By Felix Oragwu
The above worrying Situation is why a National Dialogue of over 200 ethnic Nationalities, comprised in Nigeria,is very imperative to determine Terms of their living together in peace, unity and progress and the Outcome of which a National Dialogue is a “make or break” for Nigeria as a Nation State. I have also to disagree with People, who say that all Nigeria’s Problems of Political Instability are due to “the Mistake of Amalgamation” in 1914 of over 200 differing and distinct ethnic Nationalities to set up Nigeria as a Nation State. This is because it is “ Amalgamation” that made United States of America (USA) a big and most powerful Nation on earth, USSR a second most powerful Nation on earth and United Kingdom (UK) of Great Britain a great and formidable Colonial Power in Europe. Nigeria with its large population and talented human resources, huge natural resources and large geographical space can be a great power at least in Africa.
However USA and UK respectively came into being through a strategy of negotiated terms of Union in the case of USA of America States who are all immigrants from Europe, Asia and Africa, respectively, but who found themselves in North America originally owned by what is now history called the Red Indians, and in the case of UK of Great Britain is also through a negotiated Union of independent Nations of England, Scotland and Wales living independently in one big Island called Britain, which through the resulting Treaty of 1707 brought UK into being.
What I believe is the “Mistake” in the case of Nigeria is the strategy of “forced Amalgamation” in 1914. Britain herself to her credit as a Colonial Power later realized her “mistake” and corrected it in 1951, when she organized a National Conference of representatives of Nigeria’s over 200 constituent ethnic Nationalities led by Alhaji Ahmadu Bello leading the Northern Nigeria’s Group of Nationalities (now the 19 Northern States), Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe leading the Eastern Nigeria Group of Nationalities (now the South East States, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwibom and Cross River States, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo leading the Western Nigeria Group of Nationalities (now the 6 South West Sates, Edo and Delta States) respectively, in Ibadan, Western Nigeria for a negotiated Federation in 1951 to make Nigeria a true Federation, which sustained Nigeria in relative unity, peace and progress from 1952-January 15, 1966 until Nigeria, by Military Fiat, jettisoned and disbanded the well worked out Terms of Nigeria Union by our Founding Fathers in 1952 to now introduce a destructive Unitary Administration. Let me end this Rejoinder with a brief explanation of the Concept of “true” Federalism that operated in Nigeria from 1952-1965 but which is not now well understood by our new Leadership Political Elite.
The Federating Regions or Units (Northern, Western and Eastern Nigeria Regional Governments) were fully responsible and in control of their land, natural resources, education at all levels of their respective citizens, economic/ industrial production, etc.,and operated at their own pace and factor endowments. They contributed through their respective export Revenues to National Revenue Pool or Wealth. The Federal (Central) Government had responsibility only for Common Services and had no export Revenue as it was only limited to a Capital Territory then in Lagos and therefore could contribute little to the National Revenue Pool or Wealth as it has no production base or activities. This means that the Wealth of the Nation must come from the Federating Units and each Federating Unit got its allocation from the National Revenue Pool or Wealth after deduction of what was required to run the Federal Government exactly in proportion to the contribution of each Federating Regional Government to the National Revenue Pool or Wealth.
This is what assured accountability,peace and economic productivity in the Nation. Each Federating Regional Government had to work hard and diligently to improve the education of its citizens and has to develop its capacity for the exploitation of its natural resources and industrial production base so that it can compete effectively with other Regional Governments in export of raw materials and industrial goods. That capacity is mostly possible through (a) high quality education at all levels for all its citizens and (b) Science and Technology (S&T) activities in order to improve its economic / industrial production base. Here S&T refer to education in the disciplines of S&T (namely Physical, Biological, Engineering, Agricultural and Medical Sciences), scientific research, Research and Development (R&D) of the output of research or inventions into industrial goods and technical processes (namely technologies), mass production of technologies, and technology innovation (that is modification and upgrading of existing technologies)to produce new technologies.
Technologies here refer to modern equipment, machines, engineering tools, measuring and control instruments etc. In 1954 National Revenue Allocation based on contributions by the Federating Regional Governments to the National Revenue Pool or Wealth, Western Nigeria (now South West States and the States of Edo and Delta) had the largest revenue allocation of 45 million pounds Sterling, Northern Nigeria (now 19 Northern States) got 35 million pounds Sterling, Federal(Central) Government got 30 million pounds and Eastern Nigeria(now South East States , Rivers, Bayelsa, AkwaIbom and Cross River States) got 10 million pounds Sterling, the lowest allocation of that year.
Western Nigeria highest allocation was reported to be due to the vision and leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo who led Western Regional Government, which saw education of its citizens as a critical instrument for economic development and which set up industrial Estates for modern industrial production and went ahead to give its citizens free education and massive scholarships for higher education in and outside Nigeria in addition to setting up industrial Estates in Ikeja, Illupeju, Apapa then not under Federal Government, and Ibadan and made enormous economic achievements.
