Why I'm Afraid of the Break-up of Nigeria

Last night, a friend asked me to explain my aversion to the idea of secession, thinking it was the fear, as amplified in certain propagandas, of the North's foreseen inability to sustain itself economically.

Since it was a private conversation, I elected to present my actual reason bit by bit, some of them I can't express in public, and offering him a mirror which, when we were done, reflected a possibility that scared him too.

I'm afraid of secession for the very reason a part of Nigeria seeks to leave. Cultural hegemony. A domination of diverse society by the elite using ethnicity, religion and all the binary identities and sentiments available to hold on to power, and to forestall criticism of them and revolt of the manipulated masses.

How has cultural hegemony held Nigeria together? The reason Nigeria hasn't degenerated into full-blown autocratic regime is because of conflicting cultural hegemonies that exist like a tripartite coalition government - an ethnic arrangement that restricts the tyranny of the three parts, the "Hausa-Fulani," the Igbo and Yoruba.

There's a mechanism of checks and balances of cultural hegemony as Nigeria stands today, along the ethnic lines of these three dominating ethnic groups, as there is along religious lines between Islam and Christianity of the political North and the South, respectively.

What happens after the breakup? I'll address the question of struggle for power in the North instead. The region's cultural hegemony, which the federating South has tackled, albeit not successfully, levers around Islam and the so-called "Hausa-Fulani" supergroup.

A secession means unrestricted evolution of this cultural hegemony through manipulation of the gullible masses in the name of Islam and by stoking ethnic sentiments as conduits to political power and relevance.

This arrangement favours characters like Senator Ahmed Yerima of Zamfara state, who as Governor introduced a gimmick he called Sharia simply to protect his political capitals. His friends, realizing the success of such arrangement and financial aid pouring in from oil-rich Arab nations, joined him in that smokescreen to enrich themselves corruptly. Some of them are parties to pending cases of corruption at the Court or still under the radar of our anti-corruption agencies.

The good news, however, was that we had a member of another cultural hegemony, a Christian from the political south, as head of the national government, and even opposing the northern political chessboard that seemed to alienate him.

The Yerimas of Northern Nigeria may be local champions now, but the moment their allies from other cultural hegemonies withdraw, a new order of tyrannical rule, in connivance with religious clerics and socio-cultural "ambassadors," will manifest.

The implication is an outright manipulation of Islamic jurisprudence, an Islamo-fascism, to institutionalize oppression and enable corruption. And I can only imagine the extent of its devastations with personality cults forming around some ascetic criminals.

I think this fear explains the convergence of another self-elected representatives of northern "minorities" who, calling themselves "Middle Belt Leaders' Forum," met yesterday in Abuja to debate their place and prospects in Nigeria, now and later. It's not a coincidence that the Jerry Gana-led gathering was dominated by Christians (and "other minorities" out of political offices, and ambitious.

As a Muslim, there's nothing that scares me like an attempt to police my private moralities in a secular political arrangement that does not evaluate and redeem the pseudo-religious Police. It's fascism manifesting, and I'll rather die fighting this than flee.

So, my friends from the South, it's not untrue that I do not want you to leave. But it's not for your resources. Assessing the welfare of my people, it's sad to say they are of no essence to us. We, and I include you too, have neither access to good hospitals nor schools, neither good network of roads nor security. I only want you to stay to sustain the checks and balances of this hegemonic order.

If igbos are this important to you , you better threat them with the respect they deserve.

First of all.....That sh*t is too long for me to read.....

Stop being scared/worried about a thing that can never happen (only in the dream world ) and as a result, making a certain group of people feel important

papiforreal:
Why I'm Afraid of the Break-up of Nigeria

Last night, a friend asked me to explain my aversion to the idea of secession, thinking it was the fear, as amplified in certain propagandas, of the North's foreseen inability to sustain itself economically.

Since it was a private conversation, I elected to present my actual reason bit by bit, some of them I can't express in public, and offering him a mirror which, when we were done, reflected a possibility that scared him too.

I'm afraid of secession for the very reason a part of Nigeria seeks to leave. Cultural hegemony. A domination of diverse society by the elite using ethnicity, religion and all the binary identities and sentiments available to hold on to power, and to forestall criticism of them and revolt of the manipulated masses.

How has cultural hegemony held Nigeria together? The reason Nigeria hasn't degenerated into full-blown autocratic regime is because of conflicting cultural hegemonies that exist like a tripartite coalition government - an ethnic arrangement that restricts the tyranny of the three parts, the "Hausa-Fulani," the Igbo and Yoruba.

There's a mechanism of checks and balances of cultural hegemony as Nigeria stands today, along the ethnic lines of these three dominating ethnic groups, as there is along religious lines between Islam and Christianity of the political North and the South, respectively.

What happens after the breakup? I'll address the question of struggle for power in the North instead. The region's cultural hegemony, which the federating South has tackled, albeit not successfully, levers around Islam and the so-called "Hausa-Fulani" supergroup.

A secession means unrestricted evolution of this cultural hegemony through manipulation of the gullible masses in the name of Islam and by stoking ethnic sentiments as conduits to political power and relevance.

This arrangement favours characters like Senator Ahmed Yerima of Zamfara state, who as Governor introduced a gimmick he called Sharia simply to protect his political capitals. His friends, realizing the success of such arrangement and financial aid pouring in from oil-rich Arab nations, joined him in that smokescreen to enrich themselves corruptly. Some of them are parties to pending cases of corruption at the Court or still under the radar of our anti-corruption agencies.

The good news, however, was that we had a member of another cultural hegemony, a Christian from the political south, as head of the national government, and even opposing the northern political chessboard that seemed to alienate him.

