JONATHAN GOODLUCK: VICE PRESIDENT IN UTHMAN DAN FODIO’S ESTATE

By ‘Remi Oyeyemi 

 “This New Nation called Nigeria, should be an estate of our great grandfather, Uthman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We use the minorities in the North as willing tools, and the South, as conquered territory and never allow them to rule over us, and never allow them to have control over their future.”  ---Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto in THE PARROT of October 12, 1960

“The conquest to the sea is now in sight. When our god-sent Ahmadu Bello said some years ago that our conquest will reach the sea shores of Nigeria, some idiots in the South were doubting its possibilities. Today have we not reached the sea? Lagos is reached. It remains Port-Harcourt. It must be conquered and taken.”  --- Mallam Bala Garuba in WEST AFRICAN PILOT, December 30, 1964. 

One of the greatest maladies of ignorance is to be ignorant of one’s own ignorance. I am not aware whether the Nigeria’s Vice President is aware of the context in which he is operating or not. If he is not aware, it would mean that he is inflicted with this malady of ignorance. If he is, then it means he is playing the game the best way he thinks it ought to be done.

Either way, he would not be able to change the fact that he remains a VP in an estate of the grandfather of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello who was also a former Premier of the Northern Region. When Sir Ahmadu Belllo made the above statement in 1960, he knew what he was talking about. With the connivance of the diabolical British colonialists, he was able to put machineries in place to achieve his objective of turning Nigeria to the “estate” of his grandfather.

In 1957, Ahmadu Bello undermined and stood very virulently against the independence of Nigeria. He did not think that his Fulani people would be able to control the destiny of Nigeria the way and manner they deem fit. As a result of this the Western Region and the Eastern Region were granted self governing status. But the plan to hand Nigeria to Uthman Dan Fodio’s grandchildren commenced immediately after that.

It would be recalled that as a result of the elections of 1954, there were 162 seats in the Nigerian National Assembly. Out of this, the South has 83 seats and the North has 79 seats since this was based on population. But because Ahmadu Bello was afraid that his kinsmen would not be able to effectively compete with the rest of the country and dominate it the way he envisaged, he refused to allow Nigeria to have independence. After the West and the East received self governance, the British overlords, in order to assuage his fears and put Nigeria in his control, created in 1959, 312 seats for the Nigerian National Assembly without any election or new Census. Out of this 312, the North was allocated 174 in the anticipation of the Parliamentary Political System being put in place for Nigeria’s independence. This effectively put political control of Nigeria in the hands of Ahmadu Bello and his stooge, Tafawa Balewa who in 1950 said the following as quoted in TIME MAGAZINE of October 10, 1960:

 “There is no basis for Nigerian unity. It is only a British intention for our country.”

The events since 1960 flag independence have since confirmed that Nigeria is the estate of Uthman Dan Fodio. Rather than a republic, Nigeria is a sultanate. Efforts of the other ethnic groups especially in the Southern part of the country to be masters of their own destinies have been flagrantly undermined and frustrated using the minorities in the North as the tools over and over.

The statement credited to Ahmadu Bello above was made just 11 days after Nigeria’s so-called independence. Soon after that, the process of taking up the whole country as an estate commenced. In 1962, the Balewa government organized another census “by headcount.” Historical records show that the preliminary results of that exercise gave the South “a clear majority.” A “supplementary count” was “immediately taken in the Northern region that turned up additional 9 million persons” reportedly missed in the first count. The questions are: (1) How could such an exercise miss 9 million persons? (2) How could there be supplementary headcount in one part of the country to the exclusion of the others?

The controversy that trailed that 1962 fraud by Ahmadu Bello and his stooge in Mohammadu Ribadu gave birth to a repeat exercise in 1963. The earlier figures released for the 1963 census was 60.5 millions. But when this was not able to meet the demographic variables it was arbitrarily reduced to 55.6 millions. No scientific or demographic explanation was given as to how that figure was reached. Out of this figure, the North was allotted 29.8 millions and the South 25.8 millions!

In 1973, the Military wing of the Uthman Dan Fodio estate organized another census and came up with 79.8 millions. Out of this, the North was given 51.4 million (over 64%) and the South was given 28.4 millions. This figure means that the Northern population in the throes of the heat radiating arid desert increased in 10 years by almost 70% (that is if we accepted the 1963 census in itself), while the South in the comfort of the rain forest, increased by woeful 5% in the same period of time. Since then they have been creating states and local governments in the North to the disadvantage of the South. They have also been using these states to siphon resources to the North to the disadvantages of the people in the South. 

Ahmadu Bello engineered the 1962 crisis in the West to be able to bring the Western Region to its knees; he and his great grand siblings of Uthman Dan Fodio cooked up lies against Chief Obafemi Awolowo alleging that he tried to overthrow the Federal Government by force. He was sent to prison without any evidence except so called verbal confessions of some disgruntled elements who were later rewarded in kind, The Federal government were NEVER able to show any proof of that allegation in terms of recruits for the exercise or the ammunitions they planned to use. Even, the judge that headed the kangaroo court admitted that his “hands are tied” and had to sentence the innocent man to jail. Given the trajectory of the judiciary, the result of that fraudulent use of that arm of government among others, has led Nigeria to the present precipice.

