NIGERIA TODAY" WHERE DID WE GO WRONG? WHAT WENT WRONG? AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CURRENT STATE OF OUR DEAR NATION?
When the Northern and Southern protectorates of Nigeria Was Amalgamated In 1914 by the British colonialists and imperialists, the country Christined Nigeria, despite her numerous contraptions and multi ethnic dimensions, was set on the part of growth and prosperity even when the motives of the imperialists were not in tandem with that of the new nation.
The territory called Nigeria, before the demonic Berlin conference of 1884, where Africa was balkanized, was adorned with the strongest kingdoms and empires ever seen by mankind with their own political and indigenous knowledge systems which propelled these autonomous states to enviable heights. The Benin Empire, the Oyo Empire, the Borno Empire, the Saurata Emirates in the North and the Eastern quasi-federal units; where evidence of thriving nations.
For forty six years, from 1914 to 1960 when the British held sway, Nigeria was set on a solid foundation economically. The Eastern Railway was built to Port Harcourt between 1913 and 1916. This railway was extended to Kaduna in 1927, connecting the Eastern Railway to the Lagos–Kano Railway. The Eastern Railway was extended to its northeastern terminus of Maiduguri between 1958 and 1964. Agriculture thrived and was the mainstay of our national economy.
Interestingly, as the British were building a strong economic foundation for the new nation, they failed to build it politically, they saw our politics from the microcosm of the three major ethnic groups instead of the different nations that encompass the present day Nigeria. The first problem we had was Britain's inability to understand the terrain of Nigeria before they lobbied to lord over us at the Berlin conference. And to further amplify this political abnormality, our pre colonial leaders led by Sir Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and Sir Obafemi Awolowo, never really practiced politics outside their respective regions. Every infrastructure they did, every political move they made were for their regions and not for Nigeria.
These three leaders were exemplary in providing leadership for their people and were always interested in controlling the central government. All of them, except the Sarduana took a shot to be the head of the central government. Sir Ahmadu Bello because of his strong conviction for a United North, was not interested in the central government but sponsored Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, who later became the first Prime Minister of Nigeria. Between 1960-1970, before the war broke out, if we had not copied the British parliamentary and United states presidential systems. Nigeria would have been greater than the U.K. Our regional leaders were already operating a confederal system, where power is concentrated in the component units which at that time were the three regions. Why didn't we continue in that direction?
If we had true autonomy, for these these regions, the issue of Biafra secession wouldn't have arisen and every region would have been a mini country with strong provinces divided along major ethnic groups that makes up these regions.
The post civil war Nigeria from 1970 to 1999 marked the darkest years of our nation's history. That was when the Military unceremoniously designed the Nigerian State to fail. These period marked the birth of many military interregna riddled with draconian decrees and economic policies inconsistent with human reasoning and rationality. The structural adjustment program SAP was initiated. where we gladly took loans from the IMF and World Bank with strings attached such as devaluation of our currency and reduction of government control of the economy. The IBB Military Junta may have initiated the SAP in good faith, but its outcome will hunt Nigeria Forever.
We are failing because we are not learning from history. Since the democratic political dispensation from 1999 till date, we still repeatedly do same things in the past expecting to see different results. Our leaders and followers have failed. The problems of Nigeria were orchestrated decades ago, but they ain't insurmountable like our elites make us believe. We cannot thrive when 52.68% of our national wealth goes to the central government while a meager 26.72% and 20.60% goes to the states and local governments.
We need to discard the 1999 constitution as amended and enact a constitution that can help us solve this political and economic imbroglio. The challenges we faced years back are different and they have struck us with new dimensions we haven't seen in years. Banditry is now prominent in the north west, rape was never as rampant as it has been, kidnapping, unemployment, cow rustling, herdsmen-farmers crises, militancy, corruption and bad leadership can be effectively checked with laws. Alas, we ain't ready, our legislators are only interested in getting new cars for oversight functions and the renovation of their palace of inactivity.
We are not ready to move forward. How do you intend to develop without a national vision. This is different from party manifestoes. We need to shift away from the mindset of primordial proclivities to a more national mindset, where national interest supercedes personal and tribal values.
Comments
All i interesting piece ,narrowed down a lot of information which were very hard to get, I hope my country awakens from its tribal and personal greedy slumber.