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The Nigerian Litmus Test: Indigenization as the Key to Progress By Saifullah Galadima Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
PREAMBLE Why hasn't any Nigerian Leader ever noticed and wondered why it is far easier for a Lebanese man to get hold of Nigerian Passport - (hence citizenship); than for an Urhobo man to be regarded as an indigene of Kwara State? What is wrong with us in that country? Why do we love to hate each other? If we really want unity and integration, then is this not a genuine issue that ought to be addressed by Obasanjo, the State Governors and that Man too?
INTRODUCTION It is only when the component fragments of the amalgamated groups of ethnic societies (a.k.a. Nigerians) are able to understand, appreciate and actualize their inherent God-giving human and geographic potential; that we shall see progress in the positive direction. There is no compulsion in anything in life. Not in religion, politics, education or nationhood for that matter. Even the possibility of suicide goes to show that, hey, there is no compulsion in being alive as well! By merely observing the geographical features of Nigeria (even if it is from a social studies textbook), it would appear from the meeting of the two rivers (which form a ' Y' shape) - that nature itself seems to be asking us 'WHY' we are to together and so; we must have a genuine mutual platform before we dream of progress and harmony in coexistence.
Therefore, the first task (in my opinion) for contemporary Nigerian politicians (and by that I am referring to all Nigerians) is to agree that Nigeria (either as a concept, as a country or as a (con)federation) is NOT by force. If this universal truth can be appreciated and/or acknowledged, then the second task would be for us to sit down and answer critical questions like the following:
Counterfeit attempts at answering these questions are available in existing literature viz-a-viz our present constitution. But t hese are seriously pregnant questions that should not be given still-born answers at all. Failure to conceive and deliver them as the deliverables of today, would amount to forcing our future generations to answer these types of questions with Kalashnikovs and hand grenades. It has happened before. With each passing day, we seem to be taking our existence as a country for granted. If we think Nigeria shall or must continue as an indivisible albeit unprofitable entity, we need to think again. The choice may as well be our Balkanization or Czech-and-Slovakiazation. The mighty USSR broke up and the world is still round today. Consequently, the main reason history likes - sorry, loves to repeat itself is that it doesn't like being ignored. Why we haven't disintegrated a la Civil War Part II, is not because the Casus Belli isn't there….nobody just wants to fire the first shot, shikenan! The various causes of ethno-civil strife in West African States of the 1990's look trivial compared to what we have had to swallow from each other on regular basis. Anybody that contests this point should find out why Cote D'Ivoire is split into two right now.
Too often, our socio-economic woes are over-blamed on leadership, poverty and illiteracy. How I wish it were that simple. Terrible follower-ship, sprinkled with corruption, injected with tribalism; before being cemented with insecurity (economic and social insecurity, that is); has been the order of the day since God knows when. As bad as things are today, we could soon be calling these hard times ' the good ol' days'. At least, crude oil will not remain at +60 dollars a barrel forever. Matter-of-fact, the crude oil itself would not last forever and; a sudden revolution in fuel technology could make it lose value soon. As for now, Biafra may have been quelled, but the Niger Delta militants must have memorized the guerrilla handouts of their comrade-in-arms in Philippines, Northern Ireland, Columbia, Nepal, Angola and Sudan; and hence are prepared for the long haul. All they need is a determined Che to lead them into a war of attrition and the prize (unfortunately) is Nigeria's staple source of income. So in essence, as our economic arteries appears to bleed us slowly to death, the fact remains that it is cheaper, quicker and much easier to launch a rocket-propelled grenade at a refinery - than to build it!
Of all the afore mentioned factors that contribute to our wholesome failure as a Nation, perhaps the key lies in Security; and by that I am not referring to just those boys in black. I mean Economic and Social Security that comes with confidence, hope and the belief that one has a stake and a future wherever one calls home. Read the history and Philosphies of America and Canada for more details, please.
THE NORTH AS A CULTURAL HOLD-ALL Now, consider the North as a prototype component that Lord Lugard and associates stitched together without asking you and me for our consents. This region, to me is a testing ground of the Nigerian thesis. Those who are students of demography and population flow would attest (after reading this article) that Northern Nigeria has the best chance in providing us with a pilot study about our past, present and future; as a nation, that is. I sincerely do not have the scientific facts but I am confident that from visual perception and interaction, the North has accommodated many outsiders (and so has the South, of course) but the balance of flow tilts more northwards than vice versa. One way of demonstratiing this fact is by paying a visit to two markets ( e.g. one in Kaduna State and the other in Abia State) and making a visual analysis of the ratio of indgenes vs. non-indigenes trading therein. Another way to prove this point (unfortunately) is that; it is much easier for thugs in the north to locate and harass southerners than vice versa. On a personal basis, I know many southerners who own property in Jos, Bauchi, Minna, Kaduna, etc, but I know very few Northerners with C-of-O in the South. I may be wrong, but I doubt it - and please, I make my assertion not out of disrespect for anyone born south of the confluence. We are trying to move forward as a country, aren't we?
