The Yorubas, the Hausa-Fulani and Nigerian destiny
By
IT is not that the Ndigbo, Efiks, Ijaws, Urhobos, Itsekiris, Tivs etc or the so-called minorities of Nigeria are at the mercies of the Yoruba or the Hausa-Fulani ethnic group or both. No please, it is not so! Sometimes, it is important that Nigerians should tell one another the hard home truth for our total survival. In my humble subsequent write-ups, I have tried my best to tell my own ethnic group, the Igbo, their strengths and failings for their survival destiny in our country. It is now the turn of the Yorubas and the Hausa-Fulani who tend to create the wrong impression that once Ndigbo have been subdued in that unfortunate Nigeria-Biafra war, the rest of Nigeria seems to have become an easy game where they can play their political football, jointly or singly, with the destiny of Nigeria as they wish. This must not be allowed to be so. Ndigbo who lost a war of survival during Biafra have learnt their lessons and have resorted to their fate. It does not matter how loudly or silently they cry or complain over the seemingly-scorched-earth-policy of marginalisation against the Igbo nation perpetuated by either Federal governments, many other unaffected Nigerians, particularly most Yorubas and the Hausa-Fulani, do not seem to care. Even some excrement Igbos, sycophants or scallywags would join Igbo tormentors to gleefully say that Ndigbo are not marginalised. Such people claim that Ndigbo are crying wolf for nothing even though the black werewolf of neglects and deprivations that hunt the Igbos can be seen plainly all over Igbo lands and beyond even by the blind.
The fact is that the two-so-called major ethnic groups of ndi’Yoruba and ndi’Hausa-Fulani minus Ndigbo, at the severe disadvantages of other Nigerians tend to believe that they are holding the trump card of total destiny for the survival (or destruction?) of our great country, Nigeria. This country, Nigeria, was not properly-amalgamated in 1914 by Sir Lord Lugard; and the British colonialists wrongly put the federating ethnic units and entities together. That alchemist’s amalgam called Nigeria has continued to remain a major unscientific political experiment of the last century. This concocted amalgam has done more incalculable harm than good to the well-being and psyche of the component parts and the people. The colonialists seemed to have intimated and cajoled the earlier leaders-for-independence to have accepted that weird contraption of bad nationhood without proper socioeconomic-cum-political structuring in such a way and manner that the over two hundred and fifty ethnic nationalities can live in peace and unity.
Since the so-called independence in 1960, the people of Nigeria have been stumbling from one fatal crisis to another, resulting in untold human suffering and material losses to the polity. The nagging issues of the national question and their consequent problems became so unbearable in 1966 that Ndigbo and their neighbours through Biafra, tried most desperately to fight their way through and get out of Nigeria, having been almost entirely-decimated by fellow Nigerians of different tribes and religions through a vicious pogrom that was tantamount to genocide. As a result of divine intervention and good luck, many Igbos, Efiks, Ibibios, etc. survived the genocide in Biafra that went on for about five years.
The people are still licking their teary physical injuries and psychological wounds that were severely-inflicted upon them by fellow Nigerians. These injuries and wounds are still as painful as ever up till today. After reading the frightening statements made recently by Major-General (Bar.) I. B. M. Haruna at the Oputa Panel where he was defending the genocidal massacre of civilians and captured soldiers in Biafra by his soldiers at Asaba, Item, Ugwueke, Abiriba, etc., I felt most convinced that Ndigbo must one day go beyond the Panel and take their case of genocide to the International Human Rights Commission. He was fragrantly robbing a peppery salt deeply into weeping physical-cum-spiritual injuries in which the people of the nationalities that peopled Biafra are enmeshed in today.
Even as a lawyer, General Haruna who I had great respects for during his contributions at the 1988/89 constituent Assembly, knows clearly the implications in International Laws or Conventions vis-a-vis the fate of captured/wounded soldiers, civilians or war prisoners. Nigerian soldiering cannot be different. May be people of General Haruna’s kind would not play as tough when they eventually face such an international tribunal in the Hague or Rwanda or elsewhere. In that unfortunate Nigeria-Biafra war, the Yorubas and the Hausa-Fulani worked most closely together with other minority groups to subdue and vanquish the Igbos and their South-South neighbours in the then Biafra. This occurred through what General Gowon described as a ‘police action’ even though Nigeria later admitted that it was a real blown civil war when the Biafrans were giving their soldiers a real hiding, walloping and beating in many war fronts.
