Nigeria At 60: What A Country!

By S.O. Akobe, Esq. and J.E. Usman, Esq.

Nigeria is a Country built on the altar of faulty foundation and deceit. The geographical expression called “Nigeria” is nothing but an assemblage of a people (without recourse to their wishes, of course) who ought not to be joined together as one in the first place. When a Country is founded on a threshold of unreconcilable differences orchestrated by ethnic delusions, the woes of its citizens are visible from the very beginning.

It is not surprising to yours sincerely that instead of progressing or improving as a Country, Nigeria is regrettably known for its retrogressive acceleration right from the very year of its independence. And this is because, the white man’s (British) idea of creating a soveringn entity called Nigeria was not such that can guarantee progressive realities of an ideal nation. The initial idea of creating Nigeria was obviously a self-serving, temporary strategy aimed at consolidating colonial rule with all needed convenience for as long as it (colonialism) lasted; hence the almagamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914. Unfortunately, when the white men (the British) were to hand over to Nigerians, they failed to admit this fundamental truth which goes to the root of the Country’s formation. Had the British admitted the bitter truth behind the facade of Nigeria’s formation, they would have ensured, or at least, advised the almagalmated territories to go their separate ways and become independent sovereign nations. Sadly enough, the British failed, ignored and/or neglected to admit the said truth and obviously feigned ignorance of the very problem they themselves created via the 1914 amalgamation. Perhaps two reasons may be responsible for this. First, the pride of the white men may not have allowed them to concede that the Country they handed over was wrongly conceived and birthed, and secondly, the demand for independence may have seemed to them too early and as such, handing over a wrongly conceived and birthed Country was the best retaliatory gift to bequeath to its ungrateful citizens!

In an article titled, “Why 1914 Amalgamation is Nigeria’s Bane”, published by the Guardian Newspaper of  6th February 2017, a Social Analyst, Ogbo Charles, stated as follows: “Every problem Nigeria has ever faced and will ever face can be traced to that demonic event of 1914 when the British merged the Southern and Northern protectorates into one country that is today known as Nigeria”. He went further to state that, “Britain had only one thing in mind while carrying out the amalgamation: Their administrative and economic convenience. Nothing more. The action of the British can be compared to a man who bought both herbivorous and carnivorous animals from the market and chose to put them in one cage to make it convenient for him to transport them home. This man knew that herbivores feed on herbs and are very harmless and easygoing while carnivores feed on flesh and are most times very aggressive and violent. In other words, the herbivorous animals in that cage might end up as meat for the carnivorous ones even before the man would reach his destination. He knew all these but still chose to put both animals together. Do we need the brain of Albert Einstein to figure out the fact that the welfare of these animals was the last thing on this man’s mind? Rather, all he cared about was getting them all home whether dead or alive without spending extra money for another cage and extra  fare for that new cage”.

Going further, the said Writer concluded that, “Nigeria is many nations forced to remain within an unworkable forced marriage. The amalgamation was borne out of compulsion. That line “one Nation bound in freedom, peace and unity” in our national anthem is one hell of a dirty lie. Where is the freedom? Where is the peace? Where is the unity? I really think we’ve had enough of the rhetoric, the lies, the delusion. It is high time we got down to the real business of paying ourselves the courtesy of being blunt. The “One Nigeria” slogan is one of the biggest organised lies of the century. There is absolutely nothing “One” about Nigeria. If we look at all the happenings in the country since 1914 till date, we will discover that the only thing that binds us together is mutual suspicion of one another”.

We think we agree totally with the above quoted view of the said writer. The 1914 amalgamation is the very foundation of the woes of the entity called “Nigeria”. And because of this, rather than make progress, Nigeria’s voyage as a nation has always been a retrogressive one: one step forward, 99 steps backward! There is no debate that Nigeria fared better in colonial years than it did under military regime. Similarly, there is also no contention that Nigeria fared better under military regime than it does under the current purported civilian or democratic government. That has been the order of the Nigeria story. It is a story of a Country in which its fortunes and potentials diminish year in, year out. A story of a Country in which life becomes meaningless and valueless everyday. A story of political crisis in one breath and communal clashes in another breath. A story of massive blood sheds, kidnapping, religious killings and ethnic animosity, election riggings, corruption and indiscipline. A story of lack of infrastructural development, lack of electricity, lack of portable water supply, lack of good roads, and lack of good healthcare centers. A story of compromised democratic process, absence of rule of law and daily violation of human rights. A story of unemployment, poverty, nepotism, tribalism, and all kinds of vices. That has been the Nigeria story, our story!

