FAMILY WRITERS PRESS IN TOUCH WITH HISTORY[ MAIDEN EDITION]
THE EXISTENCE OF BIAFRA BEFORE THE GENESIS OF THIS INJUSTICE CALLED NIGERIA PART THREE (3)
By Nwafor Somtochukwu Aloysius
For Family Writers Press
Continued...
Nigeria as a political and social entity has two main histories.
i. The history of the different peoples who make up the country and
ii. The history of Nigeria as a political entity.
The history of the peoples and their empires and Kingdoms or nations is very old.
The history of Nigeria is quite nascent, dating back to 1914.
Initially, the name Nigeria applied only the present day southern protectorate.
It is note worthy that the south became Nigeria in 1897, before the amalgamation in 1914, in the Northern Protectorate was equally referred as same.
In 1900, the year effective colonial rule started in Nigeria, Lugard was made the British high Commissioner of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria ( Nicolson 1969).
Lugard joined Royal Niger Company (RNC) in 1894.
In 1914, when the Southern and Northern Protectorates were amalgamated and became one country, Lugard, now as the Governor-General retained the name Nigeria for the newly created State.
This is how different pre-existing States or ethno- political communities with hundreds of languages came to be created by Britain as one single State, ignoring the wider and deeper historical and sociological divergences between the North and the South. The arid predominantly Moslem North and the tropical predominantly Christian South are different countries (Schwartz 1968) .
The country designed in 1914 was meant to serve the British government's interest and not for the sole benefit and development of the area, irrespective of Lord Lugard's "Dual Mandate Doctrine".
History has shown that it is the policy of a colonial power, not only in Africa but world over, especially among the nations disparagingly referred as third world to hand over power to the group that will always protect their economic interests.
Ironically, this group is always the less developed, intellectually and otherwise. This is done to enable the colonial power's transition from colonialism to imperialism, using this group as robots, to the detriment of their people and nation.
Nigeria is a locus classicus of this theory.
It is only in Nigeria ( in the whole of West Africa sub-region) that a group which never fought for their independence ab-initco, a group that rejected it in 1957 (the Northern region) when Anthony Enahoro moved a motion for it, under the carapace of not ready and the fear of the Southern domination by its Southern intellectuals, politicians and other citizens, was at last handed over power.
It is only in Nigeria that a man (Nnamdi Azikiwe) that led independence struggle was relegated to the position of a second fiddle.
Only in Nigeria that geography is proved wrong and for the first time in history, a people living in the arid, sahel desert region is more populated than those in the tropical equatorial forest region of Africa, error!!
It is only in Nigeria, that intellectual exploits and enviable celebral versatility is inconsequential in the choice of leadership.
It is only in Nigeria, that brilliant and hardworking children, adults, are neither given admissions nor employments in the garb of quota system. What a shame!
It is in Nigeria and here alone, that your place of birth can make or mar you. It has become an accident of birth, to be born in the geopolitical regions of south-south, worse still in the Southeast!!
The erux of the matter is that, we as a people (Biafrans) highly gifted with all it takes to develop ourselves and environment, can no longer afford the luxury of remaining supine and watch our brothers and sisters smother in poverty in the midst of opulence, while one born in Sokoto claims he's born to rule!
I will like to conclude with the words of Vladimir Lenin of the Russia's Bolshevik revolution of October 1917.
" You are a social being, when you can recognize when a particular phase has exhausted its usefulness"
This is the trouble with Nigeria and here I rest my case for now!.
THE EXISTENCE OF BIAFRA BEFORE THE GENESIS OF THIS INJUSTICE CALLED NIGERIA PART THREE (3)
By Nwafor Somtochukwu Aloysius
For Family Writers Press
Continued...
Nigeria as a political and social entity has two main histories.
i. The history of the different peoples who make up the country and
ii. The history of Nigeria as a political entity.
The history of the peoples and their empires and Kingdoms or nations is very old.
The history of Nigeria is quite nascent, dating back to 1914.
Initially, the name Nigeria applied only the present day southern protectorate.
It is note worthy that the south became Nigeria in 1897, before the amalgamation in 1914, in the Northern Protectorate was equally referred as same.
In 1900, the year effective colonial rule started in Nigeria, Lugard was made the British high Commissioner of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria ( Nicolson 1969).
Lugard joined Royal Niger Company (RNC) in 1894.
In 1914, when the Southern and Northern Protectorates were amalgamated and became one country, Lugard, now as the Governor-General retained the name Nigeria for the newly created State.
This is how different pre-existing States or ethno- political communities with hundreds of languages came to be created by Britain as one single State, ignoring the wider and deeper historical and sociological divergences between the North and the South. The arid predominantly Moslem North and the tropical predominantly Christian South are different countries (Schwartz 1968) .
The country designed in 1914 was meant to serve the British government's interest and not for the sole benefit and development of the area, irrespective of Lord Lugard's "Dual Mandate Doctrine".
History has shown that it is the policy of a colonial power, not only in Africa but world over, especially among the nations disparagingly referred as third world to hand over power to the group that will always protect their economic interests.
Ironically, this group is always the less developed, intellectually and otherwise. This is done to enable the colonial power's transition from colonialism to imperialism, using this group as robots, to the detriment of their people and nation.
Nigeria is a locus classicus of this theory.
It is only in Nigeria ( in the whole of West Africa sub-region) that a group which never fought for their independence ab-initco, a group that rejected it in 1957 (the Northern region) when Anthony Enahoro moved a motion for it, under the carapace of not ready and the fear of the Southern domination by its Southern intellectuals, politicians and other citizens, was at last handed over power.
It is only in Nigeria that a man (Nnamdi Azikiwe) that led independence struggle was relegated to the position of a second fiddle.
Only in Nigeria that geography is proved wrong and for the first time in history, a people living in the arid, sahel desert region is more populated than those in the tropical equatorial forest region of Africa, error!!
It is only in Nigeria, that intellectual exploits and enviable celebral versatility is inconsequential in the choice of leadership.
It is only in Nigeria, that brilliant and hardworking children, adults, are neither given admissions nor employments in the garb of quota system. What a shame!
It is in Nigeria and here alone, that your place of birth can make or mar you. It has become an accident of birth, to be born in the geopolitical regions of south-south, worse still in the Southeast!!
The erux of the matter is that, we as a people (Biafrans) highly gifted with all it takes to develop ourselves and environment, can no longer afford the luxury of remaining supine and watch our brothers and sisters smother in poverty in the midst of opulence, while one born in Sokoto claims he's born to rule!
I will like to conclude with the words of Vladimir Lenin of the Russia's Bolshevik revolution of October 1917.
" You are a social being, when you can recognize when a particular phase has exhausted its usefulness"
This is the trouble with Nigeria and here I rest my case for now!.
No comments
Post a Comment