The Yerimas of Northern Nigeria may be local champions now, but the moment their allies from other cultural hegemonies withdraw, a new order of tyrannical rule, in connivance with religious clerics and socio-cultural "ambassadors," will manifest.

The implication is an outright manipulation of Islamic jurisprudence, an Islamo-fascism, to institutionalize oppression and enable corruption. And I can only imagine the extent of its devastations with personality cults forming around some ascetic criminals.

I think this fear explains the convergence of another self-elected representatives of northern "minorities" who, calling themselves "Middle Belt Leaders' Forum," met yesterday in Abuja to debate their place and prospects in Nigeria, now and later. It's not a coincidence that the Jerry Gana-led gathering was dominated by Christians (and "other minorities" out of political offices, and ambitious.

As a Muslim, there's nothing that scares me like an attempt to police my private moralities in a secular political arrangement that does not evaluate and redeem the pseudo-religious Police. It's fascism manifesting, and I'll rather die fighting this than flee.

So, my friends from the South, it's not untrue that I do not want you to leave. But it's not for your resources. Assessing the welfare of my people, it's sad to say they are of no essence to us. We, and I include you too, have neither access to good hospitals nor schools, neither good network of roads nor security. I only want you to stay to sustain the checks and balances of this hegemonic order.

Is your cup of tea

Nigerian days are over

Whatever that happens in Arewa is you guys cup of tea

Biafra won't suffer such a fate


Get ready to live under a tyrannical Islamic leadership

elderhimself:
First of all.....That sh*t is too long for me to read.....

Stop being scared/worried about a thing that can never happen (only in the dream world ) and as a result, making a certain group of people feel important

how are you so sure that it can never happen ?
Don't you know that once Biafra goes.. Nigeria becomes an Islamic state with full blown sharia .. God help you if you are among the christain minority or moderate Muslim in the north .., God help you mr feeling important

zombieHUNTER:
how are you so sure that it can never happen ?
Don't you know that once Biafra goes.. Nigeria becomes an Islamic state with full blown sharia .. God help you if you are among the christain minority or moderate Muslim in the north .., God help you mr feeling important

Illiterates like them don't understand what is about to hit them

zombieHUNTER:
how are you so sure that it can never happen ?
Don't you know that once Biafra goes.. Nigeria becomes an Islamic state with full blown sharia .. God help you if you are among the christain minority or moderate Muslim in the north .., God help you mr feeling important

In Nigeria, I would boldly say that nothing, absolutely nothing is sure.
And with or without Biafra, Nigeria can never be Islamized.... It is not a country that sharia can just be implemented like that
Like it or not, Nigeria is much more a secular country than a religious one. what is practiced is more of hypocrisy than anything else..

BTW, thank you for the bolded...^^^ I'm sure you dont need help from God, but I do.

Some people started fighting for Biafra as far back as 1967,...... Bleep years later, they are still searching for it....... XXXX years from now, I hope they learn their lesson.

papiforreal:


So, my friends from the South, it's not untrue that I do not want you to leave. But it's not for your resources. Assessing the welfare of my people, it's sad to say they are of no essence to us. We, and I include you too, have neither access to good hospitals nor schools, neither good network of roads nor security. I only want you to stay to sustain the checks and balances of this hegemonic order.

Stay amidst southern blood shed repeatedly with impunity by Fulani Herdsmen having full support of their grand Patron ba?

Luggard that created this useless country is the cause of all these. You don't have to be scared. Nigeria will not be the first country that will disintegrate, it also will not be the last. Believe me, if Nigeria disintegrate, you will do just fine. I support Nigeria disintegration without fear because i know that Nigeria is pulling my people backward. My people are suppose to be technological advanced than this. Imagine in this 21st century, a country with 180 million people still manages 4 thousand megawatts of electricity. For how long are we going to continue this? We don't have good roads, health care and education system are bad. Nigeria is a cursed country that will never improve. This is the simple truth.

nigeria was not meant to be together in the first place. why are you scared? before the advent of colonial rule, nothern nigeria was run in accordance with islamic rules and principles.


biafrans are seeeking for divorce because they are tired of this unholy romance, they should be allowed to go. i dont blame them at all.

i was an advocate of one nigeria, however it is important to note that our differences is stronger than our unity. a man only dies but once. biafra should go. 1st october.......

hucienda:
In summary, Gimba is stating the obvious being that the largely christian south are the religious buffer reigning in the muslim overlords from overreaching in Nigeria.

His fear - and rightly so - is should what he dreads happen and that delicate balance disrupt, with bulk of that christian bulwark buffer which is Biafra pulling out, then the islamic fascists (as he termed it) take-over over what is left of the country would be complete.

That same fear is what would drive them to gang up with their Arewa Muslim brothers against us again, like they did in 1967. Nothing has changed.

They'd rather we stay and suffer with them, than let them suffer alone under Arewa Islamic rulership, while we enjoy our secular Biafra.

Also when you remember that about 60% of Yorubas are Muslims, you begin to understand why an alliance between us and these Northern Christian minorities is impossible, as it would leave them with the short end of the stick.

They are a burden we need not. They made their beds in 1967, they will have to lay on them now.

hucienda:
In summary, Gimba is stating the obvious being that the largely christian south are the religious buffer reigning in the muslim overlords from overreaching in Nigeria.

His fear - and rightly so - is should what he dreads happen and that delicate balance disrupt, with bulk of that christian bulwark buffer which is Biafra pulling out, then the islamic fascists (as he termed it) take-over over what is left of the country would be complete.

yea the christian minority in the north suffers the consequence of any decision the christian south takes.

Keep the comments flowing