Aigbofa: No, they were wrong in siding with the North not to include a secession clause in the constitution from the start. What they could have done with a pen, they attempted to do with a gun.

bashr8: theres no limit your st.upidity , even if the hausa fulanis invade yorubaland today ( as they did before ) you pathetic will rather concentrate on pulling up false claims against igbos.

for you information secession clause was included in constitution and zik or any igbo never challenged it or tried to stop it.


maybe if yorubas had more pride and stick to agreements like aburi accord and the true federalism constitution that was submmited to abacha by G8 led by an igbo man ekwueme we wont be having all these discussions, drama and death daily.

9ja voice: Igbos was right.
Gideon okar too was right.
Dimka too was right.
Ojukwu was totaly right.

bashr8: theres no limit your st.upidity , even if the hausa fulanis invade yorubaland today ( as they did before ) you pathetic will rather concentrate on pulling up false claims against igbos.

for you information secession clause was included in constitution and zik or any igbo never challenged it or tried to stop it.


maybe if yorubas had more pride and stick to agreements like aburi accord and the true federalism constitution that was submmited to abacha by G8 led by an igbo man ekwueme we wont be having all these discussions, drama and death daily.

bashr8: theres no limit your st.upidity , even if the hausa fulanis invade yorubaland today ( as they did before ) you pathetic will rather concentrate on pulling up false claims against igbos.

for you information secession clause was included in constitution and zik or any igbo never challenged it or tried to stop it.


maybe if yorubas had more pride and stick to agreements like aburi accord and the true federalism constitution that was submmited to abacha by G8 led by an igbo man ekwueme we wont be having all these discussions, drama and death daily.

Aigbofa: No, they were wrong in siding with the North not to include a secession clause in the constitution from the start. What they could have done with a pen, they attempted to do with a gun.

Sam_Ikenna:

Do you mind showing us something to back this up or is it one of those myths about Igbo in Nigeria? If Zik (Igbo) didnt want secession clause in the constitution what did the rest of his budies do? Was Zik that powerful to ram through all his wishes? I'll agree to what you wrote above if I see a document that supports it. Show us something bro.

Sam_Ikenna:

Do you mind showing us something to back this up or is it one of those myths about Igbo in Nigeria? If Zik (Igbo) didnt want secession clause in the constitution what did the rest of his budies do? Was Zik that powerful to ram through all his wishes? I'll agree to what you wrote above if I see a document that supports it. Show us something bro.

bashr8: theres no limit your st.upidity , even if the hausa fulanis invade yorubaland today ( as they did before ) you pathetic will rather concentrate on pulling up false claims against igbos.

for you information secession clause was included in constitution and zik or any igbo never challenged it or tried to stop it.


maybe if yorubas had more pride and stick to agreements like aburi accord and the true federalism constitution that was submmited to abacha by G8 led by an igbo man ekwueme we wont be having all these discussions, drama and death daily.

Aigbofa:

Even if I provide you with documents, you will still ask for a video evidence with Zik declaring at the end of it that " I am Zik and I approve this message". Whether you believe my post or not is none of my business.

Sam_Ikenna:

Sounds like music.

Aigbofa: "When the Easterners through their Premier, Dr. Michael Okpara, threatened to secede because of the problems of "the mistake of 1914", the Sardauna himself was quick to point out to him that there was no secession clause in the nation's fundamental laws, notwithstanding, the East seceded and declared for the sovereign state of Biafra"

Dr. Michael Opara threatened to secede when the train had already left the station! I guess he wasn't aware there was a mistake in 1914! LOL

Aigbofa: No, they were wrong in siding with the North not to include a secession clause in the constitution from the start. What they could have done with a pen, they attempted to do with a gun.

DaLover:

I tot the constitution is suspended when there is a military coup..

Aigbofa:


Here is a article written by an ibo guy, notice how he cleverly omitted Azikiwe's position regarding the secession clause. It appears the ibos got the country they wanted, but got disillusioned when they realised they couldn't dominate other tribes like they have imagined.