There have been a lot of other incidents that one does not need to go into their details here but which have shown that Nigeria is a conquered territory or if you like the inherited estate of the grandchildren of Uthman Dan Fodio. The fact that they have ruled Nigeria for the most part and have only allowed their stooge in Olusegun Obasanjo a return trip to power on their behalf is the most important proof of this control of Nigeria as their inheritance. The reluctance to allow the present Vice President, Jonathan Goodluck to take over the presidency is just another of the evidences that the taste of the pudding is in the eating. Is it not instructive in the light of the above statement by Ahmadu Bello that it is Andoakaa, a minority from the North that is in “the front and back” of frustrating the “legitimate” assumption of power by a Southerner called Jonathan Goodluck? A “willing tool” just like Ahmadu Bello planned and envisaged?

All the efforts that have been put in to deny VP Jonathan the “legitimate” acquisition of power is part of the credo laid down by Ahmadu Bello. It is not by mistake that the motto adopted by the Sokoto State is “BORN TO RULE.” This kind of arrogance was what informed the statement credited to Maitama Sule at an Arewa Forum in Kaduna as he made case for the permanent political rulership of Nigeria by the grandchildren of Uthman Dan Fodio. He spoke in Hausa Language and it was translated as follows:

 “Everyone has a gift from God. The Northerners are endowed by God with leadership qualities……” 

It is not by mistake that the last road bordering the sea in Lagos is named Ahmadu Bellow Way. It is not by mistake that Musa Yar’Adua refused to handover VP Jonathan. It is not by mistake that when the Arewa Consultative Forum complained about the ownership of the Commercial Banks in Nigeria in February 2009, then Mallam Falalu Bello, the Managing Director of the Unity Bank came out in March to say the following:

“It is indeed in the interest of the South-westerners and South-easterners for some affirmative actions to be taken to redress the situation, else there will be no real peace in this country moving forward.”

Then Mallam Lamido Sanusi appeared on the stage in May through June 2009 to put this in practice under the guise of cleansing the banking sector of corruption. I was wondering where he was in the Shehu Shagari era when the Prince of Wurno, Shehu Malami was asking the Yola Branch Manager of the Union Bank of Nigeria of which he was then the chairman to open the bank vault around 2.00am and reportedly took millions of naira he spent at the birthday party of his friend Bamangar Tukur who was then recently “selected” as the Governor of Gongola State after accumulating astounding wealth as the Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority

It is my belief that all those who have been commenting on this Jonathan Goodluck problem and asking for the constitution to be followed are addressing the wrong problem. They seemed not to understand what is going on here. How can anyone expect those who own the estate not to do what they wish and will with their inheritance? The have forgotten what history has taught us and of which example abound. Fredrick Douglas put it clearly in his 1857 speech as follows:

“This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical………. Power concedes nothing without a demand…..it never did….and it never will…..”

The Berom people in Jos seemed to have taken this lesson to heart just as the Niger Delta peoples. That is why there have been so many riots in Jos in recent times. A sincere look at the recent Jos Riots by any objective observer and socio-political analyst would show that the root of the problem is the attempt of the so-called “Jasawa” Hausa-Fulani minority settlers trying to politically lord it over the majority owners of the land, the Berom. The great grandchildren of Uthman Dan Fodio have been so confident and arrogant that they have been asking for an Emir of Jos just as they have imposed an Emir on the acquiescent Yoruba people of Ilorin.

Unlike the people of Ilorin, the people of Jos are not willing to lie down and just accept such a ridiculous and preposterous affront. The Berom have made up their minds that they would not be slaves in their land. The Beroms have sworn that any attempt by the minority Hausa/Fulani to appropriate political power in Jos and the environs through the use of the Federal might would continue to be resisted by all means. They have followed their promises with concrete actions and the riots that have been occurring in that vicinity are the products of political liberation struggles of the Berom and resistance to the settler Hausa/Fulani political domination. Hopefully, someday the people of Ilorin would wake up and claim their birth rights from the Hausa/Fulani rulership in Ilorin.

Without any iota of doubt, it is clear that the understanding of the country called Nigeria by its constituent units is very different. Why some see it as a collective Republic, others perceive it as their conquered territory and or an inherited estate of their great grandfather, Uthman Dan Fodio. To this end, the way and manner it was being handled is patently different. This is one of the reasons that I am of the view that we need to break this country up. Doing so would mean liberation for the other ethnic groups from the conquest of the Hausa/Fulani oligarchy.

