsula to settle border dispute with Cameroon

The imposition of Islamic law in several northern states has embedded divisions and caused thousands of Christians to flee.

The government is striving to boost the economy, which experienced an oil boom in the 1970s and is once again benefiting from high prices on the world market. But progress has been undermined by corruption and mismanagement.
The former British colony is one of the world's largest oil producers, but the industry has produced unwanted side effects.
The trade in stolen oil has fuelled violence and corruption in the Niger delta - the home of the industry. Few Nigerians, including those in oil-producing areas, have benefited from the oil wealth.
In 2004, Niger Delta activists demanding a greater share of oil income for locals began a campaign of violence against the oil infrastructure, threatening Nigeria's most important economic lifeline.
Nigeria is keen to attract foreign investment but is hindered in this quest by security concerns as well as by a shaky infrastructure troubled by power cuts.

The New Jonathan Campaign Headquarter

The New Jonathan Campaign Headquarter Dr. Goodluck Ebelemi Jonathan has initiated the final stages of his 2015 presidential re-election campaign. According to the information, the President has secretly set up an office space in Utako district of Abuja manned by the controversial Habu Fari, a former chief of staff to Bamanga Tukur, the national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party [PDP]. The information indicates that the selection of Habu Fari may have perturbed a few stakeholders within the PDP. Habu Fari is said to have begun work at the new office – along with his an assistant - Alhaji Aminu Yakudima, a Borno State politician who served as Special Assistant to Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo as PDP Chairman. According to published reports, the Campaign Office is to work with the office of the Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe. Okupe, on his part, has employed the services of seasoned journalists to assist in the anticipated media war. One of the new addition include, Malam Nasir Zahraddeen, a former Deputy President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists [NUJ] who retired recently as an Assistant Director in the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA. Already, the publisher of an online publication [pointblanknews], Jackson Udeh was hired as a personal assistant to Doyin Okupe. Meanwhile another source within the presidency has revealed that it appears the presidency may be involved in a multi-pronged approach to the upcoming 2015 presidential election. The source stated that another veiled Campaign office was opened at Wuse zone 2 in Abuja three months ago - headed by Prof Adeniran.

Mama Nigeria, letter to you.

Mama Nigeria, letter to you.

by Prince Okey Emezu on Wednesday, 13 July 2011 at 17:40 ·

Mama Nigeria, we are waiting to see what you will look like before the end of 2015. You see the whole world is making jest of your children all over the world. In Europe the Police treat your as a common sla...ve and they tell us if u don't like what we doing go back to your mother, she  is a big and has  large mineral resourses. Mama, please  is this true, do you  realély have this minerla resourses as they say. Every where we go they subject us to undue and extream scruteny. I wish uyou are here to see what they do to us every day. This because there seems to be no one to fight for us. The poeple you commited our wellfare into there hands are doing northing about this. Can you please mama tell them to stand up andhelp us. Mama, how i wish, how i wish u are here. You  first  son Jonathan Goodluck is bubling with luck, plaese mama tell him to estend this good luck to all of us. Mama WE love you. May God help your children. Please dear mama don't forget to tell the boko harams to leave their brothers alone. tHANK YOU Mama. God bless you as you do your best to make us smile. Yess we can smile even across this atlantic , i mean across this mediterenian. We have cried enough, year after yrea all we see is teas even in your own  house. Home and abroad the story is the same mama. is time for chenge . mama , how i wish u are here.