How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity - Politics - Nairaland
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| How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by ImadeUReadThis: 8:55am On Feb 09, 2017 |
The Richards’ three regional structure of 1947 rendered moribund the Lugardian north-south amalgamation that gave birth to "modern" Nigeria in 1914. The event of 1947 coincided with the formation of the three main political parties that eventually governed the respective regions. We all accept that Nigeria is a creation of British imperial rule. The hitherto independent kingdoms of present day Nigeria were colonized, "united" and christened "Nigeria" by Britain. When these disparate kingdoms regained their independence on October 1, 1960, it was not as separate independent entities which they were, but as a political community called NIGERIA. They were brought together by Britain to experiment with the art of governing a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual polity. Since 1960 Nigerians have been grappling with this experiment. Of the three major political parties that defined the landscape of contemporary Nigerian social and political history, only the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) was established as a national political party. Both the AG, a creation of Egbe Omo Oduduwa, and the Northern Peoples’ Congress (NPC), were founded to promote Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani interests respectively. That the NCNC later became to be perceived as an ‘Igbo’ party was not entirely the design of Igbo political elites, but rather the machinations of some powerful Yoruba nationalists who did not cherish the notion of an Igbo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, becoming the premier of Western Nigeria. As the leader of the NCNC, Azikiwe was to be the first premier of Western Nigeria following the elections of 1951, with Obafemi Awolowo, a Yoruba, the leader of the AG, as the leader of the opposition in the House of Assembly. It should be recalled, with profound sadness, that prominent Yoruba traditional leaders and political elites exerted pressure on a number of Yorubas elected on the NCNC platform to "cross carpet" in the House and join the AG, in order to deny Azikiwe the premiership in favour of Awolowo. The concept of "carpet crossing" was thus introduced into Nigerian political discourse. Azikiwe had assumed the leadership of the NCNC following the death of Herbert Macaulay, a Yoruba. There would have been no basis for "carpet crossing" if Macaulay, and not Azikiwe, were elected premier of the West on the NCNC platform in 1951. As a result of this blatant injection of ethnicism into Nigerian politics, Azikiwe was compelled to "return home" to the East where he became the premier of the government. It is safe to postulate that, were it not for this event, the post 1951 development of Nigerian politics could have been spared much of the instability and crisis the country has experienced. This was a vital turning point in the political history of contemporary Nigeria. It helped to influence most Igbos to seek political shelter in the NCNC, just as the AG became privatized by most Yorubas, and the Hausa-Fulani political elites sought comfort in the NPC. Following the 1959 federal elections, the NPC, with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as the prime minister, formed a coalition government with the NCNC. Obafemi Awolowo, the leader of the AG, became the leader of the official opposition in the Federal House of Representatives. Samuel Akintola replaced Awolowo as the premier of Western Nigeria, while Michael Okpara replaced Azikiwe as the premier of Eastern Nigeria. Ahmadu Bello, the leader of the NPC, remained as premier of Northern Nigeria. As part of the NPC-NCNC coalition, Azikiwe became the governor general, and subsequently the first (ceremonial) president of Nigeria, when Nigeria became a republic on October 1, 1963. It was against the above background that the debate for state creation took place. The movement for a Midwest State was the most topical. For the past 50 years the political development of Nigeria has been viewed, rightly or wrongly, as a power struggle for hegemony by the three dominant ethnic groups: Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo. Scholars later used the appellation, "Hausa-Fulani" to depict the symbiotic relationship between the Hausa and the Fulani as a result of the strong Islamic ties that bind the two dominant ethnic groups in the northern part of Nigeria. Before August 9, 1963, when Nigeria had three constituent parts, the Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo political elites exercised hegemonistic powers in the North, West, and East respectively. It is interesting to note that while none of them wanted a separate state created in their region, they supported the agitation for state creation in the opposing regions. This position was identical to the concept of preventive imperialism of 19th century European imperialism in Africa. 5 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by sarrki(m): 8:57am On Feb 09, 2017 |
Ojukwu destroy southern unity By encroaching into ore in ondo state 8 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by ImadeUReadThis: 9:07am On Feb 09, 2017 |
It is within this backdrop of ethnic supremacy between the three major ethnic power blocs that the agitation of state creation of minority groups emerged largely fueled by opposing forces. The north blatantly refused the British from balkanizing their region during the same period the western and eastern regions were being proposed by the British to which the south ignorantly accepted. The north not satisfied in having the southern protectorate bakkanized supported any movement to further dismember both the western and eastern regions. This is where the agitation for Mid-western and Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers (COR) regions began with only the Mid-West region seeing the day of light in 1963. It so happens that the AG under Awolowo promoted viciously the creation of COR region out of the defunct Eastern region in the view of reducing eastern influence after Azikiwe entered an alliance with the north. Awolowo in his brazen desire to decimate the eastern bloc was oblivious of both the NCNC and NPC moves to create Mid-western region out of the west. The NCNC can be given credited for attempting early on for trying to push for the creation of Middle-Belt region which was viciously opposed by the north and ignored by the west. 2 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by sekundosekundo: 9:08am On Feb 09, 2017 |
sarrki: I pray that you are a successful person in real life. Your posts are full of blame games. You blame GEJ there, you blame Ojukwu here. 6 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by vanbonattel: 9:08am On Feb 09, 2017 |
sarrki: Lies as usual. If Ojukwu encroached into Ore, it would have been a success. But victor banjo was the one who encroached into the mid west. Ojukwu had him shot when he ran back. 7 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by ImadeUReadThis: 9:09am On Feb 09, 2017 |
sarrki: It is too early in the morning to display your ignorance. 5 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by Nobody: 9:13am On Feb 09, 2017 |
You people have started with your dosage of distorted history again. Was it Nnamdi Azikiwe that first left his southern brothers to form a coalition government with the Northern People Congress in 1959 even before independence? Going forward, it was your Ironsi that destroyed what the Richard Constitution of 1946 by issuing the Unification Decree 34 of 1966 by taking away regionalism? 7 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by ImadeUReadThis: 9:16am On Feb 09, 2017 |
While the NCNC opposed the agitation for a COR State (Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers) in the East, they strongly supported the agitation for a Midwest State in the West and a Middle Belt state in the North. Thus, for the Midwesterners, the AG was the "enemy" party on the issue of a Midwest State. The debate over state creation in the various regional houses of assembly was dictated by the ideological prism of the ruling political parties. With Awolowo, Anthony Enahoro and other prominent members of the AG facing charges of treasonable felony, the AG opposition to the creation of the Midwest State gradually became insignificant. The AG crisis that began in May 1962, following the party’s convention in Jos, fundamentally altered the alliance construct of Nigerian political parties in the 1962-1965 period. This provided an ideal constitutional framework for the Midwest State movement. The crisis also offered the NPC -NCNC coalition government a golden opportunity to crush the AG. Meanwhile, deserters from the AG, led by Akintola and Ayo Rosiji, established a new political party - the United Peoples’ Party (UPP) - which in mid 1964 was renamed the Nigerian National Democratic Party (UNDP). As premier of the West, Akintola emerged as the leader of the party. In the Federal House of Representatives, Rosiji led the pack of former members of the AG to "cross carpets" to swell the cell of the NPC. The disarray of the AG, and the impact of the treasonable felony trial against Awolowo, Enahoro and other leaders of the party, created ideal situations for the NPC. The NPC no longer seem to need its alliance with the NCNC, and thus became politically arrogant towards its coalition partner. Akintola, who as the premier of the AG-led government of the West had opposed the creation of a Midwest State, now began to view the creation of the state through the same ideological prism of the NPC, a party with which his UNDP was now aligned. Thus, the governing parties of the East (NCNC), the North (NPC), and the West (UNDP) now all agreed on the creation of the Midwest State. The houses of assembly of the respective regions had little difficulty passing the required resolutions in support of the proposal to create the Midwest. So from the above conclusion we can see who the real attachee by force are and it isn't the Igbos but the SW. 3 Likes 3 Shares |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by ImadeUReadThis: 9:21am On Feb 09, 2017 |