It is hoped that the great grandchildren of Uthman Dan Fodio would see the handwriting on the wall and cease their arrogant attitude and allow Nigeria to be re-negotiated or be broken up peacefully. It is in their interest to note that this kind of approach to politics and power in Nigeria would not be sustained. It is in their interest to allow peaceful resolution of the Nigerian question either in restructuring or dissolution. They have to be reminded, if they do not know already, that this is not the early 19^thCentury when they operated without let or hindrance. This is not the early part of the 20^th Century when they were aided and abetted by the diabolical British colonialists. The fact that they have a Sultanate Army in place would not be able to help them when the chips are down. This is the 21^st century. The context is different. The elements are different. The variables are different. The world has changed and is still changing. The Hausa Fulani people can not continue to hold the peoples of Nigeria in political bondage against their will and continue to treat them as vanquished peoples.

It is up to the rest of us if we want to remain conquered in Nigeria and continued to be treated as second class citizens or even slaves if it suits the conquerors as such. Just like Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the US once said, “No one can make you a slave without your consent.” It is up to the rest of us, if we want to remain in slavery or not. This is because according to Fredrick Douglas once again:

“Find out what the people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and those will continue until they are resisted with either blows or words, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress…….”

It is up to the great grandchildren of Uthman Dan Fodio if they would allow words rather than blows as a means to restructure Nigeria or dismember it. It is up to the rest of us to determine if the limits of their tyranny has been reached. TIME WILL TELL.

