“It Is Better We Divide Nigeria” – Northern Elder

Chairman of Dialogue Group in Kaduna, Alhaji Mohammed Mahadi Shehu, has lamented the deep ethnoreligious divisions in the country, stating that breaking up the nation may not be such a bad idea.

The prolific writer and public speaker stated that the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates by the British in 1914 was a huge mistake.

He stated that most Nigerians have not been able to rise about ethnic and religious sentiments, making a united nation difficult to achieve.
Shehu disclosed these in an interview published by Daily Sun on Monday.

He said, “When the amalgamation of Nigeria took place, virtually everybody’s head in this country was not up. In other words, nobody realised the consequences of merging this country.

“With the passage of time, with the knowledge, with clear daily happenings, it was realized long ago that the amalgamation was done in haste, out of mischief without taking into consideration the peculiarities in Nigeria.
“But before it was realised, it had been done and it had become a country. Events from 1960 to date have clearly shown that the amalgamation was the biggest mistake of that century and there is nothing wrong in righting the wrong once you realise the wrong is wrong. Amalgamation is wrong.

“Our togetherness had been fused together not through consultation but through unilateral action of the colonial masters and politicians at that time to serve their immediate needs. That was what happened.
“You will agree with me that from 1966 till date, precisely, it has not been rosy and easy for Nigeria. It has been one form of calamity, tragedy or the other. In fact, now we are at the height of suspicion. We do not trust and believe in each other. We are at each others’ throat and at daggers drawn. Must we allow another war to come before we part?
“Let us peacefully go on the table, break the Kola, distribute the country for everybody’s peace. If we do not do it now, the future generation will abuse us.

“It is better for Nigeria to break into smaller, smaller countries as much as possible if that will allow us to save properties, lives, relationships and posterity because I do not see any Angel coming now, in human form, to unite Nigeria.”
Shehu added, “People have gone under the umbrella of Islam and Christianity to advance their political cause only for them also to ride on the same Islamic and Christian umbrella to plant hate and venom in the mind, heart, psyche and socio-economic activities of Nigeria such that today, that unity is no more there.

“If anybody is pretending that there is unity in this country, he is on his own and God help him. But I am not going to live in denial; all is not well.
“All will not be well until these divisions are identified or are rather addressed by giving people independence the way they want it.

“Ask any Yoruba man, 90 per cent will tell you he is waiting for the actualization of an Oduduwa Republic. Ask any Igbo man, he is waiting for the actualization of the Sovereign Republic of Biafra. Ask anybody from the Niger-Delta region, he is waiting for the Niger-Delta Republic.
“It is only probably in the North that there is no agenda of Arewa Republic because of our peculiarities. The Yoruba nations are more homogenous than the North. Niger-Delta and the Igbo are more homogenous but they all have their own internal divisions. But in the North, we have ethnic minorities, other smaller enclaves that are not willing to go with the majority ethnic tribes because of their previous experiences and that of their great, great grandfathers. They have also lost trust in the bigger tribes.

“The issue of power shift is an interesting issue and that tells you that it is better we divide Nigeria. One example; if you hear an Igbo man clamouring for power shift if power were to shift to an indigenous Muslim Igbo, ask an Igbo man because there are indigenous Igbo Muslims there; if power were to shift to say, Imo State and it is shifted to an indigenous Muslim Igbo, if you ask the entire Igbo nation who are not Muslims whether the power has shifted to them they will tell you no.
If you ask a Yoruba man about a power shift, to say Modakeke; ask an Ife man whether the power has shifted to him and the answer will be that it is not because it is to his sworn enemy.

“If people from Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi, Taraba, Middle Belt who are clamouring for power shift, a minority from them, a Tiv Muslim were to emerge, president of Nigeria, Tiv people will tell you they have not seen the power and that power has not shifted to them.
“In Katsina State, the Karaduwa people have been clamouring for power shift to them. Governor Aminu Masari is from Karaduwa. But were that power fell to an indigenous Christian in Malumfashi, Kafur, Yarabori, Askia or Funtua, the Hausa man in that area will tell you no.
“Even now as we are talking, Buhari is from Daura, ask any Katsina Central man if he believes power has shifted to Katsina; he would tell you no.

“So, a country where you feel only comfortable when a man from your Church, Mosque, house or tribe becomes president, that country is gone and it is only a matter of time.”

O better ooo. Let everyone bear his father's name

Gbam.. We all need our freedom. Chaii

Thank God they know is a mistake, truth is coming out bit by bit

This is insightful. And I think this man said it the way it is.

This country is beyond repair.


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According to Lord Lugard, the amalgamation of the southern protectorate with the northern protectorate was done because the south was blessed with so much resources and was doing well economically while the north was empty without any resources whatsoever. So they decided to merge both sides, so they can offset the economic deficit of the north with the resources of the south.

Divide this country let's go our separate ways.. It's about time..

Am proud of this northerner. He has spoken the minds of millions of nigerians.

Way to go.

Divide Nigeria and there will be relative peace. You will deal with your kinsmen.

The man made a lot of sense. Though I believe Southerners can still achieve a lot together. Aside politics, southerners have collaborated so well together on so many other fronts, e.g. music, movies, tech and so on.




