One Nigeria: To Be Or Not To Be? (5)

THE SOUTH IS A COLONY OF THE NORTH.

If after October 1st, 1960, after getting our independence from the British, the north will not allow neither the Yorubas, Ndigbos, Ijaws, Ibibios, Ogonis, Efiks nor other ethnic groups in the south to go their seperate way(s), what this means in essence is that the whole of the south is a colony of the north! And as a colony, the north, our new colonial master, has free and unlimited access to the resources of the entire south. The north, our new colonial master, without any preliminary negotiations, agreements has been stealing or taking hundreds of billions of dollars from the south absolutely for free under the pretext of building One Nigeria and One Nation that we have never subscribed to. Slavery and colonialism, as we have learnt earlier, are the 2 forms of legalised robbery. The major difference between slavery and colonialism is that in slavery, the slave owner did not pay for the labour of the slave. In other words, he got the labour of the slave for free. The slave owner forced the slave to give his labour to him for free. He stole his labour. In colonialism, the colonial master robs you, your ethnic group or country of your land and the mineral resources underneath. He takes them for free without your consent.

The Niger deltans, and the south in general know that they are being robbed of their resources by the north. But the Niger deltans and the south in general are powerless to revolt against the robber because they are her colony. Despite the fact that the whole world know that the north is robbing the south of their resources, nevertheless, have chosen not to interfere because of their own selfish interests or are just equally powerless to help us get rid of the robber. There is no police or international court to report the robber to. This is what I call legalised robbery. A lot of parallels could be drawn between the historical event that took place in the United States on July 4, 1776,the day the US declaration of independence was read, the colonisation of Nigeria by Britain and what has been happening in Nigeria since October 1st till date. As was written earlier, the revolutionalists recolonised African slaves after using them to defeat the British forces. The same thing happened on October 1st 1960. The north recolonised the south after Niggeria got her independence from the British! If you think that stating that the south is a colony of the north is an over statement, then, please answer the following questions:

1. Which region has been ruling Nigeria, or has ruled Nigeria most since independence?

2. Who imposed Obasanjo, a southerner, on us?

3. Which region has an overwhelming majority in the Nigerian Army?

4. Which region are an overwhelming majority of Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) operatives mainly from?

5. Where is Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA) located?

6. In which region is the bulk of Nigeria’s ammunitions stored?

7. Where is retired Major General Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar, the security adviser to Yaradua from?

8. Where is the capital of Nigeria located?

9. Where is David Mark, the Senate President, from?

10. Where was Uwazurike, the leader of MASSOB, a militant group agitating for the independence of the Ndigbos, kept during his incarceration?

11. Where was Asari Dokubo, the leader of NDPVF, one of the militant groups in the Niger delta agitating for independence of the Ijaws, kept during his incarceration?

12. Where are Atatete and Henry Okah, the leaders of MEND, a military group in the Niger delta agitating for the independence, being kept?

13. In what region was Uwazurike’s case heard?

14. In what region was Asari Dokubo’s case heard?

15. In what region are Atatete and Okah’s cases being heard?

16. Which region were all the 3 leading candidates in the April 2007 presidential elections from?

17. Which region are all the former and present ministers of the Federal Capital Territory from?

18. Which region spear headed the 1967-1970 civil war that led to the massacre of more than 3 million Ndigbos, Ijaws, Ibibios, Ogonis and other ethnic groups in the south south?

19. Which region has a free and unlimited access to all the vast resources in the south?

20. Where is Babangida, the dictator that refused to hand over power to Abiola, a southerner, in an election organised by him and considered to be the freest and fairest ever, from?

21. Apart from the Nigerian Armed Forces and State security service, do you know of any other federal government institution that quota system is NOT used in recruiting?

22. Which region produced 100% of the resources that was used to build a new capital from scratch in Abuja?

23. Which region has most states in Nigeria?

24.Which region has the largest number of local governments in Nigeria?

25. Which region is desperate to keep Nigeria one at any cost?

I assume that even a toddler knows the answers to all of the questions above. Now, if you don’t mind, can I ask you a couple of questions more? Do you think that it’s just a mere coincidence that all the answers to the above questions is the NORTH, with the exception of questions 21 and 22 respectively? Do you think that it’s just a mere coincidence that the Nigerian Defence Academhy is located in the north? Do you think that it’s just a mere coincidence that the Nigerian Armed forces and State security Service are practically the only Federal government institutions where quota system is not used for recruiting? Do you think that it’s just a mere coincidence that an overwhelming majority of Nigerian soldiers and state security service operatives are northerners? Do you think that it’s just a mere coincidence that the security adviser to Yaradua, retired Major General Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar, is a northerner? Do you think that it’s just a mere coincidence that Nigeria’s new capital is now in the north? Do you think that it’s just a mere coincidence that a bulk of Niggeria’s ammunitions are stored in the north? Do you still think that it’s just a mere coincidence that all the leaders of various militant groups from the south are trialed and kept in the north? Do you still think that it’s just a mere coincidence that Babangida, alias evil genius, refused to hand over power to Moshood Abiola, a southerner, after his convincing victory in an election organised by him, and regarded as the fairest and freest in Nigeria’s history?