Comments Page: 1 2 3 posted on 02-03-2010, 00:34:47 AM Agidimolaja Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate Thanks Remi, for presenting to us, facts that cannot be denied. You are surely an ardent student of history. posted on 02-03-2010, 04:28:18 AM Eire Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate Thanks for giving us another dose of history we already know. Every kid in Nigerian who did history at secondary school already knows all these for the last 50 years... What we want to see or read are comprehensive steps on how to tackle the mallams locally and internationally so that we can undermine their efforts or remove them from a single Nigerian entity! posted on 02-03-2010, 05:41:25 AM Danmeka Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate QUOTE: The Berom people in Jos seemed to have taken this lesson to heart just as the Niger Delta peoples. That is why there have been so many riots in Jos in recent times. A sincere look at the recent Jos Riots by any objective observer and socio-political analyst would show that the root of the problem is the attempt of the so-called “Jasawa” Hausa-Fulani minority settlers trying to politically lord it over the majority owners of the land, the Berom. The great grandchildren of Uthman Dan Fodio have been so confident and arrogant that they have been asking for an Emir of Jos just as they have imposed an Emir on the acquiescent Yoruba people of Ilorin. Unlike the people of Ilorin, the people of Jos are not willing to lie down and just accept such a ridiculous and preposterous affront. The Berom have made up their minds that they would not be slaves in their land. The Beroms have sworn that any attempt by the minority Hausa/Fulani to appropriate political power in Jos and the environs through the use of the Federal might would continue to be resisted by all means. They have followed their promises with concrete actions and the riots that have been occurring in that vicinity are the products of political liberation struggles of the Berom and resistance to the settler Hausa/Fulani political domination. Hopefully, someday the people of Ilorin would wake up and claim their birth rights from the Hausa/Fulani rulership in Ilorin. Remi,nice article and your information is a lesson for everybody.Unfortunately you have some narrow minded people who have lost their identity such as the Saraki Family claiming to be Northerns. posted on 02-03-2010, 08:37:15 AM Toksy Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate Originally posted by Danmeka QUOTE: Unfortunately you have some narrow minded people who have lost their identity such as the Saraki Family claiming to be Northerns. But Saraki snr. recently admitted with great pride, that his grandfather was from Mali. He's therefore of the same hue as the persistent clogs in our wheel of progress. posted on 02-03-2010, 12:40:34 PM Mathelize Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate Thanks Remi Oyeyemi. I think I've been following your articles from nigeriaworld.com. We need people like you to come forward and speak the truth. Some hypocrites will say we are one people. How are we one when mallams are ever ready to kill southerners in the name of religion and other stupid things? As Eire has said, we need to find ways to tackle these mallams both locally and internationally, break away from them and send them up north to live with their Chadian and Nigerien brethren. To h**ll with one Nigeria. posted on 02-03-2010, 13:01:43 PM Emenanjo Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate I still stand by my thesis that the freedom of Nigeria is sufficiently in the hands of the Yoruba people. Why? Because I have interacted with a lot of them to come to the conclusion that they, not only have the intellectual capacity and muscles to do so but the strategic location of the South West in the geography of Nigeria is a heavy plus for them. The East have the intellectual capacity but is disadvantaged by geographical location, it is landlocked. We saw the disastrous effect of that during the Nigerian/Biafran war. Biafra had no access to the sea. I just hope I am communicating! posted on 02-03-2010, 13:52:51 PM GreatPot Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate Biafra is not landlocked or have the map of former eastern region changed? posted on 02-03-2010, 15:18:16 PM Dueseason Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate Im 50 years of age and my education on this article is beyound my entire knowledge of my country over my life time. I have never liked reading articles which are never objective but here im swayed with this argument. posted on 02-03-2010, 15:24:24 PM Igboamaeze Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate QUOTE: I still stand by my thesis that the freedom of Nigeria is sufficiently in the hands of the Yoruba people. Why? Because I have interacted with a lot of them to come to the conclusion that they, not only have the intellectual capacity and muscles to do so but the strategic location of the South West in the geography of Nigeria is a heavy plus for them. The East have the intellectual capacity but is disadvantaged by geographical location, it is landlocked. We saw the disastrous effect of that during the Nigerian/Biafran war. Biafra had no access to the sea. I just hope I am communicating! -------- True but false. True because that is what it looks like now. False because PortHarcourt and environs are Igbos but as part of the weapons of war they were turned against their brethen and like Esau they sold their birthright for a mess of poridge. The Igbo people of Rivers state were further influenced by the minority tribes to betray their Igbo brothers by the lure of Igbo properties that they shared amongst themselves. I am not sure that majority of them have seen the folly of their action but if Nigeria disintegrates they will be better off with their Igbo brothers than the Ijaws and Ogonis. Or they will be in minority and their fate will be worse than it is now. Besides no one tribe to go it alone. The Yorubas stand no chance in hell if the Igbos join hands with the Hausa/Fulani and the Hausa Fulani stands no chance if they go alone. But then you never know... posted on 02-03-2010, 20:10:44 PM MrOneNaija Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE OPC Mr. Oyeyemi's tirades read like the kind of rabid xenophobic whinings that have come to be associated with the more virulently parochial elements of the outfit led by one illiterate going by the name of Adams. The OPC's quest for ethnocentric insularity based on wacky misconceptions and chimeras pertaining to a mythical racial purity and superiority of the Yorubas of the South-West has set the tribal body on a collusion course with the more rational segments of society who do not share in its manichean postulations regarding the Nigerian ideal. Oyeyemi's myopic and static appraisal of our history does fall into the category of OPC-like