Today, the events of injustice, inequity, insecurity, murder, mayhem, religious intolerance, etc. that brought about the war are still much alive, and are assuming more dangerous dimensions. Right now, Ndigbo are sober, being most conscious of what they went through during that senseless war, having taken stock of their losses and sufferings, etc. The Yorubas and the Hausa-Fulani did not suffer much comparatively. They even enjoyed as they eagerly took over the lucrative government and commercial positions that were abandoned by the easterners in their race-for-life back to their homes-of-origin.
It was mainly the ethnic groups of the Middle Belt who did most of the fighting for Nigerians during the civil war; and they paid dearly in the war fronts. Is it not a terrible shame that today, many of those retired Nigerian soldiers who fought the war bravely are now living helplessly as squatters in shanty camps at the roadsides and corners under grim and squalid conditions as pensioners in Lagos Island area; as they wait endlessly for their pensions to be paid?
The sight of these hapless soldier-pensioners would make the hardest of men shed tears when one sees the inhuman and most unhygienic conditions where they now perch, sleep and furlongly-wait. The entire uninhabitable environment exudes an unbearable stench and malodorous smell that threaten public sanitation and human existence. Their wounded and handicapped Biafran counterparts are equally abandoned at Oji River town in Enugu State where they live with their families as beggars along the Enugu-Onitsha expressway as no governments take care of them.
If older Nigerians can be fair to history and say the truth on how that war started, they will tell you that it was the Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani who were struggling then for political power in the then wild-wild-west. Chief Awolowo and Chief Akintola were slugging it out during the western election. The Igbos were unfortunately, but naively lured into the fray; only to eventually take over somehow and bear the demonic brunt of suffering and destruction when the war took off and lasted. The war events are now history. Chief Awolowo was then released by General Ojukwu from the Calabar prisons, and later a momentous reception at the old Government House, Enugu, he left for Lagos with historical promises across the Ndigbo-Yoruba boundaries. Unfortunately today, Papa Awolowo is no more around to tell us his own side of the story in relation to the blames and counter blames of deceit and bad faith that resulted later.
However, those promises all came to naught to the detriment and genocidal massacres of Ndigbo, Efiks, Ibibios, etc. Hunger was approved by the then Federal Government of Nigeria as an acceptable weapon of war. Just at the end of the war, the tasty fish called okporoko that is highly patronized and imported by Igbo business men from the Scandinavian countries was also banned because they claimed that it tastes like firewood. Meanwhile, the Yorubas and the Hausa-Fulani mended fences quickly in order to keep Nigeria one; a task that was done at colossal losses in lives and material resources.
Today, these two major ethnic groups seem to be embroiled in their macabre games again as they hot up activities in their dangerous political gyrations. Any unwary ethnic group may become a victim, as was the case of Ndigbo during the Nigeria-Biafra war. The Yorubas and the Hausa-Fulani do seem to arrogate to themselves the feeling of holding the key to stability of this country all the time. Singly or jointly as pleases their fancies, they handle issues of our nation-state as their ethnic affair without due regards to other component parts of Nigeria. Many Nigerians, particularly the Igbos do not understand the type of political games these two groups have been playing most of the time. Some of the so-called minority groups are also conscious of the scenario of the duo.
These powerful ethnicists do not seem to realize that the game is up. Their divide-and-rule tactics where one ethnic group is pitched against the other may not work well anymore. Many sincere and nationalistic Nigerians have been through their masks, evils, weird mannerisms, strange-but-mesmerizing idiosyncrasy in their sociopolitical gerrymandering and economic encirclement.
These unprogressive and self-serving political antics that are sometimes most revolting and cantankerous to the extreme, have become most intolerable to the larger Nigerian body-politic. No sensible Nigerians anymore, including the Igbos, shall take over or hijack anybody’s trouble or fight for any misguided group this time around when it starts. Ndi’Yoruba and ndi’Hausa-Fulani that dominate the Presidency and the National Assembly today are frighteningly flexing their muscles and getting ready, wrongly, once more for the forthcoming 2003 elections! Already there are threats of fire and brimstone from the usual quarters as onlookers try to take sides. The Yorubas and the Hausa-Fulani must re-examine their roles and actions in the Nigerian state vis-a-vis other ethnic groups in order to enable our country survive; so that all the component ethnic parts can fully participate and equitably share in all her socioeconomic resources.
