By Obunike Nwosu
The Fulani, in particular, and Northern leadership, in general, have much been blamed for the pitiable condition of Nigeria, which has worsened since the Presidency of General Muhammadu Buhari – in terms of financial corruption, nepotism, insecurity, genocide of herdsmen and social and economic decline, etc. Perhaps, it is deserved – because they have largely controlled independent Nigeria since 1960.
By coming together, every federating unit ought to accomplish more and fare better than it would by standing alone, with the result of a collectively prosperous and fearsome country.
“One will chase a thousand but two will chase ten thousand”, says the Bible – which is in line with the theories of Economies of Scale and the Stability of Large Numbers. But this is possible only where no unit can dictate or subjugate the others and where there is equal opportunity, healthy competition and a measure of merit.
It is not so with Nigeria, as a result of structural and regulatory issues. The Moslem North, under Fulani supremacy, capitalizing on legacies of the Jihad and Britain, has remained the Behemoth over the rest of the regions and used that position to impose laws and policies that constrain others – in its favour.
But, from historical and sociological perspectives, you cannot blame them alone. They could not but enjoy a field day since opponents from the rest of the country are prone to errors of commission and omission, easily acquiesce once settled at the personal level and could not consolidate to checkmate them.
From usurping the first independent Federal Government in 1960 to the orchestrated crisis of the Western Region that prompted the January 1966 coup d’etat and the aftermath (particularly, the ‘revenge’ coup d’etat of July 1966, Civil War, military rule, predatory federal structure and Constitution and social and economic decline) to current upheavals, the much-vilified Fulani and Northern leadership have enjoyed robust collaboration from the constituency of their putative opponents. For example, General Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (who are running the worst Federal Government to date) would not have come to power without Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the South-West-based Action Congress of Nigeria.
Without collaborators among the Hausa and other natives, the Fulani could not have conquered the larger part of Northern Nigeria, by Jihad, to impose Islam and the closed, feudal, emirate system of government (in which kit and kin are the emirs, district heads and administrators, e. t. c) at the expense of the natives who are in the majority but consigned to political and religious subjugation.
Britain, the colonial master, only bought into the emirate system, for the purpose of indirect rule, to exploit the people and, as a parting gift, manipulated the keys to political control (from military installations to population and electoral constituencies) to bequeath Nigeria to them before departing at independence. It is their right to seek to preserve the legacies dating back to the Jihad. It is left for opponents to unite to checkmate them and reset Nigeria, instead of perennially blaming Britain.
Largely, due to the absence of concerted opposition, the Fulani have been able to capitalize on the British and Jihad legacies for permanent political and religious control of Nigeria and have become ruthless and implacable on that goal. Their foresight, tenacity and capacity to resolve or subdue internal squabbles and to brow-beat, blackmail, bully, upstage, forward-plan, sell dummies, disarm and enact marriages of convenience, is unrivalled. To them, all is fair in war as in love. By this goal-achievement model, they have always paralyzed their adversaries and gained overarching control of party and national politics as well as the executive, legislature, judiciary, security and all critical departments of government.
In contrast, their gullible and fragmented Southern and Middle-Belt opponents never read the game and are never proactive but always make noise when beaten. The Yoruba and the Igbo are most to be blamed. In the First Republic, the Western Region was besieged. Since then, it has been the Eastern Region. Yet, they would not learn, from shared vulnerability, to put petty differences behind and stand together, to rally others looking up to them, nationwide, for the balance of forces needed to reset Nigeria. None will be truly free until the other is also free. Taking turns as second fiddle is the road to perdition!
Sir Ahmadu Bello, leader of the Northern Peoples’ Congress (NPC) with the collaboration of Britain, easily bullied Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) against coalition with the Action Group (AG) for the first independent Federal Government (with their combined 164 parliamentary seats, against NPC’s 148, in the 1959 federal elections for independence in 1960) by the empty threat that the North would secede if that government was not conceded to the NPC. In that election, the NCNC polled 2.6 million votes; AG, 2 million and NPC, only 1.9 million. Where is the justification?
Had the NCNC and the AG of the South (which was more egalitarian and advanced than the North in everything that could make the young nation tick) gone ahead to form that foundation government and set the pace, the first 1966 coup d’etat (prompted, mainly, by the hounding of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the AG and the Western Region by the NPC-controlled Federal Government) and all the aftermath, might not have arisen. And, given the competitive structure and Constitution of the First Republic and abundant natural resources, Nigeria might have since joined the league of advanced countries.
On the contrary, the NPC focused on domination. It leveraged on the security agencies to descend on all opposition and massively recruited Northern youths (at times, lowering the criteria) to quickly swamp the officer corps of the Armed Forces – in anticipation of greater deployment of force to control Nigeria.
It was mainly those hastily-recruited youths who executed the ‘revenge’ coup d’etat of July 1966, by which Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon (then, the most senior officer from the North) was imposed as Head of State (ahead of superior officers from the South) Among them were the military Heads of State who altered the federal structure, Constitution and fiscal system, e. t. c., in favour of the North, after the Civil War.
When the Aburi Accord (which provided for regional autonomy and everything that the rest of the country now clamour for) was repudiated in 1967, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the Western Region failed to stand with the Eastern Region to actualize it but, instead, joined those who had just persecuted them.
One could go on and on. In summary, by foresight, bravado and acquiescence of opponents, the Fulani have acquired the profile of conquerors and suzerains. In history, the conqueror is not done until he has accomplished the territorial objective and imposed his culture (including religion) and predatory (tribute-collecting, closed and unaccountable) government on the subjects. This propensity is universal and the Fulani could not be expected to behave differently towards Nigeria. The wish to ultimately dip the Koran in the Atlantic and never to concede government to other Nigerians, expressed by Sir Ahmadu Bello, remains work-in-progress. We are already saddled with the predatory system of government.
Everyone is entitled to ambition. Outcomes depend on the competence and response of opponents. In this case, that response has been poor. Nigeria is meant to be great but cannot stand due to imbalance of the legs. The Igbo and the Yoruba are to be blamed as much as the Fulani who are only taking advantage. Nigeria could be saved only if all men of goodwill, from all corners of the country (including well-meaning Fulani) can awaken, stop trading blames and come on deck to reset it for justice, merit, competition, enterprise, productivity, patriotism and everything that makes a society egalitarian and prosperous.
Obunike Nwosu wrote in from Lekki, Lagos