For the past countless numbers of years I have been an active observer of the political, social and religious developments in Nigeria. There's hardly a forum that enriches it members with up-to-date information about Nigeria that I'm not a member of, or any major online news outlets I don't visit. I loved and respected this country while growing up, the Nigerian national anthem, the pledge, the second stanza, Nigerian national flag, the uniqueness of the coat of arm of Nigeria, I was a proud Nigerian why growing up, becoming the president of Nigeria or serving this country in any capacity was a dream I was ready to Sacrifice everything to achieve. Aside the fine toned history of Nigeria I was taught in school, I ventured into relearning about the history of Nigeria from 1960 to date and my views began to shift. I came to understand that the marginalization question attributed to the various ethnic groups in Nigeria was being done systematically and in a coordinated manner. It all began with the way our colonial master the Great Britain governed the Northern and Southern protectorate and the Lagos colony after the amalgamation of the three regions in 1914. Our colonizers built missionary schools in the Southern protectorate and the Lagos colony and pressured their subjects to attend the schools. Britain being a country whose founders and whose rulers are all Christians, spread Christianity everywhere in the Southern protectorate but in the northern protectorate the system of of governance was totally the opposite , as cultural andreligious institutions were allowed to operate. Christianity was made optional to the northerners and even after the amalgamation of the two different protectorates in 1914, the rule for sustained no effort was made to unify the governance structure.
Colonialism is worse than slavery, brothers and sisters were being chopped like sliced breads. When you look at countries like Burundi Rwanda Uganda etc these are countries that should have been made one country because of their identical ethnic groups but another was introduced and they were divided and up to this moment this brothers and sisters now identified as various citizens of different Nations. The European powers left a devastating record in Africa and that is the root cause of the problem we are facing in Nigeria and Africa at large. we all know that countries like niger and Chad share identical ethnic groups with that of northern Nigeria, what baffles me is that they were not made one country rather they were separated with a border are made to be citizens of different countries, in that I believe they sowed a seed of division right from the Inception of granting the sham independence to Nations in Africa.
The southern part of Cameroon is seeking independence from the country to be called the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and there is an unreported civil war going on in Cameroon as I write, but it has gone unreported largely due to the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the entire world. The point is biafra and the agitators of an independent state for the south-east and south-south regions of Nigeria have a point and should be listened to, enough of this suppression of the truth. there is need to have the clause of referendum enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria. who voted for Nigeria to become a federation? Who voted for the 1999 Constitution? Who voted for the creation of 36 States and the federal capital Territory Abuja, as far as Nigeria is concerned there's a lot of question than answers and we can begin answering these questions by listening to this agitators, there's no need classifying them to be terrorists or trying to silence them.
Chukwuebuka Collins Udeagbala writes from Kontagora, Niger State.
He can be reached via email udeagbalacollins@gmail.com

Nigeria is going one!! going two!!!! going!!!!! going!!!! ..............