The backdrop of the political struggles and hurdles leading to the only constitutionally created region (Mid-West) will later be the motivating factor in creating states during the civil war. While state creation in the Eastern region by the military govt of Gowon (on advisory by Awolowo) was done primarily to weaken Biafra, state creation in both the north and west served an economic advantage. 3 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by Nobody: 9:28am On Feb 09, 2017 |
vanbonattel:Don't you get it? Ojukwu was a coward leading from a bunker. All he could do was to use Banjo(Yoruba) and Phillip Effiong (A present day Akwa Ibom man) to fight the war he started. His cowardice made him run disguising as a woman to Ivory Coat for safety. 7 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by vanbonattel: 9:35am On Feb 09, 2017 |
Bolustic: Ojukwu will be remembered as Nigeria's greatest hero. The one who was loved in war and in peace times. The one who got a heroes burial. Everything else you say is as inconsequential as lie mohammed lies. 8 Likes 2 Shares |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by stonemasonn: 9:43am On Feb 09, 2017 |
Anything to demonize Awolowo and Yoruba people on media is what you lots seek to achieve. Meanwhile Fulani herdsmen are everywhere in the south causing havoc without a care in the world. 6 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by vanbonattel: 9:47am On Feb 09, 2017 |
stonemasonn: Fulani herdsmen are causing havoc because you played into their hands. Was it not tour people that chased out the Jonathan that had ranching in the confab report he did, what did you do but chase him away from power and enthroned the grand patron of cattle rearers as president. 4 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by stonemasonn: 9:58am On Feb 09, 2017 |
vanbonattel:Hahahahahaha...my dear friend stop talking like a child, the whole confab thing was just politics, even if we didn't chase away Jonathan, the so called confab report wouldn't be implemented. Though I regret supporting Buhari...what is done is done, we learn and move forward. 6 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by ImadeUReadThis: 9:58am On Feb 09, 2017 |
stonemasonn: 1. Introduce ethnicity into national politics in the south 2. Introduced cross -carpetting 3. Introduced thuggery in politics when he lost out to Akintola 4. Could not handle a regional ethnic party he formed which eventually got destroyed by party members decamping. If Awolowo could not lead a mainly yoruba dominated regional party how could he have led a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual Nigeria? 5. Was tried and convicted of treason and duly sentenced to prison in a lame attempt to overthrow the central govt of Belewa. 6. Instigated the first civilian uprising. Agbekoya Parapo movement from prison 7. Served shamelessly under the lesser Gowon to exert his hatred on the Igbos after deliberately misleading the Biafran movement of seccession. 8. Was at the forefront in entrenching corruption during the post civil war years. 9. Played the most irresponsible form of opposition targeting the Shagari civilian regime after losing out to the later at the polls. 10. Corrupted the press to vilify the Shagari govt and urged for military intervention. 11. Supported the despotic military junta of Buhari 12. Died without ever attaining his dream to rule Nigeria. . 8 Likes 3 Shares |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by zendy: 10:42am On Feb 09, 2017 |
Bolustic: A coward does not lead from anywhere let alone a bunker. Ojukwu started a war? How? It was Gowon that declared war on Ojukwu and Biafra and not the other way round. Have we all forgotten.that it was Nigeria that came to the east to fight? Nigeria and Gowon started the war. Cure your self of ignorance. Ojukwu was in full military uniform and even inspected a guard of honour before boarding the plane. This can be confirmed by what General Alexander Madiebo, General Philip Effiong and Mr N.U Akpan wrote in their books about the war. All 3 men were with Ojukwu at Uli Airport the Night Ojukwu flew into exile 7 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by zendy: 10:47am On Feb 09, 2017 |
