By Eke Eke
“There is no surer way to inflict mankind with hatred – brute, blind, virulent hatred – than by splitting it into ethnic groups or tribes.” – Ayn Rand
I have approached the Nigerian issue purely from the point of reason and refused to allow ethnicity or religion to sway my view. This is because of my firm believe in individual freedom and rights, rule of law, equality and justice.
I made the case that, if the constitution of Nigeria was fair and respected in every part of Nigeria, that it is best for Igbos and all the other ethnic groups to remain in Nigeria. Indeed, I love Nigeria and would like it to continue to exist as a nation.
I also argue that if it is possible to guarantee the rights of every Nigerian in every part of Nigeria and make it unlawful for Nigerians to be discriminated against on the basis of ethnicity or religion and the federal government support even development that Igbos and other ethnic groups should remain in Nigeria.
However, I know that none of the above positions is possible because of some irreversible steps the north have taken and continue to take. Unless of course the north is willing to take Islam out of its politics and allow eastern region to develop at its pace without the current policy to limit and retard its development.
Therefore, it is illogical to expect a people to put up with injustice in order to sustain a union. This is why I support restructuring of Nigeria by way of a renegotiated Union and possible independence for different regions, if the minimum condition for nationhood cannot be achieved, after it, for the following and more reason: because.
- The way Igbos and Igbo region have been discriminated against, marginalised and systematically underdeveloped in the last 50 years by successive Nigerian governments. Money from oil in south east built Abuja, good roads and rail network in north and west and nothing in the east. Airports and sea ports in south east has been systematically undeveloped, whilst those in other part of the county have been developed.
- The entrenched sectarian attitude of the north which culminated in declaring sharia law in its region
- The domination of most important positions in Nigeria by northerners.
- The fact that no non-Muslim can be truly free in any country with Muslim majority or under Islamic law.
- It is not in the nature of Islam to tolerate differences because it has one formula, which it has consistently applied over the ages, confront, conquer and dominate. Anyone who doubts this should name one Muslim country, where non-Muslims are free and have the same rights as Muslims.
- The discriminatory ways the police, customs and army treat and target Igbos and behave in Eastern Nigeria and refusal of the government to bring to justice policemen and soldiers who have committed crimes against humanity in Igbo land.
- The failure of successive government to give value to the Nigerian identity and instead, invested in ethics and religious identities.
More than any other region in Nigeria, it is the north’s pursuit of ethnic and Islamic identities that is the greatest obstacle to the unity of Nigeria and the declaration of sharia law in north Nigeria, would sound the death knell to Nigeria as a United country under one law.
By proclaiming Islamic laws in its region, North Nigeria unilaterally restructured Nigeria and it is natural that other regions would like to enjoy the same degree of autonomy to develop at their pace and under their own values.
It would seem therefore that Nigeria today is a nation in terminal stage of her life as it battles to survive the fatal injury inflicted on her by corruption and those pursuing sectarian objectives.
President Muhammadu Buhari can flood Igbo land with Nigerian soldiers and may kill as many people as he likes, but he cannot hold back the tide of time. Some Igbo politicians can be as selfish as they like and work to undermine the cry for self-determination, it will not stop what will be.
As the days go by, people will see that Nigerian unity as conceptualised by the north and Olusegun Obasanjo is impossible, without level playing ground, justice, equality of opportunity and addressing the injustices that compel those who are agitating for Biafra.
They will see that there is already two Nigeria, an Islamic north and a liberal south, under siege.
They will begin to see and understand the attempt by the north to dominate and subjugate.
More and more people will see the unfairness in the way the customs, army and police are used against the Igbos and will accept that the long marriage of north and south Nigeria is over. They will reject the discrimination of non-northerners from senior appointment and in national institutions like federal government schools, army, police, customs etc.
They will see clearly the attempt by Buhari to empower the north, transfer Nigerian assets to the north and disempower the south and give the north economic advantage.
They will finally accept that no people can build a united nation, when there are groups, which overvalue their ethnic and religious identities over and above an encompassing national identity as is currently the case in Nigeria with the north under sharia.
It did not work in Yugoslavia. It did not work in Czechoslovakia. It did not work in Indonesia. It did not work in Sudan and it failed in the Soviet Union. This is not because it cannot work. It is because these nations made the same mistakes Nigeria has made and continue to make.
Therefore, I see no reason why Nigeria will succeed, where all the countries who have made the same mistakes she continues to make have failed. Unless of course, the federal government changes it discriminatory policy and gives up pursuit of northern domination, and embrace civil values, equality and the rule of law.
If Nigerians do not wake up and accept the reality that the old Nigeria is terminal and work to restructure Nigeria in a way the gives future generation opportunity to build a free nation under the rule of law, what happened in Yugoslavia would be a bed time story.
The north will use the army, police and Fulani herdsmen to forcefully hold Nigeria together.
Buhari started his career by killing Igbos. He is currently killing Igbos and may end it by killing even more Igbos.
Nigeria needs to restructure so that we can understand the values of what makes for a united and peaceful nations. We must explain to the world that we seek to renegotiate our Union through restructuring and do not threaten Nigerian unity.
Get more stuff like this
Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox.