₦airaland Forum

giftq:
Stop deluding yourself.

You have not even been able to manage economic recession, and you are here claiming potential.

WetinConsignMe:
TIME. TIME TIME. Time changes everything. US was in depression not even recession. A black person was automatically a slave. But look at them today. I have a feeling that if Nigeria stays together, it will happen like magic, but one day people will be surprised to realise they now see themselves more as Nigerians and less as Hausa, Yoruba, etc. It is already happening in sports.

WetinConsignMe:
A very good point. But they still needed a small push to actually abandon Zik's party and Awo was the person that gave that push.

giftq:
ok oh. . .

WetinConsignMe:
Hehehe. Very funny cartoon and true to some extent. BUT time changes things. Time works like magic. Give enough time and u won't believe what can happen.

WetinConsignMe:
WHAT DO YOU FOLKS THINK OF THE FOLLOWING?
(Note the boldeds)

(Please remember I am not the one that did the interview nor wrote the article. So know who to attack.)


Nigeria’s problems started with Awo’s introduction of tribal politics — Unongo (MIDDLE BELT MAN)

26 JUN 2017

Elder statesman and nationalist, Dr. Paul Unongo, is one of the few surviving politicians who played key roles in all democratic dispensations and in the struggle for Nigeria’s independence. In this interview, he speaks on the state of the nation, pin-pointing where we started losing our way and the path forward. Excerpts:


By Omeiza Ajayi (YORUBA MAN)



Paul Unongo
What is your take on the state of the nation?

I think Nigeria as an evolving society has done pretty well. We came as an amalgamation of different kinds of people into one state as many other countries have done including the US. In our case, our relatively revered father, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who was the father of this nation and who believed very strongly in a form of government that is called Union Government because he believes that Africans could evolve, like Germany evolved under (Otto Von) Bismarck with all her numerous problems, and about 300 states, was able to bring them under the umbrella of one German nation. Dr. Azikiwe thought that he could replicate that.


His younger brother, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, came on the scene with a correct diagnosis, but people did not believe him. They called him a tribalist. They were wrong. Chief Awolowo said having watched the African systems and the European systems, later on, the form of togetherness which would give the component tribes legal, constitutional ability to express their uniqueness within a larger nation-state would be preferable, and he said that form of government, federalism, was good for Nigeria.


But some of us ‘small small’ people formed our own organization to tell Britain that ‘you have divided Nigeria into three.’ Awolowo has spoken; Zik has spoken, and of course, Sir Ahmadu Bello has spoken. He said his people were not very ready for independence and that the process had to be gradual, pledging, however, to remain in Nigeria but that he would not hold the rest of the country back since they wanted independence as at 1956 while the North would be ready by 1959. There was a lot of wisdom in what they said. So, we the firebrand, the young people, we made our choices. People like me would pick the path of Nnamdi Azikiwe because we felt he was the Bismark of our time who was ready to unite everybody. So the three principal participants rejected co-federalism, rejected unionism and adopted Awolowo’s federalism, and we became the Federal Republic of Nigeria later on. Within that context, you can choose to evaluate Nigeria and ignore whatever is happening in this country now. I think Nigeria is in the process of evolving as a nation-state stressing residual powers in the regions.

On where the problem started

The problem is that after Azikiwe scored a fantastic victory in the Western House as a member of the House and his party was to form the government, the man who brought federalism as a form of governance reverted to the game we are playing in Nigeria today, which is tribalism,quite different from federalism. I just want people not to be too angry with themselves.

Awolowo felt, as the strongman of the Yoruba, Azikiwe should not have won the election in his place, and he could not countenance an Igbo man coming to be the premier or the first minister or prime minister of a predominantly Yoruba place. Night came, and when day broke, Zik discovered his majority had collapsed. The Yoruba abandoned him and went to a strange person they did not know ideologically, that is Awolowo, on the basis of tribe.

So, Zik was forced to rethink as an intelligent person, to relocate. He went back to his own part of the country to become the first Premier of Eastern Region.

Some of us sprang up too, in going with Awolowo’s federalism, that the notion that there are only three tribes or sections in the country was so fundamentally defective that we called on the metropolitan power, Britain, to correct this before they would leave. So, we in the Middle Belt of Nigeria came together and decided that we would call ourselves ‘people in the middle’ and that we were not Hausa, we were not Fulani.

At that time, we told Britain, Nigeria had over 250 tribes but that we could not dissect Nigeria into 250 nations. We told them that what has happened in Western Nigeria where an Igbo man was rejected…nobody questioned the fact as at then that Zik was the leader of Nigeria and then suddenly, having won victory, which would have been a great thing for Nigeria, in a predominantly Yoruba region, because the Yoruba were extremely sophisticated and they were the most developed part of Nigeria, and they voted on the basis of ideological orientation. Zik’s party produced a Zik premiership in Western Nigeria and in the night, Awolowo went round to convince the Yoruba that, ‘you are a tribe. Your tribe is called Yoruba. Zik’s tribe is called Igbo. Do not allow this to happen. Whether you like me or not, it is better to have a Yoruba man to rule over Yorubaland’. Unfortunately, I feel, this was the starting point of our problems.

So, he succeeded, and Zik was forced to go to his own place to become a little tribal leader, which was never what he wanted. That man called Zik was responsible for the revolution in Ghana, and he started his revolutionary activities in America. Zik was very keen on having a United States of Africa. He wanted nations within each state, that could create supra-powerful goals around which political actions could be taken.

So, we begged Britain to create a fourth region just to balance, because, within this fourth region that we perceived, we were not talking about religion because this region would have cut across the whole of the central part of Nigeria. It would have included the Nupe that were predominantly even Moslems; it would have included the Ebira, the Igala; it would have included some of the Yoruba, Benue-Plateau, etc., but we gave ourselves a title, Middle Belt, and we made very convincing arguments. I was the secretary to the leader of the UMBC, late Joseph Tarka, who people did not know, was only two and a half years older than me and I was very educated because I just came out from what you now call secondary school. So, I wrote our presentation for the London Constitutional Conference, and I knew we were committed to a fantastic nationalism.

Nigeria hasn’t gone beyond its past leaders

How far have we moved beyond our leaders in terms of development? Zero! We have not moved anywhere, and I am so sad. Today, the pursuit of other things rather than nationalism and patriotism have taken over. Whatever you say about our old leaders, they were patriotic. They saw a bigger picture of the nation that together we could do more in the economy, and that together we could command more respect in the international community.

When people say the problem of Nigeria is that old men have not given an opportunity to the youth to rule, well, at the time of Awolowo, all the people that ruled were young people, and they did well. Gowon was only 29. Murtala was young. All the generals that ruled Nigeria were young. Why didn’t they become our Bismarck? Why didn’t they even become this young man in Ghana, Rawlings? That is why I have no sympathy for people who do not bend down and analyse the problem correctly. People believe if my tribesman is the president of Nigeria, then I am president. The Yoruba man who thought like that, where has Obasanjo taken him? In this regard, I still haven’t found out why education hasn’t helped us, but I think that regarding what Nigeria ought to have been, 60 years after independence, it is an insult on some of us that we are still talking about Nigeria’s potentials.


Source: Vanguatd www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/nigerias-problems-started-awos-introduction-tribal-politics

T9ksy, diadem10, logica, vivere, Dedetwo, CeterisXVII
lawani, omonnakoda, oladeebo
zenmaster

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VillageWinch:
I never knew it was EVER possible for a non-tribesman to actually win a vote in any tribe in Nigeria. In That sense those Yorubas were to be commended

9jaDoc:
Yeah, ok. But then what happened. When it came time to actually hand power to the non-indigene they just couldn't do it. They quickly reverted back to tribalism and have never looked back since.

giftq:
Why is Unongo silent about Sardauna ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WSosECbcmM

cc Leez

WetinConsignMe:
TIME. TIME TIME. Time changes everything. US was in depression not even recession. A black person was automatically a slave. But look at them today. I have a feeling that if Nigeria stays together, it will happen like magic, but one day people will be surprised to realise they now see themselves more as Nigerians and less as Hausa, Yoruba, etc. It is already happening in sports.

giftq:
Why is Unongo silent about Sardauna ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WSosECbcmM

cc Leez

9jaDoc:
People, Awo was always thinking tribe, unlike Zik. He never quite bought into that one Nigeria stuff until Gowon promised presidency once the war was won.
Remember he formed Egbe omo Oduduwa way back. Not Egbe omo Nigeria.

