By Ejiogu Enyeribe
All through human history and particularly in societies birthed through revolutionary processes, the world has had to contend with ideologues and hardliners – the political equivalents of religious fanatics, who hold that their worldview or opinion on any issue is the only acceptable view or way, which must or should be followed by all.
However, the world has been able to advance and make great progress because of the huge population of moderates, who dilute and ameliorate the excesses of the hardliners and ideologues.
Moderates are pragmatists who deal with problems or situations by focusing on practical approaches and solutions—ones that will work in practice. They take positions on some issues that are more tolerable or acceptable than would have been the case otherwise.
Nigeria has for long shown forth what George Orwell said: “In the time of universal deceit, speaking the truth is considered a revolutionary act.”
This partly explains the commendation that welcomed what the Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum, and former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof Ango Abdullahi, said recently.
He touched the pulse of the majority of Nigerians in a very positive and forward-looking manner when he threw his support behind the belief long held by many people across the country that the Nigerian state is overdue for renegotiation, given that the 1914 Amalgamation Edict, which was the basis for bringing together the Lagos Colony, the Southern and Northern Protectorates by the British Crown into one political entity that was then given the name Nigeria, expired in 2014, in accordance with edict’s provisions.
This bombshell came when he spoke with journalists at the venue of the national dialogue organized by the Parliamentary System Support Group (PSSG), formed by some members of the House of Representatives, to advocate for homegrown changes that will enhance the country’s governance structure.
Offering his view, Abdullahi said: “Nigeria was born in 1914. It was a product of an Edict by the colonial officials that were largely military, in consultation with a few of our elders, about five or six of them. They include the Sultan of that period. The Shehu of Borno of that period. The Alaafin of Oyo of that period. Obong of Calabar of that period and other names that I have forgotten.
“They sat down and looked at the development that was taking place in colonised areas of Lagos, Southern Nigeria and the North. So by 1914, the colonial masters in Britain wanted to solidify their gains so that they could more easily exploit the colony. That was how they sat down and agreed that they would amalgamate the territories of Lagos, South and North. And the wife of the Governor General at that time was the one that gave us our name, Nigeria.
“In the Edict, if you read it, it was clear that we were being encouraged from various backgrounds to come together and build a country called Nigeria. And our leaders at that time agreed that we will try. But we were advised in the details of the Edict that we should be monitoring progress over the years, but the life of the edict was 100 years, which meant that the Edict expired in 2014, which is 100 years from its formation.
“The question now is that we are in 2024, and this kind of dialogue reminds us that we have a history that started In 1914, and in the conclusion of that Edict, it says if we failed to be a country that we will call our own, and are proud of our country, by the expiration of that period, the various components that were in that amalgamation discussion could go their separate ways.”
His disposition at the PSSG dialogue was clearly an affirmation of his support for restructuring, a notion that has not quite sat well with some other notable voices from the North, who oppose any talk about it or even the breakup of the country.
Being a man of his convictions, Abdullahi has at different times indicated that he is averse to the assertion that Nigeria must remain one indissoluble country, irrespective of its fundamental flaws, whether the component parts like it or not.
He made that clear in an interview published by The Sun in November 2021, when he asked: “Who wrote the constitution of Nigeria? It is the British and we the elite that wrote it. Were we not the ones who did it? And we decided in our own thinking at the time that we should insert certain provisions that Nigeria is indissoluble, is indivisible, whatever, whatever, whatever, as if we were not the ones who created this.
“And we forgot the history of countries that started as one and ended as many. India started as one and ended up as four. Soviet Union, only some years ago was a superpower. They are now 11 countries. So, what is so sacrosanct about any country deciding to take another look at itself and decide what to do? That is why I am amazed at what is unfolding today. That is why I told the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, that I support Biafra when he called us for discussions. He said to me, ‘Prof Ango, what is your view?’ I said, ‘Mr Vice President, with due respect, I support Biafra.’ He was shocked. He said again, ‘You support Biafra?’ I said, ‘Why not?’ He did not expect it from me. This is a people who want self-determination, and the United Nations Charter has made it absolutely clear that people should have the right for self-determination. So, if indeed it is true that Biafrans want to have self-determination by having a separate country out of Nigeria, why not? All we need to do is to work out the modalities and have a referendum as it happened in Sudan. It is very clear.”
Back then, the octogenarian had said that it was “time to decide whether to keep the country together or disband it so that everybody can go in peace.”
It is good, indeed beautiful, that the expression of strong desire for renegotiation of the way forward for Nigeria has once again come from the North. It is to be remembered that following the July 29, 1966 counter coup, the loud chant of “Araba, ba muso; Araba, ba muso” (divide us, we don’t want again; divide us, we don’t want again) was heard on the streets of northern cities such as Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Zaria, among others.
Some people have argued that the North tends to talk about restructuring when the president is not a northerner, arguing that “when a northerner is the president even the uneducated northerner trumpets the all too familiar strain of ‘One Naigeria’!”
However, this is not wholly true because Abdullahi has consistently spoken in favour of restructuring, saying in a December 2020 interview, “North is ready for restructuring,” when President Muhammadu Buhari was in office.
And three years before that, at a gathering in October 2017, Abdullahi while agreeing with the separate, but concurrent positions espoused by Atiku Abubakar (through his representative, Dr. Auwal Anwar) and Aminu Tambuwal on the issue of restructuring said: “Let us go our separate ways. If on the other hand we give credit to the British and our founding fathers (and they deserve credit), and we cannot contain restructuring based on what existed in 1914, we should go back to 1960 when the country operated regions. The North is not afraid of getting our North back.”
Evidently, the geographical entity called Nigeria has essentially operated as a somewhat unwieldy conglomerate of ethnic groups lumped together, and which has defied proper successful management.
Today, the once monolithic North has broken into Northwest, Northeast and North-central, with differing needs and aspirations. In the South of the country, the people of South-south, Southwest and Southeast want out or at least to control their resources and thereby put the effort necessary to develop at the pace they prefer rather than being bogged down by the dictates of a decidedly inefficient, ineffective, costly, profligate pseudo-federal state controlled from one place called Abuja, where quota instead of merit determines policies, as well as the implementation strategy and process.
Therefore, Abdullahi may not be alone in his now amplified thinking, but like they say: the minority will have their say, but the majority will have their way.