Major socio-cultural organisations in the country have expressed opposing views on the plan by the Federal Government to embark on an elaborate centenary celebration of the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 by the British.

Nigeria became a nation when the then Governor-General of the country, Lord Frederick Lugard, merged the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria with its Northern half in 1914.

President Goodluck Jonathan had said that the FG would mark the nation’s 100 years of existence during an official visit to Jamaica, where he attended the Caribbean country’s 178th Anniversary of Emancipation and the 50th anniversary of its independence recently.

In separate interviews on Friday, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Action Congress of Nigeria, the Ijaw National Congress, and the Ndigbo Unity Front, opposed the planned celebration. This is in contradiction to the position of the Arewa Consultative Forum, which says the event is worth celebrating in spite of the challenges facing the nation.

Former Governor Bisi Akande of Osun State said that while the centenary anniversary of the nation’s existence could be marked, it should not be celebrated.

Akande said that it would be wrong for funds to be provided for the centennial celebration since it was clear that the nation did not have anything to celebrate.

Akande called the citizenry’s attention to the prevalence of crime, violence and insecurity in the land.

“It doesn’t make sense to budget money for it,” Akande said through an aide, Mr. Lani Baderinwa. “What is there to celebrate about the country’s amalgamation when everything is upside down?

“There’s massive unemployment among the youths, crime is unbearably high and characteristic violence is prevalent all over the land.”

On its part, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo stated that while the unity of the nation could not be negotiated as it marks 100 years of its amalgamation, it was necessary to ensure the component nationalities that make up the nation were given fair treatment as “against the prevailing situation where some groups like the Ndigbo are made to feel like second class citizens in their own country.”

The President-General of Ohanaeze, Dr. Ralph Uwechue, said that issues like the rotation of strategic national offices like the presidency must be entrenched in the constitution so that every zone or group could feel a sense of belonging.

Uwechue said recognition must be given to the fact that Nigeria is made up of several nations which must find accommodation. “We must allow for what (former Prime Minister) Tafawa Balewa described as unity in diversity,” Uwechue added.

He called for devolution of powers to the states as it was at independence when “the attraction was at the regions, not the centre.”

But another Igbo organisation – the Ndigbo Unity Forum – said that there was nothing to celebrate about the amalgamation, as it has worsened relationships rather than bring about the peace and progress of the constituent nations.

The NUF president, Mr. Augustine Chukwudum, told SATURDAY PUNCH that the proposed celebration by the government would lead to another wide scale looting of public funds.

“Nigeria has nothing to celebrate because we have failed as a nation and our successive leaders have failed us too,” Chukwudum said.

He, however, said the National Assembly should be courageous enough to take up the issues that are critical to the survival of the nation and discuss them so that the people would not have to find options like taking their destinies in their own hands.

Similarly, the Ijaw National Congress kicked against the move to celebrate the nation’s amalgamation. It described the amalgamation as an action that brought strange bed fellows together.

The INC National Secretary, Mr. Robinson Esite said, “The amalgamation is what has brought the woes to Nigeria; it brought strange bed fellows together and so, celebrating it will amount to celebrating the evil day. So, it is not worth celebration; it should have been a period of sober reflection, a period of regret rather than celebration.

“We have always insisted on a national conference for Nigerians to sit down and chart the way forward and to decide on the modality for our continuous existence. We are agreed that we should continue to remain a united Nigeria, but the modalities for our continued existence should be discussed.

“For the several years the North ruled this country, no ethnic nationality from the South has insisted that those who must be leaders must be Christians. This is the only time a South-South person is president of Nigeria.

“They call themselves born-to-rule, the question we ask is, ‘To rule who?’ So, it is expedient that a national conference is called for us to decide the modality of our existence and until that conference is called, we continue to see avoidable crisis.”

However, the pan-northern socio-political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, said that the FG had cause to celebrate the 100 years of amalgamation of the country despite the security challenges in Nigeria.

The National Publicity Secretary of the forum, Mr. Anthony Sani, told one of our correspondents in Kaduna on Friday that Nigeria was not the only country saddled with security challenges.

“You may wish to know that many countries face security challenges. Examples include India, which experienced bombings in Mumbai more than seven times last year. Norway, of all countries had violence; Cyprus had its own share. We also know Thailand has an equivalent of Boko Haram, which started way back in 2004,” he said.

The forum noted that Nigerians should not question its existence based on the current security challenges, instead “we must discuss how best to overcome the collective challenges for national good.”

“That the country is facing some challenges now is not to vitiate the benefit of one big united Nigeria in which individual and group aspirations can find expression, especially in the future,” he added.

He insisted that to celebrate the concept of nationhood, which holds a lot of promise for generations yet unborn, could not amount to a waste.

“Nigeria has been more than a geographic expression, especially when regard is paid to the wide and deep interdependence among constituent parts of the country which make divorce impossible or more difficult.

“Nigerians should remember that this nation is not about the only country put together with religious and ethnic diversities. We should mimic other countries by working hard in order to overcome those differences that divide the people, and in favour of core values of humanity that unite the people.

“And this is because it is very possible to make the most of our God-given diversities, to respect them and honour them,” Sani said.

http://www.punchng.com/news/acn-acf-igbo-groups-disagree/

I think with this, no Southerner(S/W, S/E and S/S) is happy about the amalgamation at first.

Why should we celebrate 1914 amalgamation when we didn't celebrate 1906 amalgamation? There's nothing to celebrate about, both amalgamations are tragic!
Nigerian history should not be distorted and every kid should know the nation's history. Just like Hausas are strangers to us so are Yorubas.
Everyone should go back to their countries, we are not the same.



www.nairaland.com/attachments/789954_480317_4359667628276_1152914446_n_jpgb7f450f3191b1c2360cb674fc5f97a67

Obiagu1: Why should we celebrate 1914 amalgamation when we didn't celebrate 1906 amalgamation? There's nothing to celebrate about, both amalgamations are tragic!
Nigerian history should not be distorted and every kid should know the nation's history. Just like Hausas are strangers to us so are Yorubas.
Everyone should go back to their countries, we are not the same.



www.nairaland.com/attachments/789954_480317_4359667628276_1152914446_n_jpgb7f450f3191b1c2360cb674fc5f97a67

please can you explain the amalgamation of 1906

Why does everyone talk about 1914 amalgamation and hide the fact there was an amalgamation in 1906?
Why did Nigeria lie to us for these years?
Why the deliberate distortion of our history?

Why won't GEJ just let sleeping dogs be? This for me is an avenue to squander money. Most importantly, with the ethnic and religious problems facing us now, I don't think we are ripe for such celebrations. NL e-wars on issues like this is a case at hand. Some regions already are declaring that they are not part of Nigeria. We don't need this now!

With those map up there, was Edo part of the old Eastern region?

Paul John: With those map up there, was Edo part of the old Eastern region?

This is not about Eastern Region, it's about a country called Southern Nigeria and it has nothing to do with the Yorubas or SW.

There is no reason for celebration of 1914.we should be thinking of using that opportunity to re-negotiate our existence so that those that want to go will do dat.the north has used this opportunity to say that there is some dependence on one another that will make any form of separation impossible or difficult.OIL BOOM! Equally,i can understand that the south groups are on same page so they should brace-up and unite.the unity will afford us the opportunity to say and do what we think is necessary for our development.

kunlekunle:
please can you explain the amalgamation of 1906

1906 amalgamation was when Yorubas (strangers) were added to peaceful Southern Nigeria to create disharmony in the South and things have never been the same again.

Obiagu1:

1906 amalgamation was when (strangers) were added to peaceful Southern Nigeria to create disharmony in the South and things have never been the same again.

Whose fault? Or was it Yoruba that added themselves to the Southern Nigeria?
And how has yoruba created disharmony in the south, before 1914 when the North was joined to form Nigeria?
You also said Yorubas to be stranger. Are they stranger on their own land of Old Western Region? Or they came to Southern Nigeria to claim their land?

Obiagu1:

1906 amalgamation was when Yorubas (strangers) were added to peaceful Southern Nigeria to create disharmony in the South and things have never been the same again.

The name nigeria was fromed before 1900 by lady SHAW.
She was an employee of royal niger company that controlled the whole north.
shall we say you SS are parasites bearing that name (nigeria)

kunlekunle:


The name nigeria was fromed before 1900 by lady SHAW.
She was an employee of royal niger company that controlled the whole north.
shall we say you SS are parasites bearing that name (nigeria)

The name Nigeria was given to people North and South of River Niger. Yorubas were never Nigerians, they were added to Nigeria like Southern and Northern Cameroun were added to Nigeria. Yorubas are strangers.

If yorubas were not Nigerians before, then what were they before?

Paul John: If yorubas were not Nigerians before, then what were they before?

They were Lagosians before. You should opt out like Southern Cameroun did.

Nigerian Centennial celebration has been attracting some pathetic comments from people I thought should be role models in this country. They think Nigerian birth as a federation should not be celebrated because what they understand to be best vision for us has not been achieved.

These are people who have enjoyed the best and early privileges in Nigeria and have destroyed the bridges after crossing, People who have failed in ruling Nigeria, people who looted the nation into crisis and still insist on clinging to power.

Perhaps everyone who has not achieved his or her dreams and visions in life, should course the day the day they were born instead of celebrating it. A birth day is the most important day of every surviving entity, and celebrating it is synonymous to a Godly act.

It is so insulting to the integrity of Nigeria, having the elites who claim to be most reasonable, enlightened, educated and qualified to lead the nation, to be thinking and speaking as if their brain cells are dead. They have all lost their minds to the taste of cruel power, and will not let anyone else try his best.