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Colonial Mentality and the Sovereign National Conference
 

ANNOUNCE THIS ARTICLE TO YOUR FRIENDS!
 Wednesday, January 5, 2000



 N. H. Ibanga
 [email protected]


The songs go:
� "..colo mentality dem don release you but you no fit release yourself�"
� "�I go knock some truth into your head ..."

For those who are yet to see the need for the Sovereign National Conference, let me point out that one reason is sufficient to warrant such a conference. The entity called Nigeria was conceived of by the British, established by the British, for the good of the British Empire. No African was either consulted or had his wellbeing taken into consideration. This alone is enough for a conference conceived of by Africans, convened by Africans, for the good of Africans. It is time to annul the shut-gun wedding of the different tribes. Let the tribes determine their way for the future.

Today, the British have released us. It is now left to us to release ourselves from the colonial mentality. Why are we afraid that if we convene this conference Nigeria would break apart? If it does, so what? Why are we still so afraid to take any risks? What worthwhile thing has ever been achieved without great risk? What guarantees can be given that foreclosure on this conference will be tantamount to keeping Nigeria one? Isn't it more likely that failure to convene it WILL guarantee its eventual breakup? Are there any serious people who believe that insincere threats (with easily discernable ulterior motives) like those of the Arewa Peoples Congress will keep Nigeria one? Again we always get reason to fear, Nigeria will break up, Nigeria won't be one, etc etc.

I submit to you that the Nigeria that emerges from the Sovereign National Conference will be the Nigeria we all have been dreaming off. It will not matter if all the ethnic groups in the British Nigeria are also in the African Nigeria. The African Nigeria will be the one that will endure the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. To paraphrase an Ibibio proverb, many of us have been guests at someone else's house and have tasted the spicy soup that his mama had cooked. Since we liked the spicy soup, we can show our mama how to cook spicy soup. The Sovereign National Conference is the first step.

GOLDEN NUGGET
The quagmire of present-day Nigeria is not tractable with its current setup. In my view, the most important things the current National Assembly should be engaged in are the convening of the SNC, recovery of looted funds and the righting of as many of the wrongs of the previous military governments as possible. I do not share the views of those who (in attempting to be practical) try to protect the jobs of incumbents in order to win their cooperation in this matter.
 
Many recent papers have dealt with the multitude of reasons why this conference is imperative. The paper by Governor C. O. Adebayo is a good example. While I would like to come from a large country, I would rather come from a small country that functions well than be from a large one that exposes me to 4th class citizenship treatment at every airport in the world. The British Nigeria is doing that to me today. I do not want this to continue. The purpose of this paper is to encourage all Nigerians to be brave enough to take the risk that is necessary to build a strong and free country.

In this forum, we have read that Gowon was the first to want to break the country apart by having the north secede. He changed his mind after being persuaded by his masters from the west (not western Nigeria). The Igbos, without asking the opinions of the minority Tribes of the east did attempt an unsuccessful secession. In the present dispensation, the popular (Ostrich) vision is that the Yorubas want to secede because voices from those quarters are loudest in calling for a SNC. I call attention to the recent article by Tunde Ogowoye, in which he argued persuasively that we should have returned to the constitution of 1979. Instead, we fooled ourselves by calling Abacha's self- succession document our constitution. Do we need any more reasons to realize that the present setup will not work in the long run?

I hope that most Nigerians do not expect that the next national elections will be conducted in the same manner as the last one. We MUST have a newly reconstituted Nigeria by the time the next elections come. The Tribes that agree to be one from that conference will really have something to celebrate. The new century must be begun on the right foot. The present "democratic" government is nothing but a respite allowing us to set up a new, just and fair country. It is by no stretch of the imagination a viable (long-term) government (look at the Odi incident).

While I can not speak for all the people that call for this conference, I will state my motives clearly. This honesty sets me free as it is said that the truth will set you free. I believe that God makes no mistakes. When He put the Ijaw in Ijaw-land, the Hausa in Hausa-land, He endowed each group with the characteristics necessary for survival in their given environment. Neither has to depend 100% on the resources from the other place for survival. However, a mutually agreed upon symbiotic relationship can strengthen both. God endowed the sovereignty of each Tribe. A conference of these sovereigns Tribes will in no way take away from the perceived sovereignty of the present interim government.

Realize that:

1. Native Africans have no permanent membership with veto power in the Security Council of the UN.
2. Africa and native Africans are the only people on earth with no nuclear umbrella.
3. Other races were also colonized like the Africans but today can say NO to foreign intervention in their internal affairs. Africans can't.
4. It is not sufficient to have the potential to be strong and wealthy. It is more important to be resourceful enough to be strong and wealthy even in the absence of your own natural resources (Japan, Taiwan).
5. The civil war lasted for 2.5 years. There was no oil money accruing to Biafra then. Yet, in that short span of time, Biafran scientists were able to develop the ogbuniwe. Please let someone tell me what weapon has been developed by the Nigerian army in all their years of rule. Ibrahim Babangida, can you help us here? When there is a national sense of purpose, we can achieve anything we set our minds to do.
6. Smaller African countries with less potential have surpassed us, the supposed giant of Africa.