[size=14pt]Nigeria And The Mistakes of 1914
By Vitus Ejiogu[/size]



The Sardauna of Sokoto and late Prime Minister of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello who, as leader of the Northern People's Congress during the early 1950s, referred to the amalgamation of the various Nigerian provinces into one unit as "the mistake of 1914".

The amalgamation of 1914 brought together into one country as someone puts it, "nations and people who had no reason to think of themselves as members of a common society". It is important to note here that the idea behind the amalgamation was not for the political unity of the people but to ensure a more efficient colonial administration. The reality of this statement is found in the further division of the country in 1939 into three regions (North, East and West). As a result, regionalism was introduced into Nigerian politics and ethno-religionalism thenceforth assumed a centre-stage in the political process of Nigeria.

According to the Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the problem with Nigerian is not economic, social, legal or what have you, but political. At the look of things, it is politics that distorts everything and it is politics that, by an infernal dialectic, renders everything we touch putrid and poisonous. The same politics is what also distorts our view of politics. Seeing that the greatest challenge Nigeria has in developing a national consensus is the vast scale of ethnic and rather sectarian differences, selfish political leaders over the years have overexploited these imbalances to remain fulfilled.

The three principal ethnic groups that dominated the national scene: the Igbo in the southeast, Yoruba in the southwest, and Hausa/Fulani in the North, do not really belong together, hence each has its own ideology. The three political heavyweights that make up Nigeria are unwilling to understand themselves. When Sardauna identified this problem years back, particularly during the negotiations for independence, he was quick to contemplate secession. His argument then was that Northerners would not rush into independence if meant replacing European domination with southern domination.

Also during the 1950 constitutional conference, Nigerians were sold into a proposed representational ratio of 45:33:33 for North, East and West respectively. At the vanguard of Northern interests then was the Emir of Zaria, who declared that the North MUST have 50 percent of the seats or it would secede. The North has always been in the forefront of having the best of Nigeria for themselves even at the expense of the other tribes. Nigeria can never unite if leadership by intimidation continues to be the order of the day. It is on record that the idea of secession was first hatched by the North, nursed by the West, and executed in the East.

Sardauna first called for secession when he became afraid of southern domination in the early 1950s. The Emir of Zaria during the constitutional conference of 1950, called for Northern secession if the North is not given 50 percent of the seats. Northern politicians in 1953 through the Northern House of Assembly and House of Chiefs called for confederation and separation in opposition to a motion for self-government sponsored by the Action Group (AG).

The idea of secession was equally nursed by the Action Group (AG) in 1954 when it insisted that a secession clause should be inserted into the proposed constitution.

When the Easterners through their Premier, Dr. Michael Okpara, threatened to secede because of the problems of "the mistake of 1914", the Sardauna himself was quick to point out to him that there was no secession clause in the nation's fundamental laws, notwithstanding, the East seceded and declared for the sovereign state of Biafra. Biafra's attempt at secession was not the first, but it turned out to be the most serious threat to the existence of Nigeria. This resulted to a civil war and at the end; the issue of Biafra was put to rest.

However, there was a declaration of "no victor, no vanquished", yet the issue of a united Nigeria is still hanging on a balance. Disunity as the name sounds is a danger that the people of Nigeria can no longer endure. It has laid to waste all the noble dreams of a united Nigerian nation and nullified all the efforts at national construction. Today we see the fruit of disunity in the legalized barbarism of the contemporary Nigerian situation. A nation where after so many years of independence, still tottering in failure, as if, according to Odumegwu Ojukwu, failure was programmed into the scroll of independence and secured by the very circumstance of our emergence into national sovereignty.

It should be noted that the mistakes of our founding fathers are today telling on all of us. Since they were very much eager to marry Nigeria together by giving the North a free hand to dominate other parts, it is evident today that the North has eclipsed the whole of Nigeria politically. Their constant hold to power has translated to Muslim domination in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country which Nigeria represents.

