RESTRUCTURING AND THE FEAR OF SECESSION
- J. Gilbert
At the 2014 National CONFAB, the North had its message there summarised as "Anything but not to divide Nigeria." Otherwise, every other angle of negotiations were simply acceptable, given that both majority and minority will have a sense of belonging in a true federal Nigerian nation state. Six years after, the over 10, 000 page document still lies at the dusty nook of some executive office! It will then imply that the nation is no doubt at a crossroads with the turn of events.
At the heart of the marginalization shouts is no doubt the Igbo nation and other minorities. This fix has its history just like the Nigerian state. In its perhaps the firmest and sternest defense till this day is the Ikemba Nnewi and Eze Igbo Gburugburu , Dim Chukuwemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. In an exclusive interview with the Legendary Eric Osagie, a master of the pen profession before his demise, Ojukwu will blow hot thus: " The Igbo with their feet have already voted for Nigeria. They are living all of the place. They are carrying out their businesses all over the place. They are not afraid of being Nigerians..." He will go further to ask why Ndigbo was being accused needlessly? " Now, there are a lot of people who, out of crass opportunism, will like to hold the war against Ndigbo and that, sooner than later has to stop. We have to stop it. Because, really, the North has talked about secession more than Ndigbo. Remember, they even chose to delay independence .Why don't we, many years later continue to doubt their purpose? The Yoruba have also, at every conference held, come out quite clearly, wanting, opting for their own state and so on. Nobody uses that against them.But against the Igbo, it is to put it before them and silence them."
Being a warlord, he is by that very fact, many things to many people; hero or villain, depending on which side of the divide one is. But the very issues Ojukwu raised are in need of attention now, more than ever. In the North, the commentary is that nobody is afraid of secession.But to talk about it merely is incriminating. They love to make boast of fertile and arable land and even "crude oil", enough to cater for its needs and economy. The North again cannot seem to understand how the Igbo man is being marginalised, seeing that they have landed assets all over the place all over the North and well established businesses while on the one hand, in Onitsha and Aba, the Hausa man hardly qualifies to rent a shop to do business let alone, building a mansion there. In reality, this is further justification of Ikemba's claim that Ndigbo have voted for Nigeria with their feet. For the Hausa man, it is a matter of choice than a question of resilience.
Few days to the commemoration of independece on the 1st of October, 2020, the debate became more intense as the Oduduwa and Biafra "people" found a formula on anti-Nigeria protest demanding their version of independence. In truth, readers of the signs of time have said all of the events in the build up are not unconnected to the issues of 2023 presidential election, that they all seek relevance seeing the North, judging by its body language is unwilling to make way once its 4+4 equals zonning.
Barring restructuring, a term successive Nigerian governmnents have feared including the Buhari administration, and the willigness to zone the presidency by any of the two main political parties, we may not see a divided Nigeria in terms of geographic dichotomy, but the very soul of the nation cannot remain the same. Why would a country like Nigeria choose dominant federalism over a corporate one and continue to cling to it even when it proves unworkable? If Nigeria's existence is about justice and fairness, restructuring is the way to God. Moreso, the regions do not fear secession. Why then is restructuring a nighmare?
No comments:
Post a Comment