This isn’t the Nigeria we fought for — Amaechi. ELDER Statesman and First Republic Minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi is the last man standing in Southern Nigeria among the generation of nationalists who fought for the nation’s independence. He is also the only surviving minister from the South that served in the first post-independence cabinet. The surviving quartet in that cabinet is Shehu Shagari, Shettima Ali Mungono, Inuwa Wada and Maitama Sule, who are all from the North. Looking at Nigeria at 53, he lamented that things had degenerated and offers the way forward. BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE His take on Nigeria at 53 and 100 years of amalgamation Nigeria started by one man by convenience of administration amalgamating the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914. It will be 100 years of that amalgamation next year. It is for us to look at ourselves after 100 years of being together and ask: has this thing worked? If it has not worked, where did we go wrong and what can we do to correct it? In these 100 years of being brought together and forcibly put together as one country, we operated up to 1960 under British rule; no constitution. The constitution that brought independence in 1960 was not written by Nigerians, it was an Order in Council made in London that created Nigeria as a sovereign nation. It was not a Nigerian constitution. In 1963, Nigerians made a request and Nigerians met at a conference and agreed on a constitution. They sent it to the National Assembly for the Senate and the House of Representatives to vote. I was a member of the House of Representatives, the two arms voted unanimously for the constitution. Military decree But in the 1966, the military unreasonably took over. I always like to use that word ‘unreasonably’ because it was a criminal act. They canceled the constitution written by the people of Nigeria. They ruled the country without constitution, till 1979. Then the 1979 constitution, even though a committee was appointed to draft it, it was through a military decree; it wasn’t the constitution of the people. Then, in 1983, the army took over and stayed on till 1999. *Amaechi The 1999 constitution even though, a conference recommended it, was yet an army decree, not Nigerian constitution. So there’s need for Nigerians to meet and discuss the basis of coming together; examine the gains and losses of the 100 years; the pleasant and bitter experiences they have had and what the shortcomings and weaknesses are. So, there should be a national conference, where all interests, not basically ethnic groups, but the organized business, trade unions, organized labour, the youths, women, the tribes, political parties, and all other interests put together can sit on a roundtable and discuss. What we want now is to renegotiate the whole basis of our staying together. We can only do this by a national conference. As a youth you fought for Nigeria’s independence, several years after, how do you see the Nigeria you fought for? What I have to say is that this is not the Nigeria we fought for, it’s not the Nigeria that many of us died for, it’s not the Nigeria many of our youths want to be with, it’s not the Nigeria that our founding fathers like Azikwe, Awolowo, Okotie-Eboh and others dreamt of. No, the military damaged everything. They stayed for too long. For 38 years the military ruled this country. They disrupted everything. Even the people who are leaders in this so-called democratic dispensation are working in the footsteps of the military. However, there are some of them who are genuine politicians, who want to do the right thing but many of them are not genuine. What really motivated you as a young man then to join the dangerous struggle? The need for freedom of my country motivated me. I hated oppression in every way. I joined the Zikist movement at the age of 18. That was my final year in secondary school. My first imprisonment was at the age of 22. My second imprisonment was at 23. So then, we were happy and proud that we contributed to the freedom of the country. We sacrificed; we vowed not to marry until Nigeria became independent. We didn’t want to marry and produce children in the struggle and through our incarcerations and imprisonments render our wives widows. That was the kind of nationalism spirit at that time. Then, people joined politics because of what they could give or offer. But today, people join politics for what they could extract. 53 years after, we are still in the crusade for a better Nigeria, are you not tired? Of all the nationalists and ministers from Southern Nigeria, East or West, I’m the last person left. I’m the only one alive. So, when occasions like this come and God has given me the strength, I still come and share my experience- that this is how we did it yesterday and also to suggest how we are going to do it today for the good of the country.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 05:15:26 +0000
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