GhanaMustGoo:
Ahmadu was really one articulate dude. Surprised to see that from aboki. No wonder they worshipped him over there.

T9ksy:
Yes Awo did but the sl.imy Zik whilst chanting One Nigeria and pan Africanism presided over a wholly tribal union long before

Awo's Egbe omo oduduwa came to fruition. I suggest you google Zik's first year anniversary speech of the Ibo state union in 1949, then come

back and tell me if that speech was meant for the sole benefit of ALL nigerians or just his own tribal affiliation.

CaptainJeffry:
I disagree with you, Zik stood out among the three as a true nationalist devoid of any tribal sentiment. My anger is even more on him for insisting on national unity even when it was clear that the other two were ethnic jingoists.

9jaDoc:
And his extreme love for Igbos introduced "starvation is a legitimate weapon of war". Gerarahia

WetinConsignMe:
But why are you people attacking Unongo. He is just saying it as he experienced it. HE WAS THERE. You were not. It will be different if he was praising the North. He is a Northerner praising an Igbo man and condemning a Yoruba man to the face of another Yoruba man.
You are relying on hearsay, doctored documents, and manufactured history. Here is a man who lived through the whole thing and knew the protagonists personally.
A wealthy old man who has nothing to gain and is definitely not working for anybody. Sheesh.

VillageWinch:
I never knew it was EVER possible for a non-tribesman to actually win a vote in any tribe in Nigeria. In That sense those Yorubas were to be commended

giftq:
By the year 3,000. Right ?

T9ksy:
The sole reason why they worshipped him is that apart from being the political father, he was also their spiritual leader( infact, he represented all west african muslims and not just nigeria's) but above all, he had the interest of his people at heart.

N.b: before you regurgitate the same line as your fellow deceitful folks, let me preempt you. Am a true "Shoin of the Shoil" who also happens to be a xtian.

DanseMacabre:
Bro, was it out of Awo's unconditional love for the Igbos that he brought about the infamous ten pounds policy to reimburse them after the war, even those that had millions in the bank?


Awo was a staunch tribalist, just a highly intellectual and stealthy one.

9jaDoc:
My brother, nobody has ever tried to equate Zik with Awo when it comes nationalism. They were not in the same league at all. Not even close. Zik was clearly thinking Africa while Awo was thinking Ibadan. As Unongo rightly said Zik started in US, thinking Africa. While Awo started in UK, thinking Oduduwa. Zik's paper was called "West African Pilot". Awo's paper would have been "Ibadan Pilot".

Ovamboland:
And biafra policy of love for Nigeria includes killings by bombing Lagosians watching a movie at Casino cinema, Yaba and setting off car bombs all over Lagos in terrorist attacks.

Ovamboland:
Being alive during an event does not necessarily confer in depth knowledge of actual events apart from the protagonist. Some of us had grandparents who were alive at independence yet know little compared to far younger learned people with better developed ability at analysis.
Unogo could have been swayed by propaganda rife in that era and he confessed his bias by his own admission that he belonged to the Zik school of thought which actually advocated for Imitate systems of government.

Ironsi implemented the unitary system and lost his life. That unitary system subtly adopted by the military and military midwifed constitution led us to where we are today. Cries today for restructuring is simply yearning for true federalism. Awo was right after all

9jaDoc:
Yeah, ok. But then what happened. When it came time to actually hand power to the non-indigene they just couldn't do it. They quickly reverted back to tribalism and have never looked back since.

masseratti:
let me ask you a question, if war breaks out now or the country split, will you leave your money on Nigerian banks or withdraw them all before you leave. Events then was well