HAPPY BITHDAY NIGERIA ! The 1st’ of October, witnessed the lowering of the British union jack for the hoisting of the green white green, the colour of the newly independent Nigeria. This was the fruit of several constitutional conferences, even made more urgent after the end of the Second World War. The journey to nationhood began with the amalgamation of the Northern and the southern protectorates in 1914 by Captain Lugard later Lord Lugard who became the governor general of the amalgamated protectorates. Until then the Northern region, was administered separately from the South but the cost of administering the two regions was largely borne by the South. The system of indirect rule which was a major success in the North was extended to the South after the amalgamation. This worked as simply using the local administrative network in existence with the Emir as the head ruling through a network of village and ward heads, charged with administration of justice and the collection of taxes. In the south the king or obas as they are called already had a highly sophisticated system of government bordering on separation of powers, aided by a council of chiefs who inhabited different offices depending on their functions. The eastern part, however presented a different picture in that the absence of an established native system of administration prompted the British to create a cadre of warrant chiefs. The drawback was that their choice was mainly, from the lazy and the inept in the community. Hence a society that celebrated individualism and hard work which filtered organically, through the various age groups system in existence; was at a loss with the newly appointed chiefs. The Ibos who were the predominant ethnic group in the east; saw these appointees as puppets of the the district officers who represented the Governor- General as administrative middlemen throughout the country. Nigeria may be seen as an administrative construct, mainly because the surpluses from the southern economy were channelled into plugging the shortfall in the northern region’s budget. This was already a recipe for seething resentment from the south. Perhaps it is also worth noting that the name Nigeria was a bequest from Lord Lugard’s girlfriend who later became his wife. Nigeria simply means Niger area, perhaps because of the river Niger which ran through many West African countries before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean The various protectorates had distinctive characters before amalgamation, with the North predominantly Muslims, slightly averse to western influence especially in education. The south on the other hand is more educated, hence better developed. They also embraced Christianity brought by various missionaries from Great Britain, and America The aim of painting this historical canvass is to help highlight the challenges; facing the Country hence help in the diagnosis perhaps move us towards the prescription of remedies. Fast forward to the present, Nigeria has a population of 150 million with 75% under 25years of age; this is a recipe for success or disaster depending on how they are developed and utilised. An interesting discovery is that more than 15 million of this substantial population is scattered across the Diaspora. The country is rich in both human and natural resources especially oil and gas which contributes towards more than 99% of its revenue base. It is sometimes referred to as the blackest nation on earth because it has the largest concentration of black people seconded by Brazil. The odyssey of leadership in this rich and culturally diverse nation, fills one with hope at the best of times and trepidation because of wasted opportunities and in coherent vision from the leadership. The spasmodic nature of growth and development is a direct testimony of this scenario. Although, in its 53 years of existence as an independent nation; perhaps the fitting description her present state may be captured by the words of Henry David Thorreau, an American essayist and philosopher (1817- 1862) who was credited with saying that” The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation” amply paraphrased as “The mass of Nigerian citizens lead lives of quiet desperation in a rudderless ship” . It is very important that, the confidence of this visible majority; be restored soonest. Reckless optimism aside, a wise man once said that the largest room in the world is the room for improvement. In spite of the challenges ahead, with technological aided globalisation shrinking the world even more, environmental degradation from the visibility of the Niger delta to latent brewing disasters waiting to happen, sectarian divide made worse by the book haram crisis, a creaking democratic base, an uncertain future revenue base,incoate leadership, amongst many others. The report card may be unsatisfactory; but with so much untapped potential, the tent pegs of hope beckon to be driven into the soil of renewal. Once again I will not be deluded in thinking that Iam in the minority of those who think that the future is full of promise, rather i would like to believe that more are been added daily. After all a wise man once said that the world will be in a far worse state without people who think it could get better. Many happy returns of the day, even to the present leaders at the helm of affairs.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 09:16:22 +0000
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