By Adisa Adeleye

It is a pity that after about 100 years of forced marriage, Nigeria still remains a big country of many nations (tribes) devoid of a national identity. Everyday brings a sad reminder of a disunited nation, but naturally blessed with human and material resources.

The year 1914 began with the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Provinces to form what is now euphemistically called Nigeria, but being constantly ridiculed as a ‘failing state’.

The British imperialists(as represented by Lord Lugard) devised an administrative way to ease the financial burden of managing its Northern territory on British Treasury. The comparatively richer Southern Province (#1.5million from annual Import taxes) could easily offer aid to its neighbor (with #.03 million from import taxes) to balance its budget. The presumption was that, amalgamation of 1914 was purely an economic proposition.

If the amalgamation was conceived by economic interest, it also gave birth to economic dividends by opening the vast inter-land to economic exploitation. The extension of rail transportation to the North after 1914 encouraged heavy  movements of goods and people for trade and commerce.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Alhaji Ahmadu Bello

The Southerners became workers, traders and settlers in many growing commercial towns of the North. Southerners became receivers of economic rewards of the commercially expanding North.

However, the intervening decades witnessed the growth of enlightenment in the North and the emergence of the elite class, educated and outspoken. The assault on the amalgamation of 1914 was echoed by many voices in many different places and heard by all.  Systematic attacks of the earlier period were based not on logic, but on fear or mistrust or on both.

The onslaught on the Southerners was fuelled by the fiery editorials in the Northern leading Newspaper of the time, GASKIYA TA FI KWABO. The editor noted; “we, on reflection, consider that a mistake was made in 1914 when the North and South were joined together. The sweetly coated editorial was perhaps reflecting the mood of the Northern Nation.

Some popular quotations by respected Northern Leaders in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s were,…… ‘The mistake of 1914 has come to light and I should like to go no further’. (Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and former Premier of Northern Region). Sir Ahmadu Bello was also reported to have said in his book that, “Lord Lugard and his Amalgamation were far from popular amongst us at that time”.

However, it was the reported speech of Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (who later became Nigeria’s Prime Minister) that could be described as frightening at the period in 1947. He said, “…….I should like to make it clear to you that if the British quitted Nigeria now at this stage the Northern people would continue their interrupted conquest to the sea.”

Perhaps, the former Prime Minister of Nigeria had a poor sense of history because the invasion of Yorubaland by Fulani Soldiers in their ‘conquest’ march to the sea was terminated by Ibadan all conquering forces (with Ogbomoso as ally) in 1840 at Oshogbo. The Fulani forces were completely routed and the event marked the end of the “ conquest” attempt to reach the sea. Hopefully, during  peacetime, AHMADU BELLO WAY in Lagos leads straight to the sea.

It is to the glory of Nigeria that Southern Nigerians lived peacefully, mixed freely and traded profitably in the North before the coup of 1966, carried out foolishlly by some misguided military officers. Even after the civil war (1967-70), Southerners enjoyed relative peace and prosperity in the North until the renewal of ethnic and religious disturbances of the recent past.

On reflection, the pre-independence mood of the North (taken together as a whole inspite of political division) is that of confrontation and mistrust, the mood of the war years and after had been that of co-operation with others to rule Nigeria.

The present mood of the North seems uncertain because the Nigerian state itself is believed to be in a confused situation. Politically, there is Boko Haram insurgency; economically, there is widespread poverty (borne out of large –scale unemployment); socially, there is the scourge of criminal activities – armed robbery, kidnapping and ritual killings.

It is true that some men from the North (civilians and in military uniforms) have ruled the country, like some from other ethnic stock without any outstanding success. The critical voice of the North in anti-Jonathan camp is becoming more strident of recent.

The respected voice of the respectable columnist,  Hakeem Baba –Ahmed on, “ North. The goals of power”, seems to have been lost in the foul stream of anti-North trades, thus preventing the real impact.  Some Southerners still believe that because of mistrust and fear, the North as a reluctant ally would either rule or make ruling impossible by others. I do not share this crude opinion, considering the parts played by the North in the fortunes of Chief Obasanjo as a military Commander and as a former President.

Without any doubt in my mind, the reported statement of a prominent Northern Delegate to the Ibadan Conference of 1950 rings clearly. “There is a very strong misunderstanding existing amongst us all, which hinders our unity. I do not know what is really the cause …… but I think it is not tribal, linguistic or religious differences. Although these things may have something to do with it, but I think they are not the real causes, it must be something else.”

But what is it that is preventing much needed Nigerian unity as a nation?