MS Ankio Briggs, rights activist and one of the leaders of the National Summit Group, says
there is nothing to celebrate at 53 and the
amalgamation of Northern and Southern
protectorates to create Nigeria was a mistake.
Excerpts:

How do you view Nigeria at 53?

I’m yet to see what we are celebrating. If we
are celebrating the fact that we have had
independence for 53 years and lived together
for a 100 years then, 100 is just a figure. When
you are celebrating, you have to show what you
have achieved. And the question I’m asking is
what have we achieved?

Unity? We are not united in this country.
Developmentally, what have we achieved? I
mean in things like roads and what have you?
These are the things that should matter as we
are progressing. We shouldn’t now be building
roads at 100.

We should be improving on what we have built
may be at 30, 40, 50, 60, not starting the
development of Nigeria after a 100 years of
being together.

So, for me, those are the things I use as
yardstick to measure Nigeria. Like other
countries are sending satelite into the space,
Nigeria sent a satelite and lost it.
So, we should ask ourselves if Nigeria is not too
big a country to be governed the way in which
we are being governed today? Should we not
have states being responsible for themselves?
This is why national conference is necessary.
We have been like this for 100 years, aside the
fact that we have been together and this is
what everybody tells us as if it’s such a big deal
to be together.

America is still together and look at what they
have achieved, likewise other countries. Other
countries like the Soviet Union, Sudan, have
broken up.

For Nigeria, I think by age alone, we are
matured enough to ask ourselves some
questions and answer them in a truthful
manner. We are just deceiving ourselves.

People have said the coming together of
different parts of the country is a mistake, do
you agree?

I totally agree, but we can’t take responsibility
for that, I might say, because it’s not Nigerians
that created Nigeria.

It’s Lord Luggard who created Nigeria that
brought us together and called us one people.
But it’s very clear today that that’s not so. The
North is the North and the South is the South.
These regions are made up of so many people
with different cultures, religions, foods and
different ways of looking at things.
And when you bring them together to say they
should look at things the same way, you are
telling them to look at Nigeria in only one way.
But one day, some of this people will wake up
and say, look, things are not working for us this
way.

The people it works for will resist other people
who don’t want the process to remain like that.
So, this is the problem Nigeria is having and
anybody that doesn’t see it like that is not
telling himself the truth.

Do we have any basis for Nigeria’s unity?

We have basis in the sense that it’s our choice.
It should be our choice and it will be our choice,
because that’s why we have these discussions
going on now. I believe Nigeria can be a great
country and that Nigerians can live together.
Look at the circumstances we are in and we are
still able to manage it and to drag it along. But
we shouldn’t be managing. We should have
some rules and regulations that we all accept.
We should agree on how and when we are going
to do it and once we agree, it will be much
easier. The problem we are having is that we
didn’t agree. And we have not found the basis
on which we are agreeing. We must find that
basis. It’s possible to live together.

But the question is how? What are the terms and
conditions?
Nobody is saying we shouldn’t live together. We
are saying how? Who brings what? Who owns
what? Who controls what? How much should I
bring? How much should you bring? How much
What if we keep everything and pay something
to the centre? These are the things we need to
look at together. We can live together, but how?

Now, how do you think we can live together in
peace and harmony in Nigeria?

Well, it won’t be for one person alone. I can
only speak for my people. Like for instance, I
come from Rivers State, which is in Niger Delta
region. For instance, most of what we are using to
develop the country today is coming from my
region, from my state.
Now, all I’m saying is that that should not be
so. It has made every other state which does
not have oil not to bring anything to the table.
So, what I’m saying is that we should have
ownership of our resources and pay tax to the
Federal Government. That way, everybody will
be responsible for themselves.

And then, we from the Niger Delta will not feel
that the weight of developing Nigeria is on our
back and that we as a people are not gaining
anything from it.

What percentage of tax do you think the regions
should pay to the centre?

Taxes are usually 5 per cent, 2 per cent, 40 per
cent and whatever. It’s something we must all
agree upon. I mean, it’s not something that I
will say, it should be like this.

What percentage do you suggest?

Well, I think 10 per cent.

Source - www.vanguardngr.com/2013/10/amalgamation-mistake-ankio-briggs/