Nigeria: To Be Or Not To Be? (Part 2)

“Presently, we don’t want any other country to be part of Russia because for us, it’s an additional and unnecessary burden.”

Vladmir Putin. President of Russia.

excerpt of interview given to American journalists in December 2007.

“We often don’t know what we see everyday.”

Lui Sebastian Merce.

“Wherever the rules of the game makes it very difficult to win, English gentlemen change the rules.”

Harold Lasky.

“…They’ve always said that I’m anti-white. I’m for anybody who’s for freedom. I am for anybody who is for equality. I’m not for anybody who tells me to sit around and wait for mine. I am not for anybody who tells me to turn the other cheek when a cracker is busting up my jaw. I am not for anybody who tells black people to be nonviolent while nobody is telling the white people to be nonviolent. I know I’m in the church, I probably shouldn’t be talking like this- but Jesus himself was ready to turn the synagogue inside out and upside down when things weren’t going right. In fact, in the book of Revelations, they’ve got Jesus sitting on a horse with a sword in his hand, getting ready to go into action. But they don’t tell you or me about that Jesus. They only tell you and me about that peaceful Jesus. They never let you get down to the end of the book. They keep you up there where everything is, you know, nonviolent. No, go and read the whole book, and when you get to Revelations, you will find that even Jesus’ patience ran out. And when his patience ran out, he got the whole situation straightened out. He picked up the sword.

I believe that there are some white people who might be sincere. But I think they should prove it. And you can’t prove it to me by singing with me. You can’t prove it to me by being nonviolent. No, you can prove it by recognizing the law of justice. And the law of justice is ‘as ye sow, so shall ye reap.’ The law of justice is ‘he who kills by the sword shall be killed by the sword.’ This is justice. Now if you are with us, all I say is, make the same kind of contribution with us in our struggle for freedom that all white people have always made when they were struggling for their own freedom. You were struggling for your freedom in the Revolutionary War. Your own Patrick Henry and ‘liberty or death,’ and George Washington got the cannons out, and all the rest of them that you taught me to worship as my heroes, they were fighters, they were warriors.

But now when the time comes for our freedom, you want to reach back in the bag and grab somebody who is nonviolent and peaceful and forgiving and long-suffering. i don’t go for that-no, I say that a black man’s freedom is as valuable as a white man’s freedom. And I say that a black man has the right to do whatever is necessary to get his freedom that other human beings have done to get their freedom. i say that you and me will never get our freedom nonviolently and patiently and lovingly. We will never get it until we let the world know that as other human beings have laid down their lives for freedom- and also taken life for freedom-that you and I are ready and willing and equipped and qualified to do the same…”

Malcom X. Afro-American civil right leader.

excerpt of speech delivered in 1964.

INTRODUCTION.

The question before us is should Nigeria remain as one country? My answer is given the present fraudulent Constitution that deprives bonafide owners the right to the use of their land, mineral and human resources first and foremost for their own development; the political structure and economic relationship, the optimal option, i.e. the best option for the south in general is to break away from the north, and form (an) independent country(ies). Some of the reasons or arguments for taking this position have already been presented in 3 of my articles titled “Nigeria’s 419 Constitution (Parts 1-3) In this multipart article, specially devoted to the continuous existence of Nigeria as one country, I will provide additional and concrete facts, devoid of any emotion, in order to convince beyond any reasonable doubts that breaking away from the north is the best option for the south. My position on this issue is based on 4 major reasons/factors. They include:

I. Historical fact;

II. Economic and self interests;

III. Political pragmatism;

IV. Hypocrisy/insincerity of the north.

GENERAL PERSPECTIVE.

Before going into a detailed analysis of these 4 reasons that prompted me to take such a position, let us first look at this issue together from a general perspective. Let us ask ourselves hypothetical questions. If two people are ‘officially’ married with children, and have lived together for quiet some time, does any of the spouse have the right to terminate the marriage for whatever reason? The answer is obviously YES. Let us ask ourselves another hypothetical question. If a woman is not officially married to a man, but forced to live with him by a third party, who is not related to her in anyway whatsoever, and has children for him, does she have the right to terminate the marriage for whatever reason? If we are sincere and consistent with our answer, it’s obvious that the answer to this question too is YES.

Undoubtedly, there are millions of cases when people were officially married, lived together for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 even 60 years, but eventually parted ways. My next question goes thus: “If we all agree that it is normal for two people, who have lived together (officially or unofficially ) for many years, and with children to part ways, could the same principle apply to countries? Could the same apply to people or ethnic groups who have nothing in common but forced to live together in one country by their former colonial master? Again, if we are sincere and consistent with our answers, the answer here too is obviously YES!

Within the past 20 years, quiet a number of countries have broken up; some peacefully, some violently. The demise of the former Soviet Union, the largest country in the world by landmass, with 11 time zones, made up of 15 republics, took place in a very dramatic way. On December 8, 1991, the presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Bellorussia met and jointly announced the peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union and the formation of a new union called Commonwealth of Independent States (C.I.S). The other 12 republics had no choice but to agree to their decision. The break up of the ‘mighty’ Soviet Union was achieved without a ‘single’ bullet being shot! It was a very peaceful dissolution. Despite the fact that 14 republics became sovereign countries, Russia still retains the coveted status of the biggest country in the world. Czechoslovakia borrowed a leaf from the former Soviet Union. Her dissolution into Czech republic and Slovakia respectively was also peaceful. The two countries maintain excellent diplomatic and economic relationship till date.

Unfortunately, others were not so lucky to part ways peacefully. The Balkans was turned into battle grounds that claimed the lives of millions of the citizens of the former Yugoslavia. The republics that made up the former Yugoslavia engaged Serbia, the biggest and most dominating of the republics in a fierce civil war that lasted for many years. Europe has not witnessed such a brutal war since the end of the second world war. When the heat and pressure became unbearable for Serbia, which was determined to keep Yugoslavia intact at any cost, eventually, she had to succumb to the will of the republics agitating for sovereignty. Consequently, the former Yugoslavia was broken into about 7 sovereign countries which include Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Hetzegovania. Kosovo, on Feb. 17, 2008, after a unilateral declaration of independence in Pristina, her new capital, became the last republic to break away from the former Yugoslavia. Thus, the total and irreversible balkanisation of the former Yugoslavia was completed. Joseph Tito, regarded as the father of the former Yugoslavia, must be turning in his grave by now.

Africa, unfortunately, in this respect, has not faired better too. After a protracted bloody civil war, Ethiopia was compelled to come to terms with the fact that she would be divided into two parts, with the smaller part now called Eriteria. At the time of writing, some African countries including Ivory Coast, Sudan, Zaire etc are still engaged in secession wars.

The next question that we need to ask ourselves is “If all these countries could break up, why can’t Nigeria break up, moreover taking into consideration the fact that the country called Nigeria was ‘carved out’ in Berlin in 1884 by the British without consulting or seeking the consent of the respective ethnic groups that made it up? Why must Nigeria remain one against the will of the ethnic groups in the south? What is so special about Nigeria which is just 15th or 16th by landmass in Africa? Should marriage be by force?

Another question that is very important to ask is “Why do countries break up in the first place? Putting it another way, why would a part of a country want to secede and form an independent sovereign country? What do you think? Can you please try to answer this question before reading on? Well, there are many reasons. A part of a country or an ethnic group may decide to break away because they are being oppressed, suppressed, marginalised, deprived economically, treated unfairly politically and lack a complete sense of belonging.