As at now, the opposite is the case as the dark clouds gather and nucleate here and there. Since General Aguiyi Ironsi and Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi were cowardly murdered in cold blood in 1966 in western Nigeria and the civil war eventually occurred and ended, the Yorubas and the Hausa-Fulani seem to have acted out a plan of how to rule Nigeria permanently among themselves. The Yorubas are a great and knowledgeable people, many Nigerians including some Yorubas themselves do not understand fully the innate powers of this ethnic group that can make or unmake Nigeria or any other ethnic group at her own discretion. The Yorubas are a very courageous and intelligent lot! One has been most fortunate to have studied and worked with many Yorubas within and outside this country as well as in Biafra during the war. One has a great and lively admiration for them.
Majority of the Yorubas believe fanatically in their so-called ‘ethnic autonomy’ and have consistently called for it since Awolowoistic times. Some funny people unabashedly exclaim that a typical Yoruba man is a coward. This is an arrant nonsensical talk by people who do not know the Yoruba! Such ignoramuses do not know Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, Fela Ransom-Kuti or his great mother both of blessed memory, Professor Wole Soyinka, Brig. Adekunle, Major Ademoyega, Major Adeleke who commissioned people like my humble self and many other young men and women as officers into the Biafra Army, Gen. Akinrinade, etc. Bashorun M. K. O. Abiola, Mrs. Abiola and Colonel Fajuyi paid the supreme sacrifice for what they believed in. One wonders how many other Nigerians can compare themselves in courage and bravery with these heroes.
These brave people and many of their brothers and sisters have made history in the destiny of Nigeria and must not be ignored. What of the indomitable western press that told off governments and did suffer for their bravery? When Chief Abiola was denied his June 12 victory, the Yorubas kept Nigeria on her tenterhooks until they took over. They organised themselves most cleverly, propelled NADECO to great heights, mobilized their vicious western press, formed and pushed the OPC, etc. and held us to ransom until they achieved victory they are now enjoying.
But the Yoruba must not overdo it against other people’s interest as they are trying to pursue. They must learn to work with and for other Nigerians for the benefit of all, otherwise what happened during the Biafra experience may become their lot although one is not a prophet of doom. Ndi’Yoruba should listen to the cries of other Nigerians and help them out of their quagmires. The people of the deprived zones of Southeast, South south and North central are extremely marginalised.
The Southeast was labeled with an unfair and incorrect census figures, receives poor monthly revenue allocations, has been cheated with only 91 local governments and five states. When compared with the other zones of the country; the area is most ravaged by heartrending and pandemic ecological disasters of soil and gully erosion and landslides; many of the roads are not passable, there are no river ports and international airports; and above all, is saddled with the poorest political representations as a result of the few local governments and states in the southeast; etc. Attempts by Ndigbo to make amends with the Yorubas, are continuously and annoyingly rebuffed as if the Yorubas can do without the Igbos in Nigeria. They must carefully listen to the recent complaints of the Chairman of Ohaneze-Ndigbo, Justice Eze-Ozobu (rtd) as clearly reported in many newspapers of September 30 and October 1, 2001. The highly respected jurist, Justice Eze-Ozobu, complained bitterly of the recent saddening backslight of the Afenifere on the Ohaneze in Afenifere’s dealings with the Arewa Consultative Forum in the light of earlier agreements they reached; the age long suspicious and distrust of the Yorubas by the Igbos thereby giving some unhealthy credence to the gabbled stories of petty jealousy, bad faith and possible treachery that might have occurred between Chief Awolowo and Dr. Azikiwe during the independence struggle, and Chief Awolowo and Gen. Ojukwu during the Biafran imbroglio.
The Yorubas were called upon to change their styles some of which are in the realms of anachronism. The present young generation of Igbos and Yorubas must no longer be misguided by the bad examples of their elders, they must be left alone and allowed to reorganise their lives devoid of historical bad faith for which no one agrees to take the responsibility. The massive environmental pollution and contamination from oil spills, gas flaring and depositions, and discharges into surface waters and on the ground of dangerous fossil groundwater pumped out of deep wells by the oil companies as well as industries in the Niger Delta is a matter of great concern to the entire nation.
The Yoruba nation can help solve the above problems in the Southeast and South south if they put their weights and hearts into them; in the same way they were assisted to solve the June 12 problem by the rest of Nigerians. As at now, they have not shown enough concern; instead, they are playing out the tape of legendary Oliver Twist to the chagrin of others. The Hausa-Fulani brothers and sisters are not doing well either or better than the Yoruba in their efforts to, once more, corner events to themselves in Nigeria. They tend to think that the President, Chief Obasanjo, is not doing enough for them. They want business as usual where they must always receive a lion’s share to the starvation of the other ethnic groups while the rest of Nigerians suffer from untold socioeconomic deprivations forever. They carefully planned and have executed ‘political sharia' for Nigeria. They have achieved quite a measure of success in this regard.