The marriage of convenience known today as the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) and the "fair" consideration of the North during independence brought about today's preponderance of northerners in strategic government positions, against the institution of the nation's Federal Character Commission (FCC). This is why till today, calls for the institution of a confederal arrangement has continued to permeate the national political landscape.

Nigeria today, is sitting on a keg of gunpowder ready to explode, unless Nigeria, and indeed Nigerians, endeavour to obliterate from their various documents, all evidence of ethnic origin, religion, and all forms of dichotomy. When we begin to accept the "us all" concept, share responsibilities equally, and respect each other's personality, then we would be sure of social justice, peace, unity and progress. This understanding will truly clean up the mistakes of 1914.

Vitus Ejiogu is a writer and publisher with the Fire-Brand Int"l Ministries, a media ministry that is based in Nigeria.

He is the editor of FOUNDATION SATELLITE magazine also published by the ministry. He pastors a Church in Bauchi and is married with two childrenhttp://ezinearticles.com/?Nigeria-And-The-Mistakes-of-1914&id=6157210



http://ezinearticles.com/?Nigeria-And-The-Mistakes-of-1914&id=6157210

Sam_Ikenna:

I read it but didnt see where Igbos steamrolled the rest of Nigeria into nationhood devoid of seperation clause. If Igbos actually did that, does it mean they were numerically more than WEST and NORTH combined to really pull it off? Ask yourself that and you'll see what you're intentionally omitting.

As per the bolded, its just the same old line so I'm not shocked at the usual statement "ibo guy wrote this, did that, exonerated Zik, etc." You had ample opportunity to bring up where Igbo stampeded the whole nation into One Nigeria with no exit plan yet you went and brought what an "Igbo guy" (the same person you despise) wrote and you're still complaining how he omitted this and that. Please show us where Igbo removed or argued against seperation clause while Awo and Sarduanna was for it. I want to see how Zik pull this off against Awo and Sarduanna. Please dont bring Igbo guy again and then blame him for acts of omission. Go for a diff person.

Sam_Ikenna:

I read it but didnt see where Igbos steamrolled the rest of Nigeria into nationhood devoid of seperation clause. If Igbos actually did that, does it mean they were numerically more than WEST and NORTH combined to really pull it off? Ask yourself that and you'll see what you're intentionally omitting.

As per the bolded, its just the same old line so I'm not shocked at the usual statement "ibo guy wrote this, did that, exonerated Zik, etc." You had ample opportunity to bring up where Igbo stampeded the whole nation into One Nigeria with no exit plan yet you went and brought what an "Igbo guy" (the same person you despise) wrote and you're still complaining how he omitted this and that. Please show us where Igbo removed or argued against seperation clause while Awo and Sarduanna was for it. I want to see how Zik pull this off against Awo and Sarduanna. Please dont bring Igbo guy again and then blame him for acts of omission. Go for a diff person.

Aigbofa:


It is dishonest to edit your post after a I have responded to it. Anyway, the facts is, Sardauna was advised against it, Awo was for it. Zik as usual went with the North like he did throughout his career.

Aigbofa:


It was before Nigeria became independent. This was during the constitutional conference in London in the 50s.

DaLover:
What I am saying is that Biafra was declared during a military regime..a military regime usually suspends the constitution...hence even it was in the constitution it can not be called upon.
Thanks

Zuha:
I am not Igbo. I had to start like this before the very heavy tribalism in Nairaland creeps into this thread and attack me for what I am about to say.

I have been looking at the various events in Nigeria from the year of independence till today and it got me thinking. In the 60s when there was violence in the North with killings of southerners (mainly Igbos), the government of the day had the same attitude as GEJ's government today. In Nairaland and all across Nigeria, the echoes of break-up has been growing louder by the day.

My question hence is: Were the Igbos right in attempting to break up in the 60s? Are we all late risers by waiting more than 40years after the events in the 60s to realise that this unfortunate political experiment concorted by the British (and named by the girlfriend of a British Governor General over a cup of tea) called Nigeria, has been a farce ab initio?