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This is the famous expression attributed to Ahmadu Bello, the late Sardauna of Sokoto, as the north’s response to colonialism and borne out of its desire to control the Nigeria created by British colonial power where any form of political settlement to the Nigerian Colonial Question must rest on its own control of political developments.
The East’s response initially revolved around the I(g)bo State Union before it was absorbed into the NCNC and had its own response to the Nigerian Colonial Question through a denial of the Nationalities as a functional component of anti-colonialism, looking at Nigeria through that prism of deniability; while in the West, even with a strong NCNC presence, the dominant political platform was the Action Group, which, since its formation, had always canvassed the recognition of the Nationality as the basis for independence and thus advocated a Federal System; contrary to both the North and the East, both of which were advocating a unitarized structure.
“ooduapathfinder” affirms that prior to all of these, Yorubaland had never been subjected to any victorious expansion by any force, especially from the Dan Fodio’s successors who had tried to expand southwards and were stopped by the Ibadan Army at the 1847 Osogbo battle and driven back northwards. The case of Ilorin was not a case of military expansion but a result of an internal implosion within the Oyo Empire, based on an attempted expansion which eventually led to the collapse of the empire. Historical records do show that Ilorin, being the seat of the rebellion, under Afonja’s leadership, had made Ilorin a safe haven for slaves, mostly of Hausa, Bariba etc nations who would flee to Ilorin, with the sole intention of building up a massive army to confront the Alafin. The conflict between what this “army” later became, as a law unto itself and Afonja’s vision led to his death and subsequent take-over of the town by these emancipated slaves.
When Ahmadu Bello then expressed the intention to “dip the Koran into the sea”, it would be following a historical precedent but this will now be based on current realities, for the old methods would no longer suffice. The British, for its own reasons, had acceded to the demands of the North to ensure its political dominance through a spurious census that gave majority parliamentary seats to the north which also became the political foundation for Independence. That the north had this dominance did not give it the needed political majority hence had to find some collaborators from the south; which was readily made available by the NCNC, for its own reasons, primary of which was its need to neutralize the Action Group which it had accused of promoting “balkanization” of Nigeria because of AG’s promotion of Federalism of the Nationalities as the basis for an independent Nigeria; aside from the shock of NCNC’s defeat at the 1951 Western Regional Parliamentary elections.
There was thus a meeting point between the North’s attempt at “dipping the Koran into the Sea” and the East(NCNC) attempt at a uniform Nigeria both of which depended on neutralizing the Action Group as a political force and philosophy.
The consummation of this necessity led to the alliance between the North and the East and the subsequent illegal proclamation of the State of Emergency in the Western Region on May 29, 1962 as well as the trial of leading persons of the AG in a spurious treason trial and subsequent jailing of Awo and his lieutenants. Of course, a house built on sandy soil will collapse, which was the fate of the alliance, even after it had succeeded in temporarily neutralizing the Action Group leadership. The collapse of the alliance was aided by the coming of age of their junior partner in the West, formed around the Akintola/Remi Fani-Kayode group which saw to the collapse of the NCNC in the West into Akintola’s party and subsequent formation of the NNDP. For the East, its hunters of the AG in the NCNC became the hunted of its former ally, the NPC. All of these led to the January 1966 coup and its civil war aftermath and the subsequent recalibration of Nigeria from a Federation of four Regions into what we now have as 36 States.
Thus, “dipping the Koran into the sea” is a political movement that is not only not confined to the north but was also aided and abetted by the East and can only be achieved by the neutralization of any independent political force in Yorubaland. Its political philosophy rest on controlling the central purse of Nigeria and attracting any and all such forces that are willing to be part of that charade though denying the right of their nations for such an autonomy that was practiced at Independence and which enabled the four Regions to establish a template for their own development.
“ooduapathfinder” notes that it is no longer news that the East, represented by Goodluck Jonathan has no qualms reenacting such neutralization, as evidenced by his regime’s desperation to take control of the land though all sorts of constitutional infractions and illegalities, including promotion of thugs and criminals as Yoruba political leaders; such that his regime has become an albatross that must be removed.
“ooduapathfinder” posits that the only way a nationality can lose its way in Nigeria is to deny such nationality its political independence; that is, where such a nationality will have no control over its own political trajectory and practices; which will be the case in Yorubaland if the PDP of Jonathan has its way. For it will not only be a de facto one-party state, it would be a lawless state, having retained power via turning the law on its head and for Yorubaland, having turned the place into a playground for both Yoruba and non-Yoruba terrorists; with no control over the internal workings of such a one-party state and where its leading promoters in Yorubaland are made to knock their heads against each other by political inducements, which has also made them to succumb to the neutralization of age-long Yoruba demands for Federalism.
Thus, not only did Goodluck Jonathan succeed in neutralizing the Niger Delta demands for its flagship “resource control”, his Yoruba supporters have also denounced any form of federalism, at the recent national Conference where the Yoruba delegates became avid supporters of all anti-federalist recommendations.
With a government run by denials of responsibility, including the latest one being denial of responsibility for the devaluation of Nigeria’s currency; the military being a shadow of itself in its confrontation with Boko Haram insurgency; the Judiciary being rendered its mere plaything where luckless petty criminals are sentenced to long jail terms and high-level criminals in and out of government walk scot-free; where political office holders beat up judges with no repercussions; where the State Security Services have become a serving arm of Goodluck Jonathan’s political preferences with even the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives condoning police illegality and from the reports of the recent PDP electoral primaries where all sorts of illegalities reigned supreme, the only conclusion from all of these is that it is impossible for his Yoruba supporters to have any say in the running of his administration; such that this can only foreshadow what to expect, if he ends up re-electing himself.
For the Yoruba Nation, therefore, this is not simply a case of “dipping the Koran in the sea”; for we are being confronted with an attempt at neutralizing our political existence. The North being accused of trying to “dip the Koran into the sea” is also facing a similar situation, while the East is easily in Goodluck Jonathan’s pocket. In a previous Editorial, “ooduapathfinder” pointed out Goodluck Jonathan’s preparedness to judicially promote his re-election, even internationally and has gone ahead to retain 12 SAN’s legal services for such action which shows his readiness to impose himself on us.
That the SW APC is intact is what Yorubaland has going for it, right now; that APC as a pan-Nigerian opposition is alive to its mission is also a plus; which is why[b] “ooduapathfinder”[/b] enjoins all Yoruba nationalist formations to ensure that the PDP does not smell a whiff of power in Yorubaland. This is not about personalities, as some are wont to say, but a Yoruba National issue; for the PDP represents a clear and present danger to Yorubaland.

Crap

Great piece, but kindly break the post to subtopics to make the feed eyeful. Thanks and long lives Nigeria.

Trash! Trash!!
I hereby drop a watery poo on OP and his postulation here!!