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Southern one naijerriya anti-Biafra mugus, una how far? You monkeys keep looking stupid everyday.

As if he cares too.
All the northerners will never pray for disintegration.
How I wish we can just go our separate ways right now.

Nice one. The British colonial creation called Nigeria turned out to be a monumental failure

Time to do away with it let us all return to our status before the white man came bring us all together

Vickym1:
Thank God they know is a mistake, truth is coming out bit by bit

Do u think we are stupid?
North and Yorubas never wanted amalgamation of Nigeria and Unitary system, they opposed it to the core but some people pushed for it.
Ahmadu Bello and Awolowo spoke strongly against it and predicted the dangers but they overlooked it and pushed for the amalgamation and Unitary system and here we are today.

ArewaNorth:


Do u think we are stupid?
North and Yorubas never wanted amalgamation of Nigeria and Unitary system, they opposed it to the core but some people pushed for it.
Ahmadu Bello and Awolowo spoke strongly against it and predicted the dangers but they overlooked it and pushed for the amalgamation and Unitary system and here we are today.

Please enlighten us the more

If you see an educated northerner, you will know
Thank you sir!

olawalepopoola:

Please enlighten us the more

Then Ironsi imposed a unitary system of government on Nigeria so that everything can belong to a region who snatch it!
We must know our history so that when we want to make corrections, we will not end up concealing the truth. This has nothing to do with tribalism but everything to do with the truth.....at times when lies litter the streets. There is a tendency to think those are truths and facts.

Prof. Ben Nwabueze was the man who drafted the constitution that took away powers from regions and handed it to the central government because his brother Aguiyi Ironsi was the head of state then but some ignorant or selfish people limit their accusations to only Abdussalam Abubakar constitution that gave birth to current democratic govt. Today, they're shouting restructuring that they helped destroy. We won’t forget.”*.

The some people known to enjoy blaming other tribes and Lord Luggard/Britain for their seeming claim of being in third class citizen status in Nigeria or refuse to let them go. In their perpetual attempts to play the victim card, they recount the political events of Nigeria from 1914 to the present in a half-baked and highly selective manner which cleverly avoids the mention of the roles played by their elites who by all natural laws of judgement were actually responsible for the woes that befell not only them but the entire country
However, the national archives have the complete and unedited history of Nigeria regarding the political events beginning way back from even before 1914.
Shortly after the 1914 Amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates, it started getting clear that the country was bound to fail as the amalgamation in question was done with colonial fiat without the consent and consensus of the different tribes which were over 300. This prompted the political leaders to start asking for de-amalgamation so as to forestall the future danger which the forced amalgamation portended.

To that end, Ahmadu Bello, speaking on behalf of the Northern protectorate in 1944 described the amalgamation as "The mistake of 1914 which if allowed to remain will ultimately lead to unstoppable bloodshed and a failed country".

Awolowo, speaking on behalf of the Yorubas and Western minorities, described Nigeria as a mere geographical expression not qualified to be called a country let alone a nation. Awolowo added that if the amalgamation could not be reversed, then Nigeria should be structured as a strictly federal state so as to enable each tribe enjoy autonomy this freedom from being dominated by any one single tribe.

But Nnamdi Azikiwe, speaking for the Igbos, denounced Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello, terming them ethnic champions. He accused them of nursing a sectional agenda against the unity of Nigeria, and he declared further that the Unity of Nigeria was non-negotiable.

After moving the motion for independece in 1953, Anthony Enahoro proposed that a secession clause should be incorporated into the future constitution of Nigeria so as to give legal backing for any tribe to peacefully exit the forced union if it feels marginalized in future. According to Enahoro, such provision in our constitution would instill in all Nigeria's future leaders the fear of the consequences of misgovernance.


However, Azikiwe, speaking on behalf of Igbos, rose against him in the parliament and labelled him an agent of disunity, and enemy of Nigeria. At a later date, Awolowo too made a case for secession clause, but Azikiwe again resisted him and instigated the colonial authorities to threaten him and Enahoro with charges of treasonable felony if they didn't stop proposing secession clause for the future constitution.

While Azikiwe did all these, Igbos cheered and urged him on because they felt the future Nigeria was theirs to dominate and lord it over every other tribe.

Before independece, Tafawa Balewa too had in a public speech described Nigeria as a British experiment and Nigeria's unity as a British intention which Nigerians themselves don't believe in. But Azikiwe kicked and demonized him too. Had Azikiwe co-operated with Enahoro, Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa about the secession clause, Nigeria perhaps would not have been this misgoverned.

It should be noted that there were many Igbo members of the parliament in which Azikiwe fought against Awolowo's secession clause proposal in the link above, but not a single one of them rose against Azikiwe or condemned him.
Igbos initially never wanted to hear anything like secession in Nigeria because they so much believed, though falsely, that they were the most educated tribe.
As an evidence of Igbo domination agenda hence their initial resistance to the idea of secession; here is a quote:
"From all indications, the god of us Igbos have destined us to rule the whole of Africa"

Well said. Nigeria is a fraud waiting to explode.