It’s obvious, even to the cynics, that there are just too many coincidences to make us believe that all the above are just mere coincidences. It’s obvious that all the above are well planned and calculated acts by the north to keep on colonising the south. It’s obvious that all the above are well planned and calculated acts by the north that will allow her to have a grip on the south politically and militarily. It’s obvious that all the above are well planned and implemented acts that will allow the north to quench easily any military uprising or attempts by the south to set themselves free. Believe me, recruiting and training of mainly northerners as soldiers and security operatives, and storing the bulk of Nigeria’s ammunitions in the north are not mere coincidences, but well planned acts to give her a ‘substantial’ military advantage over the south in case of an outbreak of another civil war or neutralise any coup that may be carried out by southern military officers. All the above, if we are to be sincere with ourselves, undoubtedly, are attributes or characteristics of a coloniser, and not a partner.

The north, since independence, has never for once acted or behaved like a partner to the south. The north has always acted like a coloniser in all her relations with the south. Believe me, all the above are well planned and calculated acts by the north in order to continue not only robbing the south of her resources but to as well continue holding her to ransom. Believe me, all the above were put in place to guarantee the north’s eternal, free and unlimited access to the resources of the south. Believe me, without all the above in place, it would have been very difficult or practically impossible for the north not only to force all the respective ethnic groups in the south to remain within the border lines drawn by the British as far back as 1884, but to continue having free and unlimited access to their resources. If a robber comes to your house unarmed, all things being equal, you try to over power him, you just don’t sit down, fold your hands and watch him taking away your properties or money. But, if they are many and armed to the teeth, you are powerless. That’s the only situation when they can rob you of your properties and rape your daughters and wives in your presence.

IT HAS NEVER BEEN A PARTNERSHIP RELATIONSHIP, BUT A TYPICAL COLONIAL RELATIONSHIP.

The north has been holding the south hostage since October 1st 1960! The north has been raping the south since October 1st, 1960! It has never been a ‘sincere’ and ‘equal’ partnership relationship. Because in a sincere and equal partnership relationship, you negotiate with your partners about the terms of using their resources. In a sincere and equal partnership relationship, you try to persuade your partners to go along with you on different issues that are of mutual benefits. In a sincere and equal partnership, you take into consideration the economic, political and military interests of your partners. In a sincere and equal partnership, you seek the consent of your partners before taking their resources; you just don’t grab it and assume that it belongs to you automatically and that you are free to take as much as you want and use it anyhow you like. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t fill up the army and state security service mainly with your own people in order to coerce or threaten them. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t grab the resources of your partners to build a new capital from scratch for yourself while they wallow in abject poverty. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t allow only your own people to be the security adviser, Senate president and ministers of FCT. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t insist on becoming the president again at any cost despite the fact that your partners have never for once had the privilege of becoming the president. In a sincere and equal partnership, after ruling the country for almost 40 years, you just don’t threaten your partners that heaven will fall if you are not allowed to be the president again; you give them too the chance. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t ignore the request of your partners to make information about your health available to them. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t take unilateral decisions that satisfy only your own economic, political and military interests at the expense of your partners; you involve them in decision making. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t allow multinational oil companies to pollute the territories of your partners; and if they do, you don’t allow them to go scott free, you punish them severely. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t falsify census results in order to get economic and political advantage over them. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t rig yourself into power. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t dictate to your partners how much of their own resources they are entitled to; you negotiate with them and respect whatever decisions they make. In a sincere and equal partnership, you involve your partners ‘fully’ in negotiations with multinationals on the terms or conditions that their resources will be explored, and give them veto power and the right to take the final decision. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t hang your partner for protesting against the pollution of his land by multinational oil companies and for demanding that you stop stealing his resources. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t hold your partners as political hostages. In a sincere and equal partnership you just don’t start massacring your partners as you did in 1967-1970 because they wanted to end the lopsided and unprofitable relationship the British roped them into; you try to negotiate and persuade instead. In a sincere and equal partnership, you give your partners comprehensive account on how their money is spent. In a sincere and equal partnership, you just don’t tell your partners that some topics are ‘no go’ areas; you discuss all problems with them in order to have a ‘complete’ mutual understanding. In a sincere and equal partnership, you allow the best of the best among you to become the president for the good of everybody or the country. In a sincere and equal partnership, you don’t deceive your partners by first promising them to convey a sovereign national conference immediately you become the president in order to get their votes, and then renege later on becoming the president.

But, in a colonial relationship, the coloniser does not have to worry about sincere and equal relationship with his partners. In a colonial relationship, the coloniser does not have to worry about all of the above. In a colonial relationship, the coloniser pursues only his own economic, political and military interests at the expense of the colonised. In a colonial relationship, the coloniser takes unilateral decisions that meet his own interests to the detriment of the colonised. It’s only a colonial relationship, and not a sincere and equal partnership, that can guarantee the legalised robbery of the colonised. It’s only in a colonial relationship, that the north, the coloniser can take take the resources of the south as much as possible without their consent and any compensation. It’s only in a colonial relationship that the resources of the south are free without any opportunity cost. It’s only in a colonial relationship that the coloniser can spend hundreds of billions of dollars, belonging to the colonised on building a new capital completely from from scratch for himself while the colonised wallow in abject poverty. It’s only in a colonial relationship that the colonial master can negotiate directly with multinational oil companies about the terms of exploring oil and other mineral resources located on the territory of the colonised without involving him. It’s only in a colonial relationship that the coloniser will go to war and start massacering the colonised for wanting to form a seperate country where they can rule themselves and concentrate their ‘own’ resources and not the resources of the coloniser, on their own development. It’s only in a colonial relationship, and not in a sincere and equal partnership, that the coloniser can hold the leaders of militant groups incommunicado and torture them for agitating for the freedom of their people from the coloniser.