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A Revolt Against Northern Colonialism By Engr. Bello Gwarzo Abdullahi MNSE I deem it appropriate to begin this rejoinder on a premise that this is not my first correspondence with Mr. Yinka Leo Ogundiran. This may explain why even though I read his write-up in gamji website he felt expedient to send it to me. My first encounter with him was when he reacted to my article captioned “Kudos to Northern Delegates to the National Political Reform Conference”. His reaction to the write-up is, to say the least off the point and contradictory whilst his language is uncouth. He used invectives to describe Northerners and portrayed us as lazy and parasitic. He never dwelt on the crux of my article which centered on the commendable unity and spirit of camaraderie displayed by Northern delegates. I never stated that others should not be united and never talked about the resolutions at the confab. But Mr. Ogundiran was doing something akin to if you can’t get the ball hit the leg. In his said reactions there was no place where he dealt with my write-up. This was why I took sometime before I replied him. In the course of my reply I came to the conclusion that this man was not happy with the level of unity among Northern delegates and my appreciation of it for reasons best known to him. May be he was thinking that Northern delegates will be so divided such that they will be fighting among themselves. To his greatest disappointment this never took place. Instead they sat down and pursued a common goal. To any patriotic, sensible and reasonable person unity among constituent part of the country is not only commendable but should be encouraged. As I stated in that article, the unity of the North translates in to the unity of Nigeria because the North is inhabited by more than half of the population of this country and more than 3/5 of its land mass (no matter the claim to the contrary by the likes of Mr. Ogundiran). I have decided to make this rejoinder public in order to make Nigerians arrive at a reasonable conclusion on the contentious issue of derivation and how it was arrived at. I have gone through Mr. Ogundiran’s tirade and vituperations on Northerners and their leaders and I begin to wonder about these undeserved and unfair innuendos. On deeper reflection though I came to an escapable conclusion that the write up is a product of a jaded mind. It is full of barefaced lies and if such are the mindsets of the likes of Mr. Ogundiran then I weep for Nigeria. The gamut of Mr. Ogundiran’s write-up is hinged on the much-touted 17% derivation, which forms the basis of the article under consideration. The question one may be tempted to ask is “how was the decision on the 17% reached?” “When the walkout took place who among the delegates followed the South-South delegates?” “ Why the sudden blame-shifting?” and “ What are the expected dividends from such a move?” The answers to these questions are not far-fetched even to an elementary student of Nigeria’s brand of political intrigues. This method has outlived its usefulness in that the target are quite aware of the intention and are taking necessary measures to ensure that they frustrate any such move. With the power shift achieved through a combination of intrigues and intimidation there is now a concerted effort to divide the North along tribal or religious lines. When this failed the issue of derivation became a ready-made tool to put a wedge between the North and their traditional political allies-the South-South. This is in preparation to the elusive 2007 where it was said in various platforms that there was an agreement to transfer power back to the North and some people are averse to it. This is why I do not believe in the concept. Let power go to the most acceptable person from whichever part of the country. If Chief M.K.O. Abiola got the mandate of Nigerians then others can do the same. But an illegitimate person will continue to falter and anything built on wrong foundation will continue to experience difficulty. This latest move of name-calling and blame shifting will also fail to achieve its objective. I am sure that the people from the South-South know their true friends. Truth is constant and it is only lies that possess many colors. Any dispassionate observer to what transpired at the confab will attest to the fact that the decision on 17% was not Northern but a collective decision taken by all the zones minus the South-South. And even in an exam if one gets 5/6 it means one has 83.33% and that is an “A” grade. So where were the South-South’s newfound friends when the decision was taken? And why was the decision not reversed during the closing session of the conference? And who first muted the idea of 18% that was later reduced to 17%? And who chaired the elders committee? All these are pertinent questions that need to be answered by Mr. Ogundiran. I appeal to the South-South leaders to go back and think properly so as to know their true friends. All this brouhaha is done to hoodwink them in to having problem with their political associates of many years in order to achieve an agenda. Needless to reiterate Northerners are the best friends of South-South. From the creation of Midwest in the first republic to the creation of Southeast and Rivers to later day creation of Delta, Akwa-Ibom and Bayelsa are all measures geared towards ensuring fairness. And the much-maligned Northern leaders carried out all those lofty actions to further improve the well-being and economic independence of Niger Deltans. I also remember the problems that Speaker Ghali Umar Na’Abba faced during the on-shore, offshore dichotomy bill debate at the national assembly. Mr. Ogundiran is only intelligent by half and his article is a bundle of contradictions. I refer him to the lucid, factual and intelligent presentations by Professor Auwalu Yadudu and Dr. Nuru Yakubu. In the presentations by the duo, the legal, economic, political and social implications of resource control were dealt with. These were accompanied with facts and figures that are incontrovertible. As for the contribution of Kano State that you were fond of quoting I wish to humbly say that as long as we remain Nigerians we are entitled to a fraction of our national patrimony the same way Osun State that contributed “more than 90%” of the total oil production is also entitled. To understand the contribution of Kano I wish to advise Mr. Ogundiran to find out something about GDP and GNP and what the concept of federalism entails vis-à-vis revenue sharing and other related issues. That way we may understand one another better and be talking sense. For, it seems Mr. Ogundiran is either ignorant or mischievous or both. His write-up is a bundle of contradictions. “Is he for South-South?” “In support of presidency?” “Against presidency?” “For Igbos or against them?” Also by the way what is revolt and who is revolting against whom? As late Ken Saro-Wiwa stated in an interview the greatest beneficiaries of oil are Yorubas and one may ask, “how much is their contribution?” I do not know whether Mr. Ogundiran wanted the illiterate Northerners to go to the conference without an agenda for their people and in total disarray because they are afraid of being called names. This is utter balderdash and stood logic on its head. Lastly, we have seen the machinations of Mr. Ogundiran and his ilk and will do everything possible to ensure that the unity and corporate existence of this country is maintained. I would like a Nigeria where “though tribe and tongue may differ in brotherhood we stand”. As one philosopher said, “if you can not use fact use logic, if you cannot use logic then shout. I believe that Mr. Ogundiran is shouting and crying more than the bereaved all in a bid to achieve an objective which is Northern bashing in its most crude form. Engr. Bello Gwarzo Abdullahi, N o. 5, Ningi Road, Fed. Low Cost Housing Estate, Bauchi.
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