SEPARATION OF THE NIGER DELTA FROM NIGERIA: RESPONSE TO
ARGUMENT ADVANCED BY CLARK Vs EVAH in VANGUARD. 31/8/05
Chief Clark, Evah disagree on armed struggle in NIGER DELTA was the
heading of a news report published in the Vanguard of Wednesday August 31, 2005.
Then again, the report continued as follows: We cannot be saying that we want to
produce a President in 2007 and at the same time balkanizing the country. This
last statement is extremely nonsensical, and needs to be shown as such. : Being
President of the Niger Delta which has been a well known part of the Trans
Atlantic Community through several centuries, and including historical landmarks
such as Old and New Calabars, historic Benin, and the ever glorious Grand Bonny,
and several other such landmarks, on the Atlantic coast, is a thousand times
more honourable, more rewarding, and more prestigious, than being the President
of the most corrupt ex- colonial country, dishonourably and most recklessly
created by forcing several incompatible tribal conquests and warring religions
together to form a colony and given the meaningless name Nigeria; only less than
a century ago. By contrast, the Niger Delta is one of the most idyllic and
charming places on the central Atlantic coast of West Africa. And it comprises
hundreds of rivers, creeks, streams, lakes, islands, mangrove forests, wonderful
fishes and an exciting maze of nature’s gigantic mangrove plants. Of the more
than six sea ports in monster Nigeria, only one, situated in Lagos, is outside
the Blessed Niger Delta. Its ever jolly people are among the most aesthetic in
Africa; and scenes of dances and plays of the Niger Delta adorn the entrance of
the new British Museum in London. We its sons and daughters must end its being
vandalized by philistine tribes from far away on the fringes of the Sahara
desert who know neither beauty nor art. And they have never shown appreciation
for our contributions of blessings and endowments to them
In the first place, the issue that
strikes any one is not whether armed struggle is to be used ; but that armed
struggle is not necessary in every struggle, particularly in this our struggle,
where the justice and the argument are all on our side. The desire for the
separation of one or some of the conquered ethnic communities that were forcibly
merged together by a colonial power to become a colony and then a country ought
not in any way require any form of armed struggle. We have no obligation
whatsoever, to remain in Nigeria. And we can leave Nigeria provided that we do
not take along any one community against their will.
So in 1963, Singapore peacefully separated from Malaysia. Earlier in the last
century, to be exact, in 1947, at the independence of India, the great Islamic
scholar Mohammed Jinnah insisted that the Muslims in India could not live with
the Hindus and develop as one country, and for that reason, there must be
separation so that the Muslims would have their exclusive nation in which they
can develop. In consequence Pakistan was formed as an exclusive Muslim nation
with its capital at Karachi. Later, urged by the dignity and love of their great
Islamic religion, they founded a brand new capital and gloriously named it
Islamabad, in honour of their highly disciplined religion. Very recently East
Timor separated from mighty and most powerful Islamic nation of Indonesia. And
the separation was peaceful. Sensible people do not fight or stage armed
struggle over such issues as separation. Two friends or two brothers may live
together, or they may separate if either of them chose to do so. All over the
world a husband and his wife separate when they cannot live peacefully together.
It is not the end of the world if the Niger Delta separates from Nigeria for any
reason. There is always a means to test whether separation by any group is the
popular desire of the separating people. In East Timor it was determined by a
referendum organised by the United Nations. People do not prepare for separation
by training themselves for violence. If they do so, they usually lose the
justice of their cause. The time and money spent for arming ourselves can be
better spent in convincing our people that separation is desirable and a lasting
remedy for all our tribulations in Nigeria. This was what the people of the
Baltic states comprising Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia did, and they got their
countries separated from the powerful Soviet Union without a fight. In South
Africa, the ANC worked hard and prepared their people to struggle in unity. They
did not win by armed struggle, but by the justice of their cause supported in a
liberal world. Albeit, they adopted peaceful non cooperation and civil
disobedience and such like methods which were usually effective. They had
justice on their side and they convince the liberal world accordingly. So they
got justice observed by their oppressors.