Judging from all points of views, we think one would be too modest to certify Nigeria as a “failed State” (you may have to google and know for yourself what a failed State means). If not a failed State, how can we explain the fact that hundreds of people are being killed in Southern Kaduna with little or no responsible intervention by the Country’s security agencies but over forty (40) thousand men of the same security agencies were deployed to Edo State for the recently conducted gubernatorial election (thanks to the people of Edo State who refused to succumb to intimidation)? If not a failed State, how can we explain the fact that the Country’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen.Tukur Brutai who is from Borno State, a State where Boko Haram’s dastard activities hold sway and reign supreme, reportedly threatened to declare a state of emergency in a relatively peaceful Southeast at a time when several lives are perishing in his own homeland at the behest of the brutish insurgents and nothing is commendably done about it under his watch? If not a failed State, how can we explain the fact that obviously rigged elections are upheld even by the Supreme Court of Nigeria and the citizens now run to foreign governments for palliative remedies of securing travels ban or restrictions against the people in power who orchestrated and/or masterminded the thwarting of the electoral process? The list is endless and it is indeed, a sad commentary!

In all fairness, Nigeria represents a radical opposite of an ideal nation. Everything is obviously wrong with the Country. In terms of leadership, our score is zero. Talk about power, education, security, transparency, infrastructural development, accountability, and respect for the rule of law: our scorecard equals to zero! But, we have 100% score in corruption, election rigging/manipulation, insecurity, bad governance, unreasonable and insensitive borrowings, unemployment, high inflation, high cost of living, poverty, religious hypocrisy, insurgency and terrorism.

Nigeria and Nigerians have always had it wrong, rough and tough, but in the history of the Nation’s sojourn from one gory tale to another, the-2015-till-date episode is the height of it all. A blemished man was well packaged and clothed as unblemished and through deceit, obtained the people’s mandate to unseat an unblemished man in the Nigeria’s Seat of Power. Using the deceptive mantra of “change” and having a Redeemed Christian Church of God Pastor who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria as a running mate, Nigerians saw their long-awaited “saviour” in the former military dictator (and 1983 coup leader) from Daura, Katsina State. Of course, they were all wrong in their honest belief as the said “saviour” has turned out to be the very reason for their daily wailings. Between 2015 and now, Nigeria has lost its entire flesh; only its weary bones are left to be bequeathed to the future generation. Naira has depreciated beyond explanation. The Country’s debt profile has risen beyond expression. Our foreign reserve is nothing to write home about. Inflation is very high and this remains unabated. Insecurity and insurgency are gaining momentum day by day. Elections are now won through superior fire power of gun bearers backed up by security agencies at the pleasure of persons who enjoy the cover of incumbency. Human rights abuse and disregard of the principle of law are now the order of the day. Fuel price is arbitrarily hiked. Prices of food and other essential commodities are now above the reach and means of average Nigerians, not to talk of the poor ones. There is hunger in the land and people are suffering everywhere!

This is where we find ourselves right now as a Country at Sixty (60)! But, then, do we have hope? What is the way out? In our humble view, the Nigeria problem cannot be solved except by revolution. We need a peaceful revolution, not war. A revolution that is founded on peace and determination to have an ideal nation with a working system that will be favourable to all. A revolution that would give Nigeria and Nigerians a fresh start for good governance and development. There is the need to change the old order by way of national rebirth. We must rise to bring to reality the change we all earnestly desire. After all, this is our Country and not the property of any individual person.

Finally, as Nigeria clocks 60 on the 1st of October, 2020, we implore the Nigerian Government to take cautious steps to alleviate the sufferings and pains of the Nigerian people. This is not the change they desired for. It is obvious that the current state of things in the Country are very provocative and therefore, capable or having the propensity of stiring the people into unimmaginable action and/or movement. The greatest political mistake any leader could make is to think that he can continue to exercise power and authority over his disgruntled subjects who are already running out of patience. It will surely get to a point when it will become to them a-do-or-die affair, and at that point in time, no degree of intimidation, suppression and/or assault by security agencies including the military, will be able to curtail the people’s resolve for a new order by way of revolution. If it once happened in Lybia, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Mali, to mention but a few, then, it can also happen in Nigeria. A stitch in time, they say, saves nine!

*Solomon Onunoja Akobe is a Lawyer, a Poet, and a renowned Writer/Social Commentator.

*Joshua Enemali Usman is an astute Legal Practitioner, a Political Analyst, and the immediate past National Welfare Secretary of the NBA.