Nigeria Must give the so called minorities a chance in the country. By Priye S. Torulagha (Ph.D., MHR) Power is like a mirage. Now you see and experience it and now you dont. It is quite possible to have all the physical and material attributes of power without actually experiencing it. It is also quite possible not to have the physical and material attributes of power and still feel powerful. Thus, the ability to control, influence, manipulate, and dominate has more to the do with the psychological state of the mind than the physical and material aspects of power attributes. This is the reason why very mighty nation-states like the United States had problems controlling Vietnam and Somalia and the former Soviet Union could not defeat the Afghanistan people. This definitely accounts for the difficulty with which the Russians have had trying to defeat the Chechnya fighters. Since power is like a mirage, it is very fluid. It can change very rapidly and turn mighty nations into powerless entities and turn powerless nations into powerful entities. This being the case, it is rather surprising that the “so called” minority groups in Nigeria have for so long accepted to play the role of a doormat to the majority groups. In other words, Nigerias “so called” minority groups almost willingly accepted not to challenge the supremacy of the three major ethnic groups in the governance of Nigeria. It is as if God had ordered them never to challenge the authority of WAZOBIA. Due to this passivity, WAZOBIA became arrogant and assumed that the Hausa/Fulani, Ibo, and Yoruba have mandate from God to do as they wish. Thus, Nigerias political and economic problems are directly linked with the arrogance of the majority groups and the passivity of the “so called” minority groups. For Nigeria to become a great nation-state, the “so called” minority groups must become very active and challenge every political and economic decision of the majority groups so that accountability can lead to a truly representative democratic political system. This, in turn, will lead to a stable Nigeria. Only the “so called” minority groups can effectively play a stabilizing role since the three majority groups are like wild elephants constantly fighting for power. To support the argument that Nigerias problems are linked to the arrogance of the majority groups who think that they have power and the passivity of the “so called” minority groups who think that they are powerless, a brief historical trek into the balance of power games that have been played in Nigeria will tremendously shade the light. 1. During the colonial days, the British colonial authority exercised power single-handedly in Nigeria. This form of power could be characterized as a unipolar system. 2. Between 1960 and 1966, the three major ethnic groups exercised power in Nigeria in what could be characterized as a tripolar system of balance of power. The Tiv people of the Middle Belt stirred the honest nest by carrying out two major riots to express their frustration with the system. They were crushed. Nevertheless, this was a warning signal to the majority groups. This was also the period in which the Late Isaac Boro initiated a short-lived revolution in which he declared the secession of the Niger Delta. This was a warning shot of the future turbulence in the Niger Delta but arrogance did not allow the majority groups to grasp the scope of the unhappiness of the “so called” minority groups. The Efiks and the Ibibios too mounted serious opposition to the NCNC dominance of the South-Eastern Nigeria. The people of Nsidung (Henshaw Town) openly declared the NCNC to be null and void in their area of Calabar. Names like Eyo Uyo and Eyo Ita were frequent commodities. 3. Between 1967 and 1975, for the first time, “so called” minority groups became a dominant force in Nigeria. Gen. Yakubu Gowon, a “so called” minority from the North and other prominent minorities literally ran the country, both during and after the civil war. It was during this time names like Graham Douglas, Gen. David Ejoor, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Dr. Okoi Arikpo, Michael Ani, Wenike Briggs, Chief Joseph Tarka, Gen Theophilus Danjuma etc. became household words in the country. This period could be characterized as a multipolar system because the Yorubas and the Hausas/Fulanis were also involved but they exercised their presence in a subtle manner. It is not a coincident that this was the best period in Nigerian history, since independence. The reason being that the country was ran democratically since every segment of the country was represented, even though it was a military regime. Moreover, since minorities are not necessarily afflicted with the desire to dominate, compared to the majority groups, who are always bent on dominating, a balanced of power was achieved on all levels. Thus, efforts were made to ensure that all segments of the population were recruited into the federal governmental machinery. In particular, the Nigerian armed forces were opened up to admit citizens, almost on quota basis. The purpose was to eradicate the pre Nzeogwu era in which the officer corps came mostly from the East and the non-commissioned ranks came predominantly from the North and the West was left almost empty with fewer officers and NCOs. 4. Between 1975 and 1979 when Gen. Murtala Mohammed/Obasanjo regime took over, Nigeria was characterized by a bipolar balance-of-power system. Basically, the minorities were gradually pushed aside while the Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba exercised power. The Igbos were marginalized due to the civil war. 5. Between 1979 and 1983 during the reign of President Shehu Shagari, the tripolar balance-of-power system was reactivated so the Hausa/Fulani, the Ibo, and the Yoruba continued from where they stopped before the Nzeogwu military coup. The federal system started closing up again to serve as the domain of the three majority groups. The “so called” minority groups began to serve again as hapless dogs. In particular, the people from the Oil Producing Areas (POPA) did not even make any noise as to the fairness of the economic distribution of Nigerias resources. At this time, people from the Non Oil Producing Areas (NOPA) felt that they have a God given right to take the oil and loot the money. 