beer parlour pleadings that basically pander to base and primordial sentiments without any serious attempt at elucidation. In his desperate and futile attempt to 'sectionalize' or 'tribalize' the discourse around President Yar'Adua's health-related issues, Oyeyemi forgets that Yar'Adua, his �minence grise and the PDP do not represent the so-called Hausa-Fulani, talk less of the North. In the haste to demonize a known social category, Oyeyemi and his ilk ignore the true nature of the current internecine squabbles for power within the PDP. The tribalization of an otherwise national effort aimed at finding solutions to our national problems was also on display during the June 12 Annulment Saga. Instead of viewing the annulment by Babangida for what it was, namely, an unpatriotic attempt by a discredited dictator to hang on to power, key elements within NADECO and some socio-cultural outfits in the S-W in particular began to give the annulment imbroglio an ethnic/sectional interpretation. By so doing, they alienated a great number of Nigerians who were sympathetic to the Abiola cause. The Oyeyemis of this world forget easily that the late Abiola had most of his political and electoral support from the North at a time when shrill voices of jingoism in the S-W had only but disdain for him. Needlessly trying to consider V-P Jonathan as a victim of the North or the Hausa-Fulanis should be dismissed as intellectually lazy and immoral. Did the North or the Hausa-Fulani rig Yar'Adua and Jonathan into Aso Rock? It is a Yoruba tin god called Obasanjo who did that and he did not do it in the name of the Yorubas. Obasanjo's criminality was meant as a selfish, personal survival tactic of enormous undemocratic cum unpatriotic proportions. So, do we scapegoat the Yorubas or the South in general for the sins of the former imperial ruler as Oyeyemi and his choir are doing with their crude and simplistic perception of history? And importantly also, when the ex-tyrant from Ota imposed an unprecedented regime of profligacy and reckless impunity on the nation, treated Nigeria as a private estate and deluded himself with his diabolical term elongation scheme, should citizens have considered the ex-dictator and his megalomania as belonging to a Yoruba or South agenda to enslave the rest of the country?. A viable response to the OPC, the PDP and their soulmates is a transparent struggle for more democracy and good governance. The excavation of historical slights, imagined or real and using such in a frivolous and eccentric manner in the bid to whip up primordial hysteria and hatred against imaginary enemies is counter-productive. posted on 02-04-2010, 05:09:13 AM Agidimolaja Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate Who let this dog out? Whoooooooo? Whoooooooo? Whooooooo? Whooooooooo? For goodness sake,why can't MrOne Naija dispute the facts that Remi Oyeyemi presented if he has reason to disagree with him instead of barking at Remi for such scholarly masterpiece,the type that he never in his life time presented or just briddle his basket mouth? Folks,this guy is too irritating.He stinks like Irish pig! MrOne Naija sir,your bunch of useless rubbish set you out as nothing but an intellectual "mugu". I always laugh whenever I come across sellout Northern minority like you who tried to be more Notherner than the caliphate. What are you angry about here again,big dog? Are you angry about facts that cannot be denied? Are you angry because careless talks made by Sir Ahmadu Bello were unearthed?What are you trying to do? Defend the late Sardauna or absolve him of his numerous wrong talks and doings? You may be too young to know then, or probably was not even born in 1964 when Sir Ahmadu Bello ordered Federal troops to masacre Tiv people.Ask your big uncles or parents about the fate that Tiv people suffered at the hands of Sir Ahmadu Bello and his marauding NPC government. Instead of loud and ceaseless barkings that is so characteristic of you,why not go to Remi Oyeyemi for instructions in Nigeria's history. posted on 02-04-2010, 09:58:08 AM MrOneNaija Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate CHALLENGING HATE-MONGERS @Agidimolaja or whatever you call yourself: I know I have hit a raw nerve. I owe decent Nigerians the duty to expose the xenophobic and irrational intent of the outbursts by the likes of Oyeyemi and their kindred spirits, philosophically speaking. I shall NOT be diverted from that mission by eccentric and vacuous rantings on the part of dim-wits like Agidimolaja. In my last post here, I sought to systematically demolish the beer-parlour, hate-filled remonstrations of Oyeyemi. So, why don't you intelligently respond to what I have said in that contribution if you think I'm wrong? Trying to remain at the scatological level will not advance your putrid delusions. I will not let you and the Oyeyemis of this world go scott-free with your hate-mongering. If Agidimolaja is not happy that I've alluded to the infamy called Obasanjo to make my point (as in my last post), let him consider our recent history. It was the ex-tyrant from Ota who, in acts of murderous impunity, ordered in 2001, his goons called Nigerian soldiers to massacre unarmed and innocent women, men, children as well as perpetrate untold mayhem in Zaki-Biam and surrounding communities in Tiv land. Before Zaki-Biam, he struck in the South-South, in Odi, to be precise. There also, the human toll was high. So also was the devastation from the scorched earth atrocities by the sadistic and incest-committing ex-despot called Obasanjo. So, should citizens use these examples of cruelty and primitive barbarity on the part of the kleptocratic tin god to scapegoat the Yorubas or the South-West in general as Oyeyemi and his soulmates have been doing in the case of the late Sardauna? It is quite revealing that a tribalist zealot like Agidimolaja has conveniently forgotten the atrocities the ex-dictator called Obasanjo has inflicted on not just ethnic minorities but also on the rest of the country with his Stone Age behaviour. posted on 02-04-2010, 12:08:51 PM Emenanjo Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate QUOTE: -------- True but false. True because that is what it looks like now. False because PortHarcourt and environs are Igbos but as part of the weapons of war they were turned against their brethen and like Esau they sold their birthright for a mess of poridge. The Igbo people of Rivers state were further influenced by the minority tribes to betray their Igbo brothers by the lure of Igbo properties that they shared amongst themselves. I am not sure that majority of them have seen the folly of their action but if Nigeria disintegrates they will be better off with their Igbo brothers than the Ijaws and Ogonis. Or they will be in minority and their fate will be worse than it is now. Besides no one tribe to go it alone. The Yorubas stand no chance in hell if the Igbos join hands with the Hausa/Fulani