I remember the first time I set foot in Lagos after growing up in the North, words like “omo onile” meaning “son of the soil” were a common feature, and each time I pondered the reason for such statements, answers were short in supply.

This picture is not different from what I experienced in my alma mater, the University of Calabar, where I spent over four years studying. I had stumbled on the university student union constitution which gave every student the right to contest for any position irrespective of creed, religion, gender, ethnicity etc.

The reality was that the office of the President of the student union was strictly contested by people from Cross River state. In fact, there was a conventional rotation among the three senatorial zones in the state in producing the student union president.

I had confronted one of my friends on why all other offices could be contested by all except for that of the President and his answer was “na our state the university de na”.

We can go further to probe on how the late Sardauna Sir Ahmadu Bello in his interview by a foreign journalist pre-independence gave his disposition on what he called “the northernization policy”. A feature which has permeated other regions and sections of Nigeria till date.

Naysayers would also tell you how Azikiwe was frustrated out of the western region by Awolowo in 1954. This would lead Zik to do same to Professor Eyo Ita of the Efik tribe who was then Premier of the Eastern region. We were also told by the legendary Achebe in his sublime narration” there was a country” published in 2012 how some persons were unhappy with the likes of Professors Kenneth Dike and Eni Njoku becoming pioneer Vice-Chancellors at the Universities of Ibadan and Lagos respectively. Section 28 and 309 of the 1999 constitution amended, validate citizenship of Nigeria, but that’s about it.

It has not solved the issue of us been strangers in our country. This explains why we continue filling state of origin and local government area in various forms when it should be our state of residence.

This explains why a child born in Kano or Lagos who has lived all his/her life in these places will have to fill a place of origin different from where he or she was born. This explains why anyone seeking employment in security outfits of Nigeria is mandated to get a signatory of officers or other persons from his or her state of origin.

How many people out there care to know that the late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed who was brutally murdered by Lieutenant Colonel Bukar Suka Dimka while in power in 1976 had a father whose origin was from Auchi, Edo state, while his mother was from Inua Wada, Kano state.

According to Frederick Forsyth’s narration “Emeka” published in 1982, Ojukwu on his return from Oxford, in the United Kingdom, where he had studied history had wanted to work in the North for Nigeria, but the fact that everyone had to be deployed to their respective region of origin stopped this, not minding the fact that Ojukwu was born in Zungeru, Niger state, and could speak the Hausa language.

The present Nigerian society is one which begs this critical question as over the years citizens are more loyal to their tribe and region than to the nationhood of Nigeria.

Not even a line of our former anthem “though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand” could help solve this issue. One might ask when are we going to have a non-Yoruba become Governor of Lagos?

When are going to have a non-Igbo become Governor of Anambra? When are going to have a non-Cross Riverian become Vice-Chancellor in the University of Calabar? When are going to have another story like that of the Murtala Mohammed of Kano?
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/19/why-are-we-strangers-in-our-country/

Buhari is tearing Nigeria asunder at a terrific guerrilla perfection, using El-Rufai in Kaduna State to wipe out the Kajes, Kajurus, Kwois, Kafanchans, Katabs, Koros, Kadaras etc etc. The rate at which El-Rufai is rushing in Fulanis from Morrocco, Algeria, Egypt, Niger and Chad Republics into these areas and arming them with NIDs and Resident permits is fantabulous.
Give Full Autonomy to our 36 Constitutional States and all the Wahalas you mentioned in your Piece above will vanish. Any Tribe that wants to be President of a United Nigeria will campaign rigorously in all the 36 States and score two-third majority votes in 24 States plus two-third of FCT. The era of having mad, illiterate and corrupt individuals as Presidents and Governors in Nigeria will also vanish.