Believe it or leave it, that is all how it started and this is where we are today

Eleven days after Nigeria
got her political
independence on October 1,
1960, the Sardauna of
Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello
said, as was carried by the
Parrot newspaper on
October 12, 1960:
"The new nation called
Nigeria should be an estate
of our great grandfather
Othman Dan Fodio. We
must ruthlessly prevent a
change of power. We use the
minorities in the north as
willing tools and the south
as a conquered territory and
never allow them to rule
over us and never allow
them to have control over
their future." – Parrot
Newspaper October 12,
1960.
Now, there are important
revelations about the vision
of Sir Ahmadu Bello, as
captured in the above, and
which vision his people have
executed with great
effectiveness for the past 5
decades:
1. Nigeria is an estate of
their great grandfather
Othman Dan Fodio, and so
anyone who does not
descend from their forebear
is a tenant. The vision is to
maintain a tenancy status
for all non-Dan Fodians
dwelling within the
geographical boundaries of
Nigeria.
2. To prevent ruthlessly any
change of order that
wrestles power from the
Dan Fodians.
3. To use and manipulate all
"minorities" of the "north"
as the slaves of the Dan
Fodians.
4. To control the resources
of tenants (non-Dan
Fodians) in their estate
(Nigeria).
5. To resist any form of rule
over the Dan Fodians.
6. To never allow non-Dan
Fodians to have control over
their future.
The pursuit of the above
vision and the brutal
enforcement of this vision
have contributed in the
many crises Nigeria has
faced for more than fifty
years. The connivance of
western powers such as
Britain and the USA at
different stages of our
history for the sake of
protecting their interest has
been a recurring scenario
that has just refused to go
away. Now is the time to
end this subjugation that
has been as insidious as it
has been hidden from the
majority of peoples of the
world, including some
Nigerians.
We the peoples of the
Middle Belt in particular
and non Dan Fodians, in
general, must rise up and
resist this egregiously
inhuman vision with every
sense of pride and purpose.
You can never be wrong in
seeking to be free. Some
have derisively asked the
clear description of the
Middle Belt peoples. Socially
speaking, all non-Dan
Fodians in the geographical
north and central north are
Middle Belt people, the
oppressed people,
deceptively huddled up
under the “One North” of Sir
Ahmadu Bello.
However, geographically, it
is generally acceptable to
many scholars from the
region that the Middle Belt
federation consists of people
in the present BENUE,
NASSARAWA, TARABA,
ADAMAWA, PLATEAU,
SOUTHERN KEBBI, KOGI,
KWARA, NIGER,
SOUTHERN KADUNA,
FCT, SOUTHERN GOMBE,
and the two minority local
government areas of
TAFAWA BALEWA and
BOGORO in southern
Bauchi State.
We the Middle Belt
federation must take charge
of our future. A starting
point is to press for the
rejection and crashing of the
1999 "constitution", which
is a fraud instigated by the
Dan Fodians in order to
achieve the vision itemized
above (1-6). It is for our
children that we must fight.
I have approached some
lawyers to file a symbolic
case on behalf of the Middle
Belt people to declare our
outright rejection of the
1999 "constitution" as a
fraud. But it appears they
are chicken-hearted. Are
there any lawyers, or do you
Middle Belters and our
friends know any lawyers
that will agree to do this? So
long as nothing is done to
change the vision-fortune of
the Dan Fodians, so long
will the Middle Belt people
remain the appendage of the
Dan Fodians.
ACTION POINT: Spread
this information and help us
project this fact of our plight
before the law courts and
the international
community. Our focus is to
compel the convocation of a
sovereign national
conference, where we shall
all discuss whether and on
what terms the various
ethnic nationalities shall co-
exist as one people. We
reject the present
subjugation with all our
strength, with our entire
mind, and with all our soul.
INFORMATION: There is a
muted plan by the Jonathan
government to make the
term of elected officials in
Nigeria to be a single term
of 7 years BEGINNING
WITH those voted into
office this year, who under
the extant relevant laws got
only a four-year mandate of
the Nigerian people. We,
therefore, reject this
contemplation and call on
President Jonathan and his
colleagues to re-direct
attention to the social re-
construction of Nigeria
under a constitutional
conference with
representations from each
nation within Nigeria. If we
don't pile pressure for what
we truly need, we shall get
what we truly don't deserve
—perpetual subjugation,
while a few among the
oppressed are bought over
and manipulated just for a
pot of porridge. A people
that values its safety above
its rights cannot for too long
guarantee that safety, which
is just safety at the pleasure
of the jackals. Now is the
time. Is there not a cause?
Leonard Karshima Shilgba
is an Associate Professor of
Mathematics with the
American University of
Nigeria and President of the
Nigeria Rally Movement.
Leonard Shilgba is also the
Coordinator of the Middle
Belt Federation under the
Middle Belt Coalition
agenda.
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