In the case of Biafra in 1967 -70, the Igbos would have seceded successfully,
if they had called for a referendum. But they rather prepared for war. The
people of the Calabar -Ogoja and Rivers states rejected Ojukwu and supported
Gowon only because, Gowon created states for each of them pretending that, each
of the states would function autonomously like the states of the United States
of America. On this account they did every thing to establish the states. This
included travelling abroad and telling the liberal world that they did not like
to secede with Biafra. However, at the end of the war, particularly by 1974, the
Islamic North pushed Gowon aside, took over power and converted the states to
status lower than local governments for the purpose of robbing the South,
particularly the states of the Niger Delta of the revenue from their resources.
So, you see, one of the main reasons why Biafra failed was because they included
communities which did not desire to be with them. Biafra's failure had nothing
to do with the North, not even their power was able to beat Biafra. The Imperial
government handed over power to the more backward Islamic North; and they used
the advantage to harass the South.
The question which everyone asks is; Why then did the Colonial government
transfer power to them, the less educated lots, at independence? The answer is
that; because they were too docile and they were seen to be more likely not to
flirt with Soviet communism in an independent Nigeria. Next door to Nigeria,
were the Christian people of Ghana? At independence, they shifted to the Soviet
Block. The Capitalist block therefore wrongly harboured the idea that
Christianity in Africa was more in sympathy with Soviet Communism, while Islam
everywhere at the time, was seen to be more Capitalist friendly. So at
independence in Nigeria power was transferred to the less developed Islamic
North instead of the more developed and educated South. And incidentally, at the
time during the Cold War, a study by Dr. Oruwariye of University College London
revealed that Southern Nigeria alone had produced more than half the number of
graduate and professional class than the rest of Africa put together. In Nigeria
the North was too uninformed to be a problem to the imperial government in days
of the Cold War. A mere village school teacher in the Islamic North became the
Prime Minister of Nigeria at independence.
The report of the disagreement between Clark and Evah also stated that, We
cannot be saying that we want to produce President in 2007 and at the same time
balkanize the country. This is an outrageous nonsense. To begin with, it merely
shows what politics is in a funny country, like Nigeria where the tribes are
cobbled together to become a colony and then independent. In funny Nigeria
politics does not depend on policies, but rather on the tribes taking their
respective turns, to rule the country. It is not surprising that nincompoops
always rule the country. You can compare those Europeans who ruled Nigeria
during the colonial period with the Africans who rule it since independence. The
European colonial administrators were highly educated; they ruled Nigeria in the
absolute interest, prestige and pride of their nation. They were devoted and
committed. On the other hand the rubbish Africans that have been ruling Nigeria
since independence, have no such commitment. They are only one of the 200
disparate tribes ridden in conflicts, envy, jealousy and suspicion with the
other tribes. In fact they represent their own tribe or group of tribes. Even on
that account, they can never be good leaders. They are the most rubbish and
dishonest leaders. When we separate our leaders of the Niger Delta will be
devoted. Because we all desire to be together.
Nigeria is a monster that kills its own peoples in the Niger Delta and
elsewhere. You can't rule 200 disparate tribes without killing some of them
every day. In order to keep them quiet because peace and harmony are impossible
to achieve in the circumstances. Anyway, any sensible honest politician would
rather be the President of the Niger Delta than president of corruption ridden
Nigeria whose nationals flee daily to more functioning nations in Europe,
America, The Middle East and Asia. Only a thief will be very anxious to be the
ruler of Nigeria. His ambition will be to satisfy the thirst of the Islamic
North in vandalizing the Niger Delta for its wealth. They do not believe that a
nation or a people can survive without mineral resources. They cannot see that
the most advanced nations in the world in Europe and Asia do not have natural
resources.
We in the Niger Delta can feel proud that despite our tribulations in Nigeria
we have helped the rest of the tribes that were forcibly merged together to
become Nigeria. It was from here in the Niger Delta that Lugard travelled to the
fringes of the Sahara in his evil colonial ventures that ended up in making us
subordinate to the Islamic Northerners bossing us. Lugard did nothing whatsoever
to enhance the fame of the Niger Delta at all. Before him several Spanish
sailors and adventurers had visited the Niger Delta on their voyages that
introduced South Africa to Europeans. Yet out of the more than three thousand
railway lines constructed in Nigeria from south to north, only less than twenty
miles are within the Niger Delta. And it was the revenue of the Niger Delta that
was used to construct the railways. `Also out of the more than six natural sea
ports in the country, only one, that is in Lagos, is outside the Niger
Delta.