Sadly, the seemingly-helpless Federal authorities look on in confusion or in trepidation of a possible Armageddon that may confront the country over any resistance to this strange ‘political sharia’. Governor Alhaji Sani Yerima of Zamfara State is the strong man of the ‘the sharia movement.’ Other Governors of the same like are following him closely and steadily. Christians and any others who reject their present religious sojourn into the unknown become clear-cut religious-cum-political unbelievers who must eventually pay for it. Already, many Nigerians have been paying for it with their lives, hands, backs, buttocks and property.
Killer religious riots for which hundreds of lives are lost have been occurring regularly from one town to the other in the north; name it, Sokoto, Gusau, Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Lafia, Jos, back to Kano now. Everybody is looking out eagerly to the fanatics in Zaria, Maiduguri, Suleja, Funtua, Hadeija, etc. to do their own ‘sharia’ riot. It does not matter whether it is done for us Nigerians here or for the Afghans in Asia, some ‘infidels’ must be robbed and killed in the name of their god! As usual, Ndigbo must become victims of such carnage whether they like it or not, sometimes with their lives and property in tow. Recently, Major-General Buhari was reported to have directed his faithful for the total islamization of Nigeria, claiming that nothing would happen. One wonders whether Rev Fr., M. Kukah may answer for him again as he did sometime ago.
The Ahmadu Bello Way is the name of the last road that delimits the land and the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos, symbolic of the dipping of the Holy Book in the sea; one can also see totally-shrouded Muslim women in the streets of Lagos and Ibadan; all confirming General Buhari’s efforts and those of his forefathers. But it is a different kettle of fish in the solid Christian east where such islamization adventure cannot happen. Major-General Buhari is quite wrong again in his statement if the press quoted him correctly. Of course, he knows that something that will not be to his liking shall happen if his fanatics carry out his directives in the east. He shall be fully resisted by all honest Nigerians. In Biafra, when he and his likes tried to lord it over the Christians in the east, they did fail woefully! It shall even be more difficult for him and his disciples to do so in our present-day Nigeria as everyone is most consciously-watching and fervently praying so that we do not fall into temptation.
And if he thinks that he is intimidating anybody, then he has failed most woefully as one can see from the wildcat resistance people give to the rioters even in their domain! May be General Buhari thinks islamization of Nigeria shall be as easy as the way and manner he mishandled the PTF specifically against Ndigbo, or the way he has derisively viewed the Oputa Panel whose summons he has continuously defied and refused to answer to the allegation that his government created Dr. (Bar.) Umaru Dikko in Britain and tried to smuggle him back to Nigeria, but failed. Dr. Dikko wants apologies!
The Hausa-Fulani can, positively, affect and effect durable changes in Nigeria if they so desire. They have also contributed immensely in one way or the other in the growth and progress of this country., They can still do much more for this country. As an environmental hydrogeologist, I lived and travelled widely to many parts of the north, and do admire the rolling plans and range lands, hills and valleys, the beautiful landscape, its environmental serenity and the alluring nature.
Today, events are no more the same as people now run away from these lovely environments that used to be home to every Nigerian those days and years! They should stop using one ethnic group against the other. Such political acrobatics has become an anachronism and should be jettisoned. No one actually benefits from such an untoward behaviourism on the long run. Despite the high positions some of the Arewa leaders have occupied for a very long time in Nigeria, the average northerner is still worse off than his southern counterpart. It is only some of the topmost leaders who have always benefited from the long high-heeled political occupation of Nigeria.
Many of them fraudulently acquired the common wealth only for themselves and their families while the larger number of the talakawas were left debilitatingly poor, badly diseased, psychologically-distressed, physically-dismembered and mentally-depraved. In many urban centres and road junctions all over the country, one’s heart bleeds to see many men, women and child beggars pleading with the bystanders for a few coins to be able to buy food to eat and exist, and yet they are fellow deprived Nigerians who are a part of our per capita income generation and benefits.
Majority of such unfortunate and helpless beggars come from the north and beyond. In terms of education, it is saddening as it has become a mirage to build any bridge between the north and the south and the present political ‘sharia’ will worsen matters; in infrastructure, it is a pipe dream as there are poor health facilities, water supplies, etc; in commerce and industry, they depend mostly on the sweats of the estranged Igbos to truck industrial materials up and down the north, or transport their agricultural products down south for sale.