and the Hausa Fulani stands no chance if they go alone. But then you never know... Igboamaeze, Please thanks for the correction. However,in my recollection, I was looking at the difference between the late Biafran, Edward Kobani and the late federalist, Ken Saro Wiwa. I hope you know what I mean? posted on 02-04-2010, 13:08:13 PM Igboamaeze Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate QUOTE: Igboamaeze, Please thanks for the correction. However,in my recollection, I was looking at the difference between the late Biafran, Edward Kobani and the late federalist, Ken Saro Wiwa. I hope you know what I mean? -------------- Thank you my brother. Well, I don't understand what you mean. What is not in doubt is that both late Biafran, Edward Kobani and late federalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa were swallowed by the Nigerian monster. Peotic justice, perhaps... posted on 02-04-2010, 16:23:28 PM AliyuAH Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate The author of this piece has provided a very good account and a reasonable analysis of the Nigerian debacle. But unfortunately, his submissions and prescriptions fell to the familiar danger of over-simplifying the solution - "get rid of the hausa-fulanis and everything will be great". This line of argument absolves the political leaderships of all other ethnic groups (except the hausa-fulanis ofcourse) of thier roles in bringing Nigeria to its knees. Those who made comments on the article have also joined the bandwagon of ethnic blaming, rather than seeing the Nigerian problem for what it is - failure of leadership, and perhaps followership. Whether Nigeria breaks into 2, 3, 4 or even 10, unless we focus our energy on building a culture of visionary leadership and good governance, we are merely moving the battlefields. Fayose, Alamesiagha, Daniels, Odilli, Ibori, Kalu et. al who have looted and held down their respective states are not of hausa-fulani origin. If we are going to find meaningful solutions to the Nigerian problem (including breaking it up) we need to grow beyond this ethnic profiling and diagnostics, otherwise, we are not telling the truth to ourselves. Replicating and multiplying Nigeria into mini-countries, will not rid us of deep-rooted ethnic and divisive approach to governance. I hope I am communicating.... posted on 02-04-2010, 17:01:33 PM Machiavelli Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate @MrOne Naija Thanks for your deep and insightful comment on the subject article. Yours was the only objective response that I could identify with. The comments of those crucifying you show their bigotry and lack of depth on issues. I am of Yoruba ancestry (of Ijebu stock) and I daresay that OBJ is probably the worst thing that ever walked the face of this earth. But, he never acted on behalf of the Yorubas. So, why should I simply conclude that Sardauna or other Northern leaders are acting the script of the long-suffering masses in the North? posted on 02-04-2010, 17:50:43 PM Enyi Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, 1600: LAUNCELOT: Nay, indeed, if you had your eyes, you might fail of the knowing me: it is a wise father that knows his own child. Well, old man, I will tell you news of your son: give me your blessing: truth will come to light; murder cannot be hid long; a man's son may, but at the length truth will out. Drip, drip, drip! The truth has been slowly coming out. Remi has taken us down the memory lane. Obviously, because of space and time constraints, there are bound to be some gaps in the narrative. Since history repeats itself because we fail to learn from history, it is necessary to critically examine some of the points he raised. This New Nation called Nigeria, should be an estate of our great grandfather, Uthman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We use the minorities in the North as willing tools, and the South, as conquered territory and never allow them to rule over us, and never allow them to have control over their future.� ---Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto in THE PARROT of October 12, 1960 Sardauna's philosophy has worked with great efficiency. Have the Hausa/Fulanis not always used the Middle-Belters and southerners to achieve their political objectives? Who advised Gowon not to accept the Aburi accord? What percentage of the Nigerian fighting force against Biafra were Hausa/ Fulani? Who waged the propaganda war for FGN? At that time, the refrain was and even now in some quarters is, that Biafran war was Ojukwu's personal war. It is a paradox that this same Ojukwu was demoted in rank in the Nigerian Army because he had the courage to refuse leading troops to quell the Tivi uprising against oppression. In recent times, OBJ blamed resource control as the cause of the war. Either the pogrom never happened or it was an "understandable" revenge. Ahmadu Bello engineered the 1962 crisis in the West to be able to bring the Western Region to its knees Would FGN have declared a state of emergency in the Western Region without the active support of NCNC? Tafawa Balewa who in 1950 said the following as quoted in TIME MAGAZINE of October 10, 1960: �There is no basis for Nigerian unity.� This was exactly Gowon's view in 1966 until he was dissuaded from secession. Subsequently he appealed for calm since power was once more in the hands of another northerner. Although Gowon was the head of state, it seemed the real power resided elsewhere. Was OBJ in total control as a military head of state? Again, Sarduana's philosophy at work. It is interesting that even OPC is now calling for secession. Will the break-up of Nigeria solve our problems? I have my doubts. I remember listening to Senator Ani on AIT, a few years ago, opposing disintegration of the country. His point of view is noteworthy. He adduced 2 major reasons: 1. Smaller ethnic groups enjoy better protection under the umbrella of Nigeria. 2. There might be long term instability because of endless border wars. The question is what is the way forward? Remi's words reproduced below are instructive: It is up to the rest of us if we want to remain conquered in Nigeria and continued to be treated as second class citizens or even slaves if it suits the conquerors as such. Just like Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the US once said, �No one can make you a slave without your consent.