The first treaty by Her majesty the Queen of England and Ireland to entrap the colonies of the Yoruba country was delivered to the supposed King of the Yorubas by a Reverend father of the CMS and read by a Scripture reader in September 1888!! This is an eye witness account of the process that led up to the annexation of the southern part of Nigeria. This is also an eye-opener for the leaders of a new generation of illustrious Nigerians. What does this basic and somewhat totemic statement tell us about the issues the leaders of the pre-colonial era Nigeria contend with? What part will the pre-colonial history of our motherland have to play in developing a vision for Nigeria as we undergo the throes of a nationalistic rebirth? These and a lot more is what we will consultatively try to highlight with a view to seeing issues in hindsight. We are the Nigerian Youth League a visionary organization based on a progressive Ideology for the motherland. The ideology we are portending here is to state categorically that Nigerian issues can only be solved by Nigerians amongst Nigerian and using Nigerian methods. We as Nigerians must cease to enumerate all our problems with the colonial influences that bore down on us for decades before independence in 1960. In as much as we can not tackle our issues in a vacuum, we must look inwardly whilst trying to discover the giant within. Look at the year 1888; West Africa a mostly feudal region was experiencing the beginning of the Scramble for Africa by European powers and the illiterate sovereigns of that period found themselves in the middle of a European power struggle. Nigeria, yet to be reborn must understand itself and rationalize the internecine wars amongst its tribes; most notably the Yoruba race for the purpose of this article. The statement above can be used as an historical anecdote to further understand ourselves and ultimately our country. For our great country to truly find its direction and vision, all negative post colonial influences must be shut up in the bin of history and all residues of the colonial mentality must be erased in our psyche! Nigeria is on the path to greatness and it is crucial that we as the leaders of a new generation address these issues so that all the policies that will drive the greatness we crave will be enacted with pure reflection guiding our choices and an inherent knowledge of self pushing our resolve for a greater Nigeria.

Who are the colonials? The colonials are not white people just in case we were mistaken the synonymous use of this term. This term is representative of all things foreign to our culture as passed down from our fore-bearers. Things colonial are those things that are not inherent in the traditional West African way of life. The colonials are the proponents of all those influences that have pervaded our existence and now appear to be the status quo. The colonials are the people or systems that have aided the propagation of these systems either consciously or unconsciously. In removing the colonial shackles from our psyche we must accept this definition for us to understand the depth of our colonial enslavement as a nation. It will be very difficult to understand ones national identity if one doesn’t take stock of what is traditionally his and that which came from sources colonial albeit good or bad. It will also be very difficult for one to have a patriotic zeal for a motherland if one doesn’t have a feeling of national identity. The issues of lack of national identity which has been contrived as one of the reasons Nigerian leaders’ loot without scruple is because of the age old saying that there is no Nigeria but a geographical expanse of land locked together. If this be the case then where is the national identity that is required of any aspiring Nigerian leader? The proper definition of these colonials means that their identity must be inherently different from ours. Their values are based on their interest and not on the interest of the Nigerian vision. Does this not remind us of some of our past leaders in that they catered for their own selfish needs by ensuring the colonial interests were always taken care of? The English were our last colonial masters however the colonials were not all masters as some of them were partners in the destruction of what would have evolved into an African empire! At this point I will like to quote from a reply letter to Egba indigenes in Lagos from their chieftains in Abeokuta in the year 1888 when the French made a conceited attempt at striking a trade agreement with the Egbas to the chagrin of the then Governor of Lagos state  {during the heat of the Scramble for Africa}. These were prevailed upon by the Governor of Lagos Colony to remonstrate with their kinsmen to ensure that the agreement was not signed.

Eye witness accounts by Rev Samuel Johnson- Author History of the Yorubas

“We thank you for the solicitations you have manifested for your fatherland. You call yourselves our children but what have we your parents ever received from you? But immediately you hear that others have made us a few presents, you hastened to show us the danger lurking in their gifts. Have you not noticed the prices of our goods always getting devalued and never rising? What have you done to help us in these things to make our labors more worthwhile? Nothing! It strikes us that you only concern yourselves in competing with the white men to make your own profits out of us”

This basically explains the sentiments of the interior Yorubas towards the colonial economic invasion of Nigeria as we know it today. It is amazing that this exact same statement can be made for some of our leaders 120 years down the line. These should be a yardstick for the common Nigerian to be able to identify the colonials when you see one. Their policies as stated above have not changed from generations to generations as their aim is personal profit and not collective growth. The younger generation of Nigerians must ensure that they fight these colonials to the hilt anytime they rear their ugly heads because if the Yoruba leaders had done this the Nigeria we know today might have become a competitive force to reckon with as opposed to the monopolistic hold handed over to the British which ended up creating the oligopoly we see in Nigeria today. We have seen the colonials in their true colors but as the definition states that they are the proponents of those things colonial we have to highlight their influence towards the creation of the nation called Nigeria.

Colonial influences are even more inherent in the creation of Nigeria. Unlike the messages given to the peoples of Nigeria by the colonial founding fathers that “Nigeria is not an entity” we have to appreciate the colonials themselves. These influences have permeated all the facets of the Nigerian life as we know it today. Our socio-economic, political and religious life was colonized as well as our traditional and now nationalistic psyche. The colonials only believed in their own way of life as the civilized way to move forward. In the 18^th century the Queen of England gave an edict stating that “The natives of the colonies are taught our own ways”. Go and “civilize the natives” was the edict given to any of the Governors of the various colonies in West Africa. This started with the teaching of the bible as the only way to heaven. It is now appalling to find that the average British citizen questions the authenticity of the Holy Bible that was used to civilize our forefathers. The main disparity that caused the wholesome war of the then Yoruba country was predicated on religious lines. Nigeria was inadvertently colonized by the Abrahamic faiths as we have seen. The predominantly Islamic North had prediction that the Holy Quran was to dipped in the Atlantic ocean meaning in effect that all the tribes in the south were also to be made subservient to the Islamic ideals. These may have failed but it had the effect of creating an arms race which resulted in further ethnic divisions in an already fragile truce amongst the tribes. It should not come as a surprise when we see Religious strife as one of the malignant tumors in the social coherence of the common Nigerian? Now that we mention this, it will be proactive to mention that the north was colonized by the Arabs well before the advent of the white man in the south of Nigeria as we know it. It has to be stated at this point that in 1886 the colonial commissioners in Yoruba land {whilst suing for peace amongst the tribes} ensured that all the Yoruba kings signed a treaty abolishing the act of human sacrifice which on all standards is barbaric!

The idea of a nation state is also borne out of the colonial ideal? The first nations in Europe were referred to as nation states. This is obvious by an observation of all the former European powers before the British Empire namely the Dutch, Venetian and Florentine conclaves of Western Europe. It is loathsome to realize that they never took into consideration the numerous ethnic groups that existed in the Niger area. We can not state that this ideal did not have its positive impacts however it serves to further augment the inherent ethnic divides that still abounds in our national psyche.

Corruption is the one that is most succinct in the minds of the common Nigerian. This influence is clearly visible in the every day life of the Nigerian man. There is a ruse that states that Nigerians believe that the perks of ones job must be more than ones own salary. This is also another colonial influence in that the British Isles was been ruled by the English overlords. The English were in control of most of the resources on the British isles hence their conquests of the Irish, Welsh and Scots. This was done by outright war, destabilization of the polity as met upon conquests and then replacing the national sovereign with an overlord {usually despotic} over its supposed subjects. This was carried out in Yoruba country as well. In the case of Nigeria the conquered Scots, Welsh and Irish were sent out to the colonies to go and seek their own fortunes with pittance as a salary but the unwritten rule states that you can make more money due to the pecuniary nature of the jobs. All an overlord or Governor had to do was give the Queen her due and all would be well. This was done without care for the interest of our forefathers. They i.e. the overlords used this same hierarchical structure in subjugating their subjects and hence the divide and rule strategy flourished. Nigerian Clerks of the colonial masters learnt well from their masters and taught these tricks to their African protégés who in turn made it the status quo. The status quo is what we see today where a man that works in the ministry of finance has no intention of living within his means but with a providential believe that he will be able to get a fat pay packet at the end of the month that is neither taxable nor accountable to the government of the day. The Alafin of Oyo was the overlord of choice for the British and he in turn was paid 200 pounds sterling in 1888 to allow the British full access to the land and its resources whilst ensuring that all their demands were met. Is it then shocking that our new kings i.e. Governors, Ministers, Presidents and Commissioners give unthinkable concessions to foreign companies for an opportunity to exploit the peoples of Nigeria. It beggars belief the more one delves into the root cause of the demise of the economic progress of the Nigerian. See below an excerpt of a letter to confirm the beginnings of one sided treatises that led to the subjugation of the Nigerian dream.

Eye witness accounts by Rev Samuel Johnson who delivered the letter to the Governor of Lagos 1888- Point 4 of the Treaty signed by Oba Adeyemi- Alafin of Oyo1888

“No tolls, duties, fees, imposts, or charges shall be charged or levied upon the persons or property of any British subject or other person under Her Majesty’s protection other than and beyond that or those which are customary and reasonable, or may from time to time be agreed upon to be so levied or charged by the Governor of Lagos or Myself”

All treatises signed by Nigeria in the last decade might as well have been formed under these same unequal tenets to the chagrin of the younger generation of Nigerians who unwittingly watch their national legacies been sold away for peanuts without consideration for the children yet unborn!

Knowledge is power! So the natives must be disenfranchised with this important commodity. It was almost unheard of for the native to be educated. The most educated of the Yorubas were predominantly slaves returning to their native lands. What kind of education would have been given to a slave in foreign lands but the education of a slave in learning how to serve one masters well. It is not a surprise then to see that most of the texts written by the early Nigerians were directed towards distorting Yoruba identity as advised and edited by the colonial masters. Our history is then lost to the annals of the European archives as they taught us how to write our own language! The education of the slaves only further augmented the slavery mentality that has continued till this present day. Our educational system is nothing but a replica of the slave mentality and hence our younger generations are not given an equal opportunity to thrive and stand up for their own rights. We observe this everyday when we find that all a young Nigerian wants to do is to enrich him at all costs to the detriment of whomever it is that stands in his way. Can we blame ourselves then for the wanton lack of a vision for the motherland? We have to state that ours was at least better than that of the southern Africans whose education was proactively stunted to ensure they never fight know their rights talk less of fighting for it.

It is then obvious why the illiteracy of our forefathers was further precipitated as education for the natives was tantamount to a change of religion! Education as taught by the CMS went hand in hand with a religious fervor. In Yoruba land the educated populace was thus predominantly Christians. This was also inherent in the Quranic schools in the north as no northerner could learn to write unless in the citadels of the “ile kewu”. We have to really empathize with our forefathers for their lack of education.

The economic systems were also affected by virtue of the destabilization of the cowrie which was our main currency when hoards of this was dumped in Yoruba land hence making our traditional way of trading subservient to that of the British pound! All these facts are available for the ardent student of Nigeria’s intercourse with the colonial powers.

These stated above are a few of the tumors that were propagated by the colonial influences in Yoruba land been a case study for the Nigerian case. These and other tumors have since turned out to be cancerous in nature and have ultimately contributed all the various issues we contend with today in Nigeria.

According to the medical profession, cancers could be malignant or terminal in nature. Since the Nigerian Youth League does not contemplate the latter for Nigeria but rather a quick and successive approach to solving the issues, we say that the only solution is that these cancers must undergo Chemotherapy. This is the only medically proven way of removing or stunting the growth of cancers. In doing this just like the use of Chemotherapy equipments, we must look at the root of the cancers and burn them out! Drastic solution calls for drastic measures. It is appalling to see that most of the governments in Nigeria have tried to stunt the growth of these cancers. We accept that this is one way to treat the problem however we also know that when a cancer is treated as such the patient is given a time limit to life! Does this inherently mean that our leaders in Nigeria have given us a time span to live? Does this mean that the Nigerian “ruling elite” agrees with the United States CIA intelligence report that states that Nigeria will disintegrate in 13years? Are they colonials or are they true Nigerians? Inaction on the part of the “ruling elite” will probably result in this terminal end for the country. We the Nigerian Youth League however believe that we are a fresh breed of Nigerians. We are live giving new tissue to a destroyed or decaying cancer. We can change the course of history if we move towards identifying our shared ideals as a nation, identifying and pursuing a true national vision for the motherland, and constructively tackling any regressive and non-developmental policies that may threaten the socio-economic and political coherence of the Federation.

The first step has been taken in identifying the effects of the colonial mentality that has permeated and percolated the minds of the past generation. We do not blame them or their fore-bearers for their lack of vision or understanding of the greater good for Nigerians. We do not blame them for seeing through the eyes of another in tackling the malignant issues we face in Nigeria today. We will however blame them if they choose to continue down the path of destruction that will result from this lack luster approach to tackling Nigeria’s various issues. The Nigerian Youth League will continue working in the shades of anonymity to ensure that a new breed of leaders share a common vision and ideal for the motherland.

For the treatment of any cancer there will be side effects. We as Nigerians must brace ourselves for the side effects of the treatment. We may be called pariah states in trying to break off the shackles of post colonial slavery. We may be mislabeled under various metrics developed by the western world to exonerate their banking and financial status. We may be considered 3^rd world developing nations that have no hope. Foreign investment may be affected by virtue of pursuing policies that will benefit the common Nigerian man. As seen above we may also be infiltrated through the bribery and corruption of some notable Nigerians towards circumventing the vision of a greater Nigeria. The military may be used and they may try to exploit the greed inherent in lesser minded Nigerians. All these will be but a few of the consequences of trying to reverse decades of underdevelopment and instability of Nigeria. We are prepared and we wonder if Nigerians are really ready to pay the price required of any great nation. We must however ensure that in achieving this ideal no blood is shed!!! Nigeria does not need anymore blood shed as all the lives killed off due to poverty and civil unrest in the past decades is enough to atone for the sins of our fore-bearers.

In writing this article I’ve learned a lot about how the colonial mentality has affected our great culture and country at large. The Yoruba race is only used as an anecdote for understanding the issues that were at stake towards the inception of Nigeria. This anecdote is similar with the other tribes in Nigeria as we know that the soldiers that came with the white commissioners/spies; in the guise of suing for peace with the Yoruba warlords; were actually Hausas. We also know that the same stratagem was pursued by the colonials in subjugating the whole of Nigeria. We have read about some of the various colonial influences; however there is one common factor. All the negative and positive colonial influences were carried out with the instrumental use of our own kinsmen. The problem is not the colonial influences, as we can not deny the fact that the Yoruba country was a theatre of war which predicated the Alaafin to call for help from the Governor of Lagos to end the 16years of war in the Interior Yoruba Land. The problem is however our own instability which usually breeds interference from the “selfish global leaders”. If you have a country that doesn’t seem to have a definitive direction, then it would be ethical to capitalize on their weaknesses to the advantage of your own country. We can not blame the colonials for coming into our midst as wolf in sheep’s clothing. We were already looking like sheep that needed to be herded into a sheep’s pen. Nigeria is the sheep’s pen, Nigerians are the sheep and the ruling elite are the shepherds for the absentee land owners. Overt control of Nigeria during the pre-colonial era has given way to covert control during the post colonial era till present day. Nigerians need to break free and walk tall which is a right for a country with a 150 million population. The young Nigerian leader of a new generation must also desist from blaming all our woes on foreign influences as Tony Blair an ardent proponent of debt relief in Africa stated that “African problems can only be solved by Africans”. The time is here; the time is now, as the Nigerian Youth League attempts to redefines the colonial mentality that has plagued the Nigerian psyche for the last 120 years.

Robot  # 1 | 14.04.2008 11:01

We can not blame the colonials for coming into our midst as wolf in sheep’s clothing. We were a...Read the full article.