The north and south badly need one another desperately for a safe and united Nigeria bound in socioeconomic love and destiny. One must, forever, discard the decadent idea of using one ethnic group against the other as now prevalent in the larger Nigerian polity. The Yorubas, and the Hausa-Fulani must see the hands of overall Nigerian destiny presently-thrust out to them so that they can fully and positively play out their parts in fairness and equity for the stability of this nation. As at now, one seems to place his or her fate and future in their hands. They should, together, listen to the cries of the Igbos, the people of the Middle Belt and the Nigeria Delta and assist genuinely to solve their problems. They should forget about the continued enjoyment over their victory in a war that ended years ago as Ndigbo have successfully bounced back into the Nigerian destiny.
They should stop playing the ostrich-head-in-the-sand game of hide-and-seek for other Nigerians; people now see and fully know that the game is up! One is most amazed at the role the Arewa Consultative Forum played at the Oputa Panel against the Igbos recently, they seem to have hijacked for Nigeria the complaints by Ohaneze-Ndigbo of the genocide perpetuated against the easterners during the Nigeria-Biafra war; they showed no remorse or any compunction or gave no apologies, instead, they were rubbing more pepper into the teary national injury that was inflicted upon the easterners by the rest of Nigeria; God shall be the final judge after the Oputa Panel.
Come to think of it, one is at a loss why the two zones in the northern political zone as well as the leadership of Arewa Forum rejected the idea of holding a National Conference for Nigeria as earlier recommended by a Committee of Elders, whereas four zones agreed that the Conference should be held. Why must the two recalcitrant zones be allowed to endanger our total destiny in this democracy despite the majority opinion?
In his October 1 broadcast this year, the President Chief Obasanjo does not seem to oppose a National Conference; methinks that he stated that the ball of such a Conference should be played, now, at the court of the National Assembly whereby they should come out with an enabling Bill to that effect to the President for his assent. One wonders whether this pressing challenge of convoking a National conference shall be taken seriously by our elected politicians since the number of members of the Arewa Consultative Forum who oppose the Conference dominate the national Assembly.
In October 1 this year, a detailed and incisive report and analysis for the survival of Nigeria by Professor Omo Omoruyi was in the Vanguard Newspaper. He should be listened to strongly. The analysis should be seriously considered by every Nigerian who loves this country. One humbly agrees with most of Professor Omoruyi’s submissions, one does believe, the has given his ideas in good faith. All our politicians must realise that the common destiny of all Nigerians now falls squarely in their hands.
They should put in progress immediately, the machine for the execution of a National Conference where our present and the future must be fully discussed and are agreed upon; and avoid any self-centred political mesmerism and weird gerrymandering. Our respected President should also go ahead further and forcefully prod the members of the National Assembly to start actions in this direction. This may be the only way Chief Obasanjo can clearly beat the record of Dr. Nelson Mandela and save his people for posterity.
If the Yorubas and the Hausa-Fulani say yes to this affair, the National Conference shall hold. The two ethnic groups dominate the Nigerian polity both in the Presidency and the National Assembly; and whatever they agree to and decide together, will be democratically accepted by the majority. It is already well-known that the Igbos and the so-called minorities who have suffered extreme deprivations shall willingly agree to hold such a Conference now as their leadership has been calling endlessly for a national Conference.
The Yoruba nation are divided in their statements over it while the majority of the Hausa-Fulani are stoutly opposed to it. It shall never lead to the dismemberment of Nigeria as being feared by some selfish or the poorly-informed groups or individuals. The destiny of this country does hang perilously on a successful convocation of the National Conference whether anybody likes it or not. We either hold it presently peacefully or we must do so in the near future with, possibly, some avoidable difficulties. Those people who refuse to learn from good advice, do so later when it may be too late, to their own peril.
We have had Conferences of various kinds during and after the British rule, and Nigeria did not break up. If anything, it was a failure of any goodwill for such a Conference to be allowed to become successful through the wrong advice of some political jingoists and super Permanent Secretaries, and the then unwarranted failure to implement the ‘Aburi Accord’ that resulted in the avoidable civil war; and nearly cost our dear Nigeria her national life.
The destiny of Nigeria is glued to hearing and doing something to the cries of abject marginalisation and erosion problems that pervade the southeast, the oppressive environmental destructions in the Niger Delta, and the abject politico-economic neglects in the Middle Belt, as well as other debilitating social malaise in parts of Nigeria.
January 2002