� It is up to the rest of us, if we want to remain in slavery or not. I believe that for the nation to move forward, we must put the past behind us and deal with the current realities on the ground. Umaru Dikko recently decribed the north as the senior partner in the union. We must reject such arrant nonsense and discard the tradition of appeasing the north at all costs. We must all accept that every ethnic group, irrespective of its size, has an inalienable right to live in dignity and on equal terms with others. Therefore as a first step, let us strive to have a weaker center and grant greater autonomy to states or regions, so that each will develop at its own pace. I suspect that regional grouping might pose a major problem because of the unbridled avarice for power by our politicians. Virtually every other Nigerian wants to be His/Her Excellency or first lady! For example, how many of the existing states will agree to form a single region? Yes, there are problems but we must confront them with sincerity of purpose and find answers to difficult questions. The road to nationhood and good governance is not paved with roses. posted on 02-05-2010, 00:11:58 AM Skillsub Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate Remi, your article is another sad reminder of our disastrous failure as a nation that 50 years after independence and almost 100 years after amalgamation, we can still not see beyond our parochial noses. I see you have been hailed as a scholar and gifted historian because you have been able to quote sayings of Northern leaders that were spoken in the heat of poilitical battle more than 50 years ago. I would have expected a "scholar and gifted historian" of your standing to at least quote what other tribal leaders like Awolowo and Azikiwe, Ojukwu, Soyinka, etc have said in the same contexts. However, that is surely not the thrust of your article. For the information of your tribal narrow vision, the North is actually in the forefront of ensuring that YarAdua hands over power to Jonathan so that the right thing is done by Justice and Peace (Please check who went to court to compel VP to take over and the statements of many responsible Northern leaders).While you may revel in the orgy of killing and destruction that was tragically carried out in Jos, it is not peculiar to Jos or Northern Nigeria, it has happened and is happening in every part of the country for various reasons. The shame of the Nigerian state is that people like you and Umaru YarAdua have not been able to use the education and exposure they have been privileged to get for the progress of society and promotion of peace and development of humanity in general. You choose to see destruction as an answer and extremism as a way to vent your frustration. Thankfully we have better people in majority.With the shameful sentiments you have expressed in this article, I shudder to think of what you will do if were in the shoes of Jonathan Goodluck or worse- Umaru YarAdua-your brother in parochialism. posted on 02-05-2010, 05:41:44 AM Mark Lar Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate @ Aonduna Tondu aka MrOneNaija. It is good to see you squarely faced off by someone (AgidimolaJa) who is equally able to bite, pinch, spit, cuss and fart like you do. Tondu, try honesty and niceness for a change, you'd be surprised. posted on 02-05-2010, 07:11:34 AM Overdryv Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate The author is spot on on his assertions but the strange thing is that people could contest the truth. On NVS the most unserious handles go the names MrOneNigeria and I love Nigeria, ILN. I am waiting for a time these two individuals would assume new befitting handles. Mr1Nigeria did nothing when Obj ceded Bakassi to Cameroun. That should have made him re-christen himself MrOnelesserNigeria. For anyone without an agenda or not working for some interests, commonsense dictates that most of Nigeria's problems are traceable to her different ethnicities,size and overpopulation. Nigeria a third world country, is simply ungovernable with 150 million people. When will these two people turn a new leaf? After 50 years of independence, Nigeria is sinking more and more into anarchy and we have people who say Nigeria must stay one. Recently, Al Queda offered to train and arm northern fanatics to fight christians and non northerners. How do these two react to such news? To Mr1Nigeria, I would tell him if he thinks there is strength and peace in size and numbers, he must starting working towards bringing Northern Cameroun back to Nigeria. Sorry for this childish rant. posted on 02-05-2010, 08:46:01 AM Dem Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate QUOTE: The tribalization of an otherwise national effort aimed at finding solutions to our national problems was also on display during the June 12 Annulment Saga. Instead of viewing the annulment by Babangida for what it was, namely, an unpatriotic attempt by a discredited dictator to hang on to power, key elements within NADECO and some socio-cultural outfits in the S-W in particular began to give the annulment imbroglio an ethnic/sectional interpretation. By so doing, they alienated a great number of Nigerians who were sympathetic to the Abiola cause. Mr OneNaija Sir, Hand to heart; do you truly believe that even Obasanjo, in his imperial prime, could be absent from Nigeria, laid out by debilitating illness for 3 weeks without formally handing over to his Vice and katakata would not have burst? posted on 02-05-2010, 16:30:58 PM PanNigeriana Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate @Agidimolaja.... Now who is ranting and barking? MrOneNigeria touched a raw nerve indeed! Yours! Remi Oyeyemi's piece, which you extolled and are trying to defend, is an over-simplication that is both shallow and pedestrian. It presented a massive jump in logic and rationality as he tries to superimpose past injustices over current realities even when the players and playing field have never remained true or static over the years. The problems we currently have shall remain with us as long as we continue to look at everything through the overly simplistic lens of tribe or region. As any discerning pundit or commentator will tell you - these issues are a bit more complex to be subjected to such basic generalisations. posted on 02-05-2010, 16:44:00 PM PanNigeriana Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate @Overdryv: QUOTE: For anyone without an agenda or not working for some interests, commonsense dictates that most of Nigeria's problems are traceable to her different ethnicities,size and overpopulation. Nigeria a third world country, is simply ungovernable with 150 million people. What an interesting assertion from Overdryv.....pray, tell me then, how do you explain China and India? Both countries have a more diverse ethnic mix than Nigeria, have nearly ten times more people than Nigeria but are now booming economies with nearly double-digit growth rate. No, my friend, that is not where the problem is ......keep searching! posted on 02-05-2010, 17:52:55 PM Overdryv Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate QUOTE: @Overdryv: What an interesting assertion from Overdryv.....pray, tell me then, how do you explain China and India? Both countries have a more diverse ethnic mix than Nigeria, have nearly ten times more people than Nigeria but are now booming economies with nearly double-digit growth rate. No, my friend, that is not where the problem is ......keep searching! If