Eastern Nigeria Regional Government under the leadership of Dir. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Dr. Michael Okpara immediately after 1954 followed Chief Awolowo’s example and set up University of Nigeria Nsukka with emphasis on all aspects of Science and Technology and Professional courses including Economics, Land Economics and Mineral Studies, then unknown in the University College, Ibadan, to facilitate the development of Eastern Nigeria’s economy. The Eastern Nigeria Regional Government also established Industrial Estates at Enugu and Port Harcourt in order to compete effectively with Western Nigeria Regional Government in export of raw materials and industrial goods and by 1964 leapfrogged from the least Federal Revenue allocation of 10 million pound sterling in 1954 to be the fastest growing economy in West Africa.
The Northern Nigeria relative economic and industrial underdevelopment in spite her huge natural resources potential, is credited primarily to theinitial denial of modern education to her people by her then Political Leadershipand or rejection of what is referred to as “white” man’s education which left the mass of her population mostly without modern education at all levels of education, and modern education is a critical instrument of modern economic development, prosperity and modern economic progress. During the period 1952-1965, however there was accountability in Government, there was little corruption as any person found corrupt had a most harrowing, humiliating and devastating sanction, there was nothing like Federal character or quota nor cries of marginalization by any ethnic Nationality group, the phenomena that began in 1970, following the Military dismantling of the Terms of Nigeria’s Union of 1952- 1965. Every Regional Government was seen to be in robust and in healthy competition with each other, worked hard to improve the lot of its respective Citizens because every Federating Regional Government knew that no other Federating Government owed her a living.
There was very little support from the Federal (Central) Government which was itself struggling to meet its own responsibility of Common Services for the Nation with its own allocation from the National Revenue allocation and with no other source of revenue except from the taxes of Nigerians working for the Federal Central Government. There were no “turn by turn” political fights to control and or little agitation to grab the Federal (Central) Government. This Federal Structure arrangement is what the country should aim at so that the aspirations of Nigeria at Independence in 1960 should be realized, namely, “ a united , strong and self-reliant nation,a great and dynamic economy, a just and egalitarian society, a land full of bright and full of opportunities for all its citizens and a free and democratic society.” In summary,
(1), It is necessary for Nigeria’s Elite in Politics and in Government to stop denying the above stated True Causes of Nigeria’s endemic Political Instability, and come to terms with them and try to understand and appreciate that the Politics of Ethnicity is a serious Challenge to Nigeria’s continuing existence as a Nation State, that the Politics of Religion is dangerous and fatal to the survival of Nigeria as a peaceful and united Nation State and that the Politics of dichotomy of the so called Moslem North and so called Christian Southis a Delusion. All these are well indicated by the Republic of Sudan which have now split into Arab Moslem North Sudan and Christian / Animist South Sudan and thereafter South Sudan,itself,is now being seriously threatened by a fatal Ethnic Nationality Conflict into two separate Nations.
This is a serious warning to Nigeria’s Political Leadership Elite of what the Fate of Nigeria will be, if we do not restructure into a consensus Federation. Therefore,in my view, without a consensus National Dialogue of all the constituentNigeria’s ethnic Nationalities to determine how they wish to live together in peace and real unity, any future Election in Nigeria including the on-coming 2023 Election without a National Dialogue, to voluntarily agree on how the diverse ethnic and religious peoples comprised in Nigeria can live together in unity, peace and progress or go their separate ways peacefully, is an Exercise in futility.
The Experience of Adaka Boro insurgency of February 23, 1966, the COR States agitation in Eastern Region of Nigeria, the Political Crisis in 1964 in Western Nigeria Regional Parliament and the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War of 1967-1970, respectively, will serve as an icing on the Cake. These go to show, that attempts at forceful Secession, cannot be the way to go, and consequently,in my view, all ongoing agitations and or emerging secessionists movements remain a costly exercise in futility and whatever happens Nigeria must not be allowed, for the sake of Africa, to fail or disintegrate into its component parts.
(2) The Leadership of the ethnic-Nationalities comprised in Nigeria by their Statements / Actions must be seen at all times to contribute to the Achievement of the lofty Goals and Aspirations of our three Founding Fathers ( Sir Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chie Obafemi Awolowo ) at the time of Nigeria’s Independence in 1960, namely, a “United, Strong and Self-reliant Nation, a great and dynamic Economy, a just and egalitarian Society, a land full of opportunities for all its Citizens and a free and democratic Society”, and finally,
(3) Nigeria’s Leadership Elite in Politics and in Government may wish to deeply reflect on the immortal Words of Chinua Achebe,an Internationally acclaimed Novelist of “Things Fall Apart”, namely, “The Problem of Nigeria is LEADERSHIP” References for further Reading: (1) UK of Great Britain, Treaty of Union (Federation), 1707 of England, Scotland and Wales,all domiciled in specific Sections of the Big Island, called, Great Britain (2) Canada (a Federation) established by a Treaty of Union of English Speaking Americans and French Speaking Americans who want to retain Allegiance to their respective Mother lands (UK of Great Britain and France respectively, following the American War of Independence from Europe, who crossed over the Niagara Falls to form the Canada Federation. Canada is an American Red Indian Word for “Union”, and (3) See also Epilogue Two of my above Book on “S&T Innovations in Biafra”, dealing with “Auditing The Nigeria’s Army’s Intervention in Politics” for more Information.
• Felix N.C. Oragwu. FSAN, / Corporate Life Member,(MInstP), of the Institute of Physics (IOP) London, England from1971.