And as Chukundum Ikeazo wrote. Nigeria treatment of the oil producing Niger
Delta is nothing short of ingratitude and disrespect wrapped in a packet of
contempt, for a people whose resources have sustained Nigeria for the last 30
years. Oil and nothing else have paid for all the soldiers and dictators toys,
guns, the tanks, jets the limousine, state houses etc. Oil has paid for the
excesses of Nigeria's elite nouveau riche, and civilian and ruling classes,
including the traditional rulers, their summer holidays trips to Europe, their
mansions at home, ( no more mud huts and bungalows ) and abroad , their
mistresses, imported foreign prostitutes , their viagra pills that have killed
many of them, their Mecca and Medina Hajj, and pilgrimage, their fancy night
clubs and hotels. Oil has made Nigeria what it is today, and yet oil politics
and revenue allocation have impoverished , deprived and denied the very people
from whose soil it comes. Lament of The Niger Delta by C. Ikeazo with forward by
Aliyi Ekineh patron : Eastern and Niger Delta Unity Association. London
Obtainable at African Book Centre Covent Gardens London.
Also the Report contains this argument about balkanizing Nigeria. The
statement or argument show abject ignorance of the nature of the Balkan states
in the south-eastern peninsula of Europe. The area comprises Albanians, Greeks,
Turks, Bulgars and others in a small area of territory in Europe. Before the 7th
century they formed part of the Byzantine Empire and later they were ruled under
the Principality of Venice. From the fifteenth century they conquered by the
Ottoman Rulers and they became part of the Ottoman Empire which collapsed at the
end of the First World War in 1918. It was the separation of these territories
to what each of them had originally been, that many referred to as balkanization
or splitting them , so that each of them would be like the rest of the nations
of Europe , in which each nation comprises communities of like minded peoples
that enjoy one common basic religion that influences its cultures and values.
Now, how does this relate to the Niger Delta separating from Nigeria into which
it was forcibly merged with several other unknown and disparate tribes and
warring religions to form the monster Nigeria only a century ago. No human being
with any dignity would be pleased to be in such a recklessly created country. It
beckons neither pride nor honour at all. The more one knows of the reckless
origin of Nigeria, the more and the harder , the one fight to break it up. So
that there will be a Niger Delta founded by it own peoples, and an Igbo nation
founded by its own people, and a Yoruba nation also founded by its own people.
This is neither fragmentation nor balkanisation. Each of these nations will
comprise a larger population than the average nation in Europe and the Middle
East. In fairness to the Imperial power that created Nigeria so incautiously,
and gave it its name, even their present generation have expressed openly that,
It was a grave mistake. They are honest Christian people. Now we are begging
them to give moral support to our demand for separation.
In the Niger Delta Republic Movement we urge our people not to use force
because we believe that we can succeed without the use of force. Others have
succeeded. Some even adopt civil disobedience, non cooperation and such like.
We have not yet made sufficient effort to convince the liberal world that we
desire to separate. You see, although they all know that separation is the one
and only solution, they cannot impose it upon us. If you see someone trying to
put a heavy load upon his head , you may try and help him , but you cannot put a
load on the head of someone who is not making an effort in that direction. So we
must carry on the struggle dauntlessly and we must persevere. And we must not
back until we are ready to bite. In nation building the desire among the
component communities to live together is the most vital requirement,
particularly if they all enjoy one common basic religion that can influence
their cultures and way of life. All the nations of Europe have these attributes.
A common ancestry and a common language are also good enough, but they do not by
themselves sufficient for nation building.
For example, in the British Isles that comprises England, Scotland Northern
Ireland and the Irish Republic, all the people speak one common language, and
they also enjoy one basic common religion, but they have not on that account,
become ONE NATION. There is no desire in all of them to be one nation. Also,
earlier in the last century Hitler's attempt to force all the German speaking
communities in Europe to be one nation, failed woefully. It is always the desire
to live together, and be blessed with a common basic religion to influence our
cultures and way of life that is vitally essential in making a nation. These
factors are present in all European nations and also in Asia and the Middle
Eastern nations. It is only in Africa that the European colonial system created
nations by forcing into one administration several disparate communities and
warring religions. That is why African nations continue to be backward. So in
the Niger Delta Republic we must never include any community that does not
desire to be part of us. May God continue to bless our beautiful Niger Delta,
however such a community may be part of the geographical Niger Delta.
It may be necessary at this stage to reveal an important plan. The Arewa
Islamic North have been quite successful in always imposing its policies and
ambitions on the rest of the country, particularly the South. In 1978 their
slogan was No Sharia, No Nigeria. Although there was no Sharia at that time and
during Shagari's Presidency, they did not abandon the idea. Then their coups
continued and Alhaji Babangida became Head of state. Within the first year of
his reign, he registered Nigeria as an Islamic nation in 1984. There was a cry
and condemnation which died down very soon. And every one adapts to the
situation. Later in 1998 they traded Abiola for their favourite stooge Mullah
Obasanjo and they made him the President on the understanding that he would do
nothing while one state after another all the 14 Islamic states declared Sharia.
Again ever one in the South condemned their actions, but later it died down, and
everyone adapt to it. Now Nigeria is registered as an Islamic nation. And all in
it keep quiet and adapt accordingly.
Their next plan according to some Intelligence sources is to adopt a common
lingua franca . This will be the Hausa language. It will be made the official
language for the fourteen Sharia states which will be given a common name that
will suggest their great Islamic connection. And they have chosen one city -
Katsina that will be their capital, though some prefer Kaduna of old. They are
frantically looking for an Obasanjo outside the Yoruba area of the South. If
they do not get a reliable Obasanjo in those areas, then one of them will be
president. And they will continue to pick and chose the matters and the policies
in respect of which they will continue to cooperate with the rest of Nigeria
until certain eventuality occurs that will enable them to do without Revenue
Allocation. Their final decision will be made at their own appropriate time.
This will be separation on their own terms. Consequently, there will be a
commotion among the rest of the tribes, as many tribes will grope about not
knowing with which tribe to join up and form a new country. It will be
catastrophically. The leaders of the Islamic North are sure that , as usual,
everyone in the South will adapt to every new policy that they will proclaim in
their interest. They expect two more states in the former Northern Region to
declare Sharia and join them. They will then become sixteen States given one
identity , common language and a common religion. These plans are still
confidential. It is likely that many in the South have known about them. May God
help us in the Niger Delta to found our own nation before these plans begin to
hatch. .
In conclusion ~ We must not be cowards. Let's not fear the so called power of
the Islamic North. In this struggle we insist that we don't need weapons and we
should persevere and convince all our people that we should all dauntlessly
demand separation. You see if we declare separation, the rest of Nigeria led by
the Islamic North may try and threaten us. We should not be afraid. They have
got no justification for attacking us. If they do, they will fail. They will
fail because, before we declare separation we should have made our case for
separation quite convincing to the world. And the world will definitely help us
to succeed. Fortunately, it will be quite easy for the world to understand our
reason for separating. Nigeria of 2005 is not the same as Nigeria of 1966.
Everyone in the world has now known that Nigeria is a fake and a cheat and it is
only a patchwork of tribes forcibly cobbled together by colonial adventurers,
and it has not worked since independence.
To this extent, even those who created Nigeria and gave it the name , have
expressed regret. Also, Christian governments do not do any thing which is
unjust according to Christian morality. If they do, their own people will not
support them. And every Christian government takes notice of what their people say. That was why all of the African
colonies got independence after Hitler's war. According to Christian justice
after Hitler's war, it was unjust to keep a people in bondage or as colonies. So
the rest of Nigeria will be wrong to prevent us from separating by the use of
force. We will get support from outside. Also it will be worse for those tribes
of Nigeria that try to fight us. They cannot succeed. If they attempt to fight
us and we eventually succeed , which we must , it will be worse for them. Let us
fight tactfully and succeed easily, and without shedding any blood, whether ours
or others. May God Bless The Niger Delta.
There is no restriction in quoting or reproducing all or any part of this
article or message
Particulars of our books and booklets on Nigeria may be obtained by writing
to N.D.R.M at the above address. The article on Obasanjo's Harvest usually
enquired of, is contained in the title 'Somewhat Artificially Created' by Aliyi
Ekineh. ~ ISBN 0-9538119-2-1 price £10. Includes postage within the European
Union. OR from the African Book Centre, 38 King Street London WC2E
ALIYI EKINEH PATRON NIGER DELTA REPUBLIC MOVEMENT.
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