Need I go on?

Consequently, I want a reconstituted Nigeria (or a country with a new name) that:

  • Consist of tribes that have agreed to join together to form a country for their mutual benefit and protection.
  • Openly discussed and agreed to a form of government that will maximize the chances of their reaching their ultimate potential.
  • Fosters self- reliance and independence and demands all hands on the deck of nation building.
  • Realizes that much precious time for development has been lost and therefore does her best to make up for lost time.
  • Every tribe comes to the table with a contribution rather than an expectation.
  • Recognizes that all fingers are not of the same length. Equal opportunity will be guaranteed, but not equal outcome.
  • Frees her people to take chances, to succeed or to fail, and learn from each and progress.
  • Guarantees a certain degree of autonomy for the individual Tribes to determine the speed of their development.
  • Abhors mediocrity and celebrates excellence. The idea of a rotational presidency that could put a stark illiterate in charge of the country gives me the shakes.
  • Allows each tribe to control its natural resources.
  • Is serious about earning their rightful position among nations of the world.

  • The quagmire of present-day Nigeria is not tractable with its current setup. In my view, the most important things the current National Assembly should be engaged in are the convening of the SNC, recovery of looted funds and the righting of as many of the wrongs of the previous military governments as possible. I do not share the views of those who (in attempting to be practical) try to protect the jobs of incumbents in order to win their cooperation in this matter. People, it is past time to go about nation building regardless of who loses a job. The world does not owe anyone any title, position, job or whatever else. We can make these people do our collective will. We simply have to speak with one voice.

    To your Tribes oh Nigerians. There is no need to have funding from somewhere before you decide what you want. Village Heads call old-fashioned town meetings and discuss your future. Communicate these to your Clan Heads. Clan Heads, meet and deliberate, iron out a consensus, select those you would like to represent you and speak for you, then table your conditions of union with your State Assemblies. Let your Representatives take this to the National Assembly. Require that your Representatives be the ones to propose the bill convening the SNC (future generations will honor these people). This thing has to start at the grass roots level. If you think that it will start at the top, I hope that you are not holding your breath.

    When you begin your deliberations, release your minds. Consider the taboo, the unthinkable of yesterday, dream big, and accept no limitations. Send peace emissaries to neighboring Tribes and inquire if they would want to associate with yours in a new, just and truly federal country. In a few years, man will visit another planet. So why limit your dream. The more you demand from your rulers, the more you will get. If you continue to put up with the status quo, do not blame anybody else but yourselves for your condition. Other people that are free today fought for their freedom. They did not negotiate for it or had it handed to them on a silver platter.

    Recognize the fact that many of the States today are the size of cities in other places. Consequently, feel free to agree to recombine States to create more viable ones. For example, I do not see why Imo, Anambra, Abia, Enugu, and Ebonyi couldn't be One State. Or why Cross River, Akwa Ibom and possibly Rivers States couldn't be one. Tribes that were split into different States have the right to rejoin their people if they so wish. If they don't, everyone must remember that Ijaw money is not going to fund their State. Ijaw oil is for the Ijaw. The groundnut and Cocoa pyramids that used to be on postcards will come back when people start having to pay their own way.

    As a parting shot, I am going to turn conventional wisdom on its head. Whenever people talk about adopting an African language for Nigeria, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are always mentioned. The reasoning being that these are spoken by the largest number of Nigerians. If we followed this argument, Chinese would be the language of commerce in the world today. But it is not. English is the world language of commerce. The population of England is about 50 million, that of China over 1 billion. Hence, if we ever want to pick a National language, we ought to pick one of those from the smaller Tribes, one that is linguistically rich. This way, practically everyone will be starting from scratch. We could phase this language in over a ten-year period. This will demonstrate that we truly desire to be one people (which we are but don't ever act like it). Yes we can do it. We changed from miles to meters and from 240 pennies to the pound to 100 pennies to the Naira.

    Nigerians must tell Abuja what to do. Abuja must not be allowed to tell Nigerians what to do.

    Nigerian Publius

    Postscript

    After this article had been written but before it was published, an article appeared in the December 29, 1999 issue of USATODAY. It appears now that even the colonial masters have come to the realization that artificially drawn boundaries in Africa and its concomitant adverse effects can be undone. The American representative in the UN has come out in favor of redressing the adverse effects of the artificial boundaries. This will be a focal item on the agenda of Mr. Holbrook during his tenure as president of the Security Council. For those who were afraid of the SNC, your master has now okayed it. So you see, those of us who had called for it were right all along. Everything is possible (including the building of a fair, just and Federal Nigeria on the terms of the Nigerians, not the Europeans) if you set your mind to it.

    N. H. Ibanga (AKA Nigerian Publius)