Settlership in Nigeria: A Litmus Issue

By

Prince Charles Dickson

pcdbooks@yahoo.com

Long hours of exhaustive discussions, which often degenerated into heated arguments, bear the responsibility of this piece, which I had earlier done albeit slightly different as a paper for a column; I received several disapprovals and quite a few numbers of accolades, I experienced the pulse of true nationalists as it raced with excitement and belief that this ‘thing’ called Nigeria could work, and also those who at best could only be described as elements of non commercial value, people with “FOOLISHNESS” (many apologies) as their surnames.

However I am again forced to look at this matter again in the face of Saminiu Turaki’s fresh allegation or is it more of a statement. That Generals Gowon, Buhari, Babangida, Alhaji Shagari all past leaders of the nation are settlers, though he forgot to add Murtala Mohammed too, he said the records are there, with this talk the hornet’s nest again has received a shaking.

A Hausa proverb goes, ‘when an old woman stumbles more than twice, she has to count the contents of her market basket’. The vexed issue of ethnic jingoism, parapoism, indigeneship, State of Origin et. al.

From Turaki’s thesis all these heads of state cannot lay claim to their so-called domicile area. None of the accused has reacted, as they would say in court. A friend suggested of something he called an Hausa Nigeria, Ibo Nigeria, Yoruba Nigeria and the likes.

This issue of ethnicity unresolved, will continue to generate constant pressure that unrelentingly assault the resolve of our leaders, who whether Ibo, Hausa or Yoruba-Ijaw will suffer. One of the hopefuls of the Nigerian James Bond Episode 2007, General Buba Marwa is already being accused of not being a Nigerian, a second look at my name the moment I indicate interest for a political stool I may be referred to as a Swiss-Columbian if such exist.

It is now obvious more than ever that the principle of Federal character or geographical spread or representation must be re-examined and rationalized in a way that eliminates the continual contradictions which its implementation highlights
The arguments of all sides are strong, and very convincing. Is it fair for Mr. A who lives in Kano State but whose parents hail from Edo State have to return to Edo to find a school for his son because admissions to schools in Kano are reserved for children of Kano State “origin”? On the other hand, since in proportionate terms Edo State is assumed more “educationally advanced” than Kano State, is it not only fair and just that more pupils of Kano State “origin” should be given “enhanced opportunity” to “catch up”? Both sides cling to their respective sides of the argument as if their lives depend on it… does it not? Nobody bothers to recognize that there is something intrinsically wrong, artificial and backward in the entire situation, if our presidents are now labeled settlers,(not as if they are not truly settlers) who then is not a settler.

The key word is “origin” who is of Kano, Edo or Abia States of origin? What is the origin of your origin? How far back into history can one go to trace his roots? Whichever theory of creation or evolution we ascribe to, if we stretch the answers to the foregoing to their logical conclusions, it should become clear to us how absurd our fixation with ethnicity is, one can be patriotic to his or ethnic nationality without being an “ethnic animal”.

A way can be evolved to destroy the rigidity of state identity, most of the past state creation exercises have been wrought with political considerations than with the real issues left hanging, the drama of assets sharing, boundary demarcation and all other palavers. I believe each state should prescribe a set of conditions that, once fulfilled by any Nigerian citizen entitles him to all the rights, privileges, and obligations of persons of that State. When Mr. B moves to Lagos from Adamawa, there is no reason why he cannot make Lagos his home if he so wishes provided he: i) Has lived in Lagos and paid his due taxes there for a stipulated period of time—say five years; ii) Has renounced state identity with Adamawa; iii) Is genuinely and equivocally loyal to Lagos; iv) Is committed to the assimilation of the culture, norms and practices prevalent in Lagos; v) Has registered his movement with the relevant population control agency; and vi) Has satisfied all other conditions required of him.

It is possible that the next generations of Nigerians can live in a society where state identity is not only administrative and statistical convenience that has no emotional content and must therefore give way to large communal claim for patriotism and nationalism. Already stereotypes are being broken the issue of less educationally advanced is becoming a non issue as we can see no one is really less advantaged in the real sense of it.