6. Between 1983 and 1985, the minorities were now being treated as non citizens. In other words, their rights, concerns and feelings were utterly disregarded in the national policymaking process. In addition, minorities who were posted to top level federal positions were expected to behave as slaves and do whatever the top dogs of WAZOBIA ordered them to do. Many of them became merely instruments of money transferring schemes. The tripolar system continued to reign undisturbed by the minorities. 7. Between 1985 and 1993, the tripolar system continued. During this time, states were created most particularly on the strategic interest of the three major groups. Gen. Babangida wanted to make sure that the three groups were on his side. At this time, citizens from the Oil Producing Areas were now treated as colonial dependents of the Nigerian Government. Their share of the oil revenue had been drastically reduced to pittance. Money from the oil went directly into individual pockets, not into the federal coffers. It was allowable for individuals who were connected to the three major groups to literally hire oil tankers and steal Nigerias oil in what is known as oil bungling. The Nigerian armed forces resorted back to the old ways with excessive tilt toward the North and the West. The looting of the oil wealth became so much that the minorities, especially the youths, began backdoor guerrilla tactics to impede the further exploration of oil in their communities. Oil pipe explosions became quite frequent. Then the Ogonis woke up from sleep and began a vigorous effort to stop the exploitation, marginalization and colonization. 8. The period between 1993 and 1998 was characterized by a unipolar system since the efforts put in place by Gen. Babangida had materialized to put the North as the only dominant force in Nigerian politics. Other segments of Nigeria looked like doormats as the North wielded power politically, economically, and militarily. The concentration of power by one region led to serious resistance. The Yorubas mounted a frontal political attack on Gen. Abacha and the Nigerian system. The Ogonis were rioting frequently. The Izon youths were preparing for war on all fronts to remedy an unacceptable political and economic situations. In short, every “so called” minority group was ready to explode. This led the Ibos too to begin to talk about marginalization since the end of the civil war. 9. The period between 1998 and 1999 could be characterized as a period of transition. Hence, Nigeria was unstable and ready to disintegrate. Gen Abdulsalram Abubakar did a good job by attempting to calm the situation. He quietly adopted strategies which embraced a multipolar balance of power system by recruiting prominent Nigerians from all sides into the federal government. Since it was a transitional period, many groups were already either fighting the government or fighting against other ethnic groups. Continuing from where the Ogonis had stopped, the Ijaws took up the fight in a big scale and shook the country up. The Itsekiris, Isokos, Urhobos, etc. joined the campaign. The period between 1999 and up to the present could be characterized as a multipolar balance of power system since President Olusegun Obasanjo has been working furiously to quiet the country. However, Obasanjos leadership has shifted the locus of authority from the North to slightly in favor of the South. Hence, the North is boiling politically. The religious riots in Kaduna and other Islamic cities of Northern Nigeria show the feeling of powerlessness by those who used to wield absolute power. Having made a politico-historical trek through the alignment of political power in Nigeria, it can be argued that the minorities allowed themselves to be marginalized for too long. It is also argued here that minorities in Nigeria will continue to be exploited, marginalized and used as messengers to help ferret away stolen money by individuals from the majority groups. It is further argued here that minorities can effectively change the situation around and help to make Nigeria a truly democratic country. The following suggestions might help in this effort. 1. Minorities must realize that power is not a constant phenomenon. The fact that the three majority groups have huge populations does not necessarily mean that they have to exercise power all the time. Power is a state of mind, therefore, think powerful and power will begin to reflect your wishes. Think powerless and power will run away from you. When the Ogonis rebelled against exploitation, power flowed to them. When the Ijaws acted, power flowed toward them and Nigeria realized the immense power of the group. 2. To exercise power, Nigerian “so called” minority groups must realize that they have a common problem, regardless of ethnicity, region or religion. A “so called” minority group in the North suffers from political exploitation as minority group in the South. The recognition of a common problem would lead to a reassessment of the situation. 3. Thus, instead of dancing to the musical tunes of the majority groups, the “so called” minority groups must come up with their own strategy to fight the majority groups. In the past, “so called” minority groups in the North tended to vote for Action Group in the West, “so called” minority groups in the East tended to vote for the Northern Peoples Congress in the North and the Action Group in the West. “so called” minority groups in the West tended to vote for the National Convention of Nigerian Citizens in the East and the NPC in the North. This tactics did not help that much. 4. Likewise, in the past, the minorities tended to create their own small political parties. These parties then affiliated with the three major regional parties. This strategy was a failure because it helped to divide the “so called” minority groups. 5. Under various military regimes, the majority applied the divide and conquer tactics by appointing “so called” minority individuals who were subservient to the national players. It is not a secret that many minorities from the Oil Producing Areas served as heads of various federal agencies dealing with petroleum management. Of course, most of them were expected to serve as figure heads. They were rewarded with a share of the looted wealth for remaining quiet while their communities were being polluted, exploited and marginalized. 6. Instead of forming small political groups and movements, the minorities should put their political resources together and come up with an all-embracing political party that is capable of competing with any of the major parties. The political head of such a party would be nominated only after a national “so called” minority convention has been held. Any candidate that is nominated must have a national appeal to win a presidential election. 7. Minorities must realize that they are not powerless as most of them seem to think. During the civil war, “so called” minority officers and men fought gallantly on both sides. In fact, “so called” minority soldiers in Nigeria are some of the best fighting men in the world. The Middle Belt leads Nigeria in the number of military officers. This is a potent power. It should be recalled that Gen. Babangida almost boasted at one time that a military coup was no longer possible in Nigeria. Yet, the foiled Orka coup of April 1994, carried out mostly by “so called” minority officers and men demonstrated to the entire country the military capability of the minorities. 8. The Tiv riots, the Isaac Boro rebellion, the exploits of the Ibibios, Edos, Ijaws, Itsekirirs, Tivs, Idomas, Efiks, etc. during the war, the militant actions of the youths of the Oil Producing Areas etc., have shown that minorities can feel powerful if they choose to express their feelings appropriately. 9. To form a united front, the minorities in the South should avoid using the geographically motivated appellation South or South-South . To do so is to divide the minorities into two groups - those in the North and those in the South. This is a no winner politically, in the context of Nigerian politics. Southern minorities and Northern minorities must work together as one in order to elevate their status. This is very important, considering the fact that during the religious riots in the Islamic North, the “so called” minority groups in the Middle Belt declared their neutrality. 10. This being the case, regional political objectives can be accomplished within each region. Such efforts must be done diplomatically so as not to impede the desire to create an impact on national politics of Nigeria. 11. As a prelude to creating a third political force, all “so called” minority groups should hold a convention with the aim of establishing a political party that will compete vigorously in the future. Such an effort will draw the attention of the majority groups who would want to create political coalitions. 12. After the convention, a communiqué should be issued, addressing some of the ills of the nation. 13. Of course, the aforementioned third force in Nigerian politics will not be possible until many of the intercommunal and intracommunal conflicts that exist among many ethnic groups are solved. Thus, Nigerian “so called” minority groups must endeavor to resolve interethnic disputes that tend to boil over and cause a lot of damage. 14. The first thing to do is to create a framework for dialogue among all “so called” minority groups. After this is done, a structural framework for other meetings can be put in place. This is to build confidence and trust. It is time Nigerian minorities should stop lamenting about their powerlessness and begin to build a political dynasty that will become a potent force in Nigerian politics. As can be seen, the majority groups have not been very helpful to the development of Nigeria. Their unrestrained ambition to rule has been very destructive to the body politics of Nigeria. On the other hand, it is very tempting to say that minorities have been responsible for holding the nation together. Their role in bringing peace after the civil war is highly commendable. No doubt, minorities can play a major positive role in reversing the sad situation in Nigeria. To do so, they must realize that they are not powerless. They should not wait for power to come to them. They should not expect the majority groups to hand over power to them. They must embrace power and do those things that manifest power.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 14:29:36 +0000
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