This unique situation in 'Arewa' (hausa terminology for 'North') may not be unconnected to the vast Lebensraum (living space) that is available therein. Okay, I also concede that many of such southern-owned properties have been burnt or looted in Serial Riots and Disturbances dating back to the 60's, but the concept is that there IS space. Vast amount of it, much more space at least, than in any other part of Nigeria. Okay. What then has space got to do with the lost soul of Northern Nigeria or a Litmus Test? This question should have been emailed to the governors of either Bauchi or Nassarawa States (because they need to be the ones to answer it more than anyone else) but unfortunately, I don't have their yahoo or hotmail addresses. I would have included Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, but he is over-lording the Federal Capital Territory, which is by and large, a de-regionalized, de-religionalized, de-tribalized, and even a de-militantarized zone. Please bear with my new English compound words used above; but really and truly, the Nigerian experiment cannot be discussed with just the authorized diction as found in the Oxford Dictionary.
Anyway, giving the circumstances in which these two gentlemen have had to govern their peoples, it is my hypothesis that these fellows are in pole position to fashion out a new ideological base for the North in particular and Nigeria by extension. Are these men allergic to corruption? : I don't know. Why haven't I included any southern governor? : Well, I don't know anyone well enough. What I do know is that these two governors have provided far better leadership than most of their Northern contemporaries that one might even suspect they are suffering from poverty-phobia.
Now as we all know that typically, Northern Nigerian political office holders tend to be devoid of original thinking and therefore; copy-catting what others are doing is the ultimate manifesto. Be it Sharia Law declaration, building state universities, tarring roads or delivering fertilizer after the rainy season, etc. As such, in my thinking, if these two governors were to start a project of identifying and reclaiming the lost soul of Northern Nigeria based on Ahmadu Bello's logic and belief in equality in diversity, we can be sure of 99.999% plagiarism from other governors. All the two governors need to do is simply implement certain sections of the constitution. Shikenan!
How?
Get hold of 300 Yorubas and another 400 Igbos, inter-twine these numbers with some 90 Ijaws, 75 Igalas, 55 Efiks, 40 Nupes and 33 Edo people (all resident in the states) and you have the right mix for our litmus test. The litmus test entails granting these people full (irrevocable) status of State Indigenes based on the criteria already spelt out in the Federal Constitution. New conditions may be attached: i.e.
INDIGENIZATION AND ITS BENEFITS Simply look at what Rochas Okorocha is doing all over the North (and elsewhere) and you may appreciate my perspective. Nigerians don't mind adopting Les Francais or American Slang as their languages in the ultimate quest for survival anywhere in diaspora. So shouldn't they be given a choice of adopting Birom, Ishan or Kanuri? Now tell me why these newly indigenized people would not toil even harder than they are doing presently? When they know that their kids are entitled to scholarships or counsellorships in their adopted Local Governments? Haba! Progress Unlimited. In addition, those rascals that tend to single out such people during riots and organized mayhem would think twice, nay, thrice before touching the life or property of someone who is one of them.
This test is vital because it would achieve the following objectives:
CONCLUSION It is not enough for our governors and traditional rulers to be swapping traditional titles. They should take it to the next level. For once let somebody read that constitution and make sense out of it. We have two choices, as far as I am concerned:
Conclusively, let me reiterate that in striving to leave behind a better Nigeria than the one we met, we have been too busy quarrelling about who wrecked Nigeria before, who should lead Nigeria today and how to share natural resources tomorrow; so much so that we have actually overlooked the most important God-given resource of all: Human Resource. The revolution we have all been secretly dreaming off will take off quietly in our towns and villages; because we would evolve societies where the quest for excellence and total disregard for ethno-religious affiliation will reign supreme.
So, governors Adamu Muazu of Bauchi State and Abdulkadir Adamu of Nassarawa State; over to you. As for those governors I have not mentioned by name or by State, please feel free to xerox. Just let my people flow!
Have a nice day.
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