The recurring call for the convening of a
national conference – sovereign or otherwise – is more and more sounding like a
broken record. But to me, the call is
sounding more like a bargain or blackmail tool, which some people use from time
to time to help them achieve certain objectives. This is very okay with me because it shows a
sense of purpose on the part of those using this particular tool for gaining
advantage in every national discourse so far.
What riles me is the perception of some of us that the convocation of
the conference will be to our disadvantage.
I cannot fathom what informs this line of reasoning by, particularly the
political class of the north. The call
for the convocation of the conference has been on since after the Beninoise
convoked their own and booted out Matthew Kerekou. This also coincided with Babangida’s
annulment of the June 1992 election, which some ethnic bigots fortuitously
interpreted to mean that a section of the country is against the presidency by
a Yoruba man. So for all intents and
purposes, those calling for a Sovereign National Conference are simply copycats
and also merely ethnic champions masquerading as nationalists.
In the years between 1992 to date, there
have been at least two national conferences that readily come to mind. The one convoked by the late General Sani
Abacha in 1995 – 96 that succeeded in fractionalising the country further into six
geo-political zones by adopting the Ekwueme model and the one called by
Obasanjo in 2004 – 2005 to specifically amend the constitution to make way for
his ambition to rule Nigeria for as long as he lives. These are the two that readily come to my
mind and from where I am sitting none addressed the myriad problems we are faced
with as a nation. Rather, the Abacha
conference succeeded in breaking up the north into three “zones” – a project
began in the 1960s and a lifelong ambition for some. Though they have succeeded in splitting the
north, the region’s politicians helped in no small measure in bringing this
reality to fruition by either being complicit or docile in some instances. Today, northern Nigeria is the most fractured
of the entire pre-military foray into politics in 1966. This fractionalisation, sadly, is not only
physical but also mental.
The call this time may not be unconnected
with the ill-advised call for the revision of the revenue allocation formula by
some northern politicians, particularly our governors. In all the previous conferences, the north
got the short end of the stick due to our self-imposed roles of guardians of
the sanctity of the unity of Nigeria.
But we always come out bruised literally and metaphorically. The region is perceived by outsiders as weak
and a burden to the rest of the country due to the way it has been projected by
our politicians in the last thirty years or so.
Flowing from leadership failure at all levels in the north, we are more
fractured today than at any point in history.
The region is racked with crisis that is destroying what remains of its
commercial activities; our governors and other leaders care less what happens
in critical sectors like education, health and agriculture; our youth are
ill-equipped to face the challenges of present day world because since they are
not “ex-militants” government doesn’t care whether they go to school or not;
and our elders are all busy playing the ostrich while the region is gradually
sinking into pre-historic times with mini-wars raging all across the region. If these problems are not enough to call for
a conference, then I shall be damned!
I am all for a national conference
(sovereign or not) for all the “ethnic nationalities” to come together and
chart a way for either our continued existence as a country or for the breakup of
Nigeria into 250 or more countries. But
before then, I would like to call on the conveners to carry out a census of the
“ethnic nationalities” with a view to determining who is what so that ALL
should be represented. This is to avoid
a problem where all northerners can be lumped into a convenient contraption
called ‘Hausa. Fulani’. This will raise
more questions than provide answers.
Beginning from my state, Adamawa State, I know a Yofo man will never
allow himself to be represented by a Yandang or Gengle or Sate nor a Chamba
Leko be represented by a Chamba Ganye.
In the Numan Federation alone, the Bachamas are distinct from the
Mbulas, the Battas, Lungudas, Kanakurus and the Kwas. The Mumuye of Tola has nothing in common with
the Chamba of the area. The Fulanis have
the Wuitis, the Kesus, the Ba’en and the Mbororos. The Veres of Fufore don’t see eye to eye with
their Batta neighbours. In Karim Lamido
local government of neighbouring Taraba State, you have twenty-seven distinct
“ethnic nationalities”. This is the
local government that the late Deputy Inspector General Police, John Haruna
came from.
I am pointing out these “nationalities” to
educate some of us on the diversity of the “nationalities” that make up Nigeria
because as I write this piece, I am already all set for the conference and I
would not like to be part of any talk shop regarding the future of Nigeria that
one single “nationality” will be excluded from.
We have seen how every subset of a tribe call itself a “race”, a
“nation” and a “kingdom” in the last thirteen or so years. Therefore, to give every local potente his
dues, I suggest that every subset be represented at the conference table. The hunger that drives the rise in ethnic
assertiveness must be satiated for we, the poor to have peace of mind otherwise
the demon unleashed by politicians who are comfortable in being ethnic
chauvinists than truly community or national leaders will devour us all. The fad now is that whoever fails to make an
impact on a larger platform retreats to his ‘laager’ for relevance.
Northern politicians, community and business
leaders screaming for an increase in the allocation of federally generated
revenue will do well for the region to get cracking on how to prepare for the
inevitable national conference. They
must also prepare an economic blueprint for the region because we will very
soon be weaned from suckling the crude oil tit that we, as we are being told to
our face, contributed nothing in its production, transportation, refining or
even retailing. I am thinking of going
into the processing of cow products (being a mbororo, you know). I am looking for partners to start the
processing of things like fresh milk & yoghurt, kpomo and transportation of
frozen meat because my agenda does not include interstate transportation of live
animals.
Such a conference may be the only way to
awaken us from our oil-induced stupor to rediscover our dignity and revive our
economy and other institutions of the region inherited from those founding
fathers of the north long gone to the beyond but still remain our reference
point. If nineteen governors cannot
manage the New Nigerian Newspapers, NNDC, Arewa Textiles and various BCGs
scattered all over the north, then it is time to sit and consider turning over
the region to our traditional rulers, whom the British used during the days of
indirect rule. Those were the days when
the north was feared and respected by all.
Not now when a suspected armed robber turned “militant” will be rewarded
with a $103million contract for insulting the collective people of a whole
region.