you took time to read my post, the operational word here is "third world". China with its large population and land mass is not anything near Nigeria when it comes to cultural diversity. With a tiny muslim minority, China is 90% bhuddist with a large following of atheists. India is by no means a peaceful state contrary to what you want people to believe. The frequent bombings and killings between Hindus and muslims should make that very clear.Islamic separatists movements are well and alive in India. The difference with Nigeria is that when it comes to corruption, their leaders are toddlers. posted on 02-05-2010, 19:01:42 PM Igboamaeze Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate ------- The problem lies in Nigeria's corrupt structure. The present crisis over a mere handing over letter says it all. The North has far too many representatives/hold at the centre such that it can almost single-handedly decide what direction the entire country goes. Until that structure is uprooted, it will be all motion no movement. Thank y'all... posted on 02-05-2010, 19:25:17 PM Dapxin Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate ^, Or the classic 1 step foward 99 backward = 100 steps in the wrong direction. I miss the erudition of Fela A Kuti in times like this. posted on 02-05-2010, 20:00:07 PM MrOneNaija Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate PITFALLS OF PRO-DEMOCRACY ADVOCACY IN NIGERIA QUOTE: Mr OneNaija Sir, Hand to heart; do you truly believe that even Obasanjo, in his imperial prime, could be absent from Nigeria, laid out by debilitating illness for 3 weeks without formally handing over to his Vice and katakata would not have burst? Dem, May be I should answer your question by way of an apparent but appropriate digression. Obasanjo inflicted worse constitutional transgressions during his entire eight-year kleptocratic misrule than what Yar'Adua is alleged to have done but significantly, when credible voices began to ponder the issue of having the erring imperial despot impeached, key sections of the national media took up arms in an almost kneejerk manner to protect, not the constitutional order but Obasanjo and his hold on executive power. What does that tell you? Curiously, it is the same media outfits, their representatives as well as self-styled pro-democracy cum human rights advocates now calling for Yar'Adua's resignation or impeachment that used to advance all types of bogus reasons to defend Obasanjo. Please do take the time to read three of my essays on this matter of pro-democracy advocacy in Nigeria. They are: "Ekwueme: The Abdication of Nigeria's Democrats", "The New Pro-Democracy Intifada in Nigeria" and "Save Nigeria Campaigns: National Interest or Revanchist Posturing" (By Aonduna Tondu, NVS). posted on 02-05-2010, 20:16:23 PM MrOneNaija Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate @ Mark Lar, Mr broda, here we meet again! If by being nice you mean submitting to the hate-mongering outburst by Oyeyemi and his kit and kin, ideologically speaking, in the likes of Agidimolaja, then I'd rather avoid belonging to that category. posted on 02-06-2010, 12:43:13 PM Overdryv Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate These group of one Nigerianists should do something to address their delusion. Nigeria is collapsing in their face and all they could muster is falsehood. The evidence that Nigeria is a terminally sick patient like her president is too obvious for them to overlook. The most annoying thing is that with all the death, intrigues, corruption in Nigeria, none of them is proffering any solution. Most of them are northerners who are aided by corrupt southerners. Everything in Nigeria is carefully scripted by the north. Look at the present confusion around Yaradua. With the exception of one David Evibere (spelling?) who has been used to dish out lies like signing the suppl. budget, all others are northerners. Nigeria instead of consolidating nationhood is further disintegrating. Look at the so-called new central bank governor. Though his actions seem good against corrupt bankers, but all is being done because southerners are involved. Are there no bankers in the north that enriched themselves unjustly? Things have always followed a certain pattern. When the president comes from the south, he pick his central bank gov, Ig and other strategic positions from the south. Yaradua fought tooth and nail to have a northern IG but he succumbed to pressure and picked Onovo. When Obj was in power, the complaints from the north were marginalization. Now Yaradua doesnt seem to care what people think of his northernization agenda. Like the author rightly noted, there is indeed an agenda to make Nigeria an islamic state but it may be a bone too big to swallow. posted on 02-06-2010, 16:44:51 PM PanNigeriana Re: Jonathan Goodluck: Vice President In Uthman Dan Fodio�s Estate @Overdryv QUOTE: If you took time to read my post, the operational word here is \"third world\". China with its large population and land mass is not anything near Nigeria when it comes to cultural diversity. With a tiny muslim minority, China is 90% bhuddist with a large following of atheists. Overdryv, My friend, you are all over the place in both your logic and your assertions. If the operational world in your argument is "third world" then Nigeria, China and India all qualify and will thus be included in your absurd generalisations. You then went on to bring your argument a notch down by bringing in religion (not population or tribe - as in your original posting). But even with religion factored in, your argument is still porous as even in the last 12 months all the three countries in question - China, India and Nigeria - have experienced acts of religious intolerance - India's was just days ago if you are following the news. The Han chinese may constitute over 80% of the chinese population but tensions still exist relating to the domination of the chinese culture over the minority cultures (the Uyghur rebellion of 2009 is just one example). A more graphic example of chinese ethnic mix was shown by the chinese themselves during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. And by the time we factor in China's expansionist ambitions (ever heard of a chap called the Dalai Lama? Or a region called Mongolia?), then you will see that it is not as cosy a come-together party happening in China as you may want us believe. Yet.....they exhibit a united front in the economic up-liftment of their people - which is what matters in the current argument. To summarise - I don't share your belief that population, ethnic diversity, tribal/regional affiliations or, as you recently added, religious intolerance, are the reasons for our country's underdevelopment. They are more the apparent symptoms than the underlying causes. Once again - I repeat- keep searching......that is not where the problem is. Go to the Full Discussion Thread Comments Page: 1 2 3