By Akinkuolie Rasheed
. The , Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria were amalgamated in 1914to become the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1963, three years after independence
The two entities by virtue of size, population and Human Resources became the giant of Africa. Nigeria would eventually played an important role in the liberation of other African countries from colonialism and apartheid
In retrospect, Nigeria should not be mired in its present, political, economic and social crises, which essentially were preventable, avoidable and resolvable. The inability to respect the constitution and principle which brought the country together as a nation had been the bane of this country.
Nigeria was an aggregate of several distinct nationalities which by providence and British colonialism came together to form a strong powerful nation.
These nationalities were in a fractious state , warring and not at peace. before the British imperial power stepped in to subdue them.
The Yoruba Nation was at war with itself from 1877-1893 and at the same time stoutly defending its territories from further incursions down south by Fulani Jihadists which had already overrun most of the Hausa states in Northern Nigeria.
British imperial intervention and conquest began with the ancient Benin Kingdom. The Yoruba kingdoms and others were to follow one after the other, until the entire country was under full British colonial domination by 1900.
Nigeria as a British colony was ruled separately as Northern and Southern protectorates. Bothwere amalgamated in 1914by Lord Frederick Lugard for administrative convenience and complementarity.
The Southern protectorate was divided into East and West protectorates in 1939.. But, it was not until 1954 that the Lyttleton constitution created the federation of Nigeria with indigenous premiers and supervising British Governors and a Governor General for the entire country.
The Prime Ministerwas elected in 1957. with powers limited to Foreign Policy , Defence, and National Currency. He was Primus inter pares, first among the regional premiers .
After independence in 1960, the inconclusive tribal conflicts and rivalries which was stopped by the British administration during the period of colonization resumed once again. The first hostile action in this regard was the severance of old Mid West from Western Nigeria in June, 1963. This was done to reduce the geographical size, population and seats of the region at the federal parliament.
The reason given was the agitation for autonomy by the non Yoruba ethnic groups in Western Region .
The North and East were left intact, and both , became the two largest regions in the country, despite their numerous ethnic diversities.
The rivalry for dominance would eventually bring these two regions into conflict, civil war and unending crisis.
The attempt to subdue Western Nigeria was pursued further with the politically motivated arrest of the opposition leader and former premier of Western Nigeria who was, charged with treason and jailed with his core supporters.
The upheavals which followed the crisis in Western Nigeria led to the first military intervention in politics on 15th January , 1966. The Prime Minister, the premiers, from Northern and Western Nigeria and senior military officers from the two regions were killed in the bloody Coup d’Etat.
The military government which took over the government issued the controversial decree 34 of May, 1966 which set aside the 1954, 1960 and 1963 constitutions. It abolished the regions and the federal system of government and instituted a unitary centralized government. This act was a remarkable departure from the norm and a risky venture which tilted the delicate balance of power between the regions. The reaction to the decree led to violent ethnic clashes in Northern Nigeria and eventually the violent overthrow of the government.
The inability to weigh the disadvantages and advantages of the unitary system and the lopsided assassination of political and military leaders in January 1966 led to the counter coup of July , 1966 and eventually the civil war which cost the country over one million lives.
During the civil war, most elements of the unitary decree were retained for good reason The resources of the country had to be pooled to prosecute the war and the centralized command structure was necessary to hold the fragile country together.
The successive administrations simply maintained the core elements of the unitary systemand deepened it by taking over the regional universities, schools and other regional institutions, most of which collapsed due to lack of capacity to manage them.
The civilian government came on board in 1979with a new constitution which was technically fashioned after the American federal presidential system, but in practice was more of the French presidential unitary system of government. The latter system succeeded because of the limited diversity in the French society. The assimilation policy in Francophone countries also created a society with a unified culture, mind set and identity which made the unitary system workable in these countries.
However, the British direct rule through the existing traditional system left intact the culture, and social systems which were fixed and could not be changed suddenly without stirring a crisis.
The high turnover of . 15 Heads of State, out of which 3 were assassinated, 2 died in office, 8 coups and attempted coups, 1 civil war, have all been indicators of the level of instability and inability to manage the diversity of the various nationalities in the country
The federal system which separated the three regions because of different cultural, and social structures. allowed the nations to coexist and thrive without encroaching or dominating each other
The separation of the main nationalities in accordance with the 1963 constitution is therefore necessary and a must for peace to reign in Nigeria.
During a private visit to Sudan in 2010 before the break up of the country in 2011. I observed that the government of President Omar Bashir was doing well. The utilities were working Children were going to school and I did not see beggars in the streets of Khartoum. The Presidential palace was by the blue Nile and the movement of people around the premises was not restricted. It was not a heavily guarded fortress like other presidential palaces. The president moved freely and openly amongst the people.
I, then wondered why the International Criminal Court (ICC)was intimidating Omar Bashir. In the course of my discussions with the Managing Director of a European International Company, in Khartoum and several other people, , I was informed that the ICC indictment was intended to discourage Omar Bashir from impeding the imminent secession of Southern Sudan and at the same time allow other economic players into the oil sector hitherto dominated by the Chinese.
Nigeria should avoid going the way of Sudan by playing into the hands of the international community which may be waiting in the wings to exploit the current crisis in Nigeria . The wide spread crisis in the North East, South East, South South and other agitations for return to federalism should be heeded without which Nigeria may be considered to be too big, unfit and unviable to be just one country like Sudan
Ambassador Akinkuolie Rasheed was the Director of Trade and Investment in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria. akinkuolie.rasheed@gmail.com