ImadeUReadThis: Personally, I dont believe that a Yoruba man will ever become president of Nigeria again. It just so happens that Obasunjo was (and is) the only Yoruba man the Northerners and Easterners could contemplate trusting. 1 Like |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by ImadeUReadThis: 10:49am On Feb 09, 2017 |
zendy: Osinbajo can never smell that seat. The northerners will never accept a fake pastor to oversee them . That will be like jumping from frying pan (church going Jonathan) to hot fire. |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by Godemcee(m): 10:56am On Feb 09, 2017 |
Igbo people blaming yoruba as usual,they just can't get yoruba out of there dick sucking lips.yoruba don't even care if osibanjo become president or not,it's this Igbo that carry our matter for head like afro. very hateful tribe 6 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by Godemcee(m): 10:58am On Feb 09, 2017 |
zendy:No wonder u guys will never smell vp,ur opinion doesn't count in Nigeria politics 7 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by Godemcee(m): 10:59am On Feb 09, 2017 |
zendy:No wonder u guys will never smell vp,ur opinion doesn't count in Nigeria politics. u igbo are meant to sit down nd look in Nigeria politics 2 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by ImadeUReadThis: 11:00am On Feb 09, 2017 |
Godemcee: I cullled most of what I wrote here from an Edo man http://www.dawodu.net/igho.htm And besides I am not Igbo! Stop displaying your awo handed down generational bigotry |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by Godemcee(m): 11:02am On Feb 09, 2017 |
ImadeUReadThis:Igbo denying his tribe as usual,can't blame you though,s.east Is cursed 4 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by ImadeUReadThis: 11:06am On Feb 09, 2017 |
Godemcee: Keep living in total denial from your myopic frog prism 2 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by Godemcee(m): 11:12am On Feb 09, 2017 |
ImadeUReadThis:Lol Igbo Jew stop denying ur tribe just to spread ur hateful propaganda.we know ur style nd it's stale 4 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by seunmsg(m): 11:32am On Feb 09, 2017 |
zendy: Sadly for you and your likes, your opinion or that of your tribe doesn't count when it comes to deciding who becomes the president of Nigeria. Ask the ineffectual buffoon you all supported in 2015 and he will tell you who the masters are. 6 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by ImadeUReadThis: 12:09pm On Feb 09, 2017 |
seunmsg: Another typical example of Awo legacy of tribalism 3 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by zendy: 2:58pm On Feb 09, 2017 |
seunmsg: Well since the tenure of the person you are calling 'ineffectual buffoon' has turned out to be much better that that of the clueless gworo chewing Daura Herdsman you people supported, we have been vindicted for making the right choice. Dont worry, by the time the dulladarian of Daura has finished dealing with you guys for another two years, you will see the light. 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by zendy: 3:10pm On Feb 09, 2017 |
Godemcee: Your opinion that counted, where is Nigeria today? 3 Likes |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by APCHaram: 8:46am On Feb 21, 2017 |
zendy: For where? Which useless manservant are you talking of? Osunbade can never smell the office of the President in the wake of a Buhari demise. You think the SS/SE have forgotten so soon the betrayal of the yorubas on the entire south to forge ahead in an ungodly alliance with the north? Or do you think 8yrs of sustained jihad by the north will simply be washed away to allow a kafuri pastor to be their president? Jonathan attending church service alone was enough to fuel their hatred talk more of a confirmed evangelist pastor as president? Or have you forgotten why Patricia Etteh was opposed by the north with full backing from their afonjastic Yoruba Muslims in the house of reps? An Osunbade Presidency in the event of an official announcement of Buhari's demise will make boko haram under GEJ look like boys scouts. I personally will never accept Osunbade because being a confirmed coward backed only be fellow cowards I don't see him achieving one of a millionth of what GEJ achieved despite all Northern opposition to make his administration ineffective and the polity ungovernable. Forget that fake pastor 1 Like 1 Share |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by APCHaram: 8:48am On Feb 21, 2017 |
FriendChoice this thread should help serve as a crash course on yoruba foolishness |
| Re: How Awolowo Destroyed Southern Unity by Nobody: 8:55am On Feb 21, 2017 |
APCHaram: Am not in total agreement with what you said. But hypothetically let's assume its true. Why not put the past behind you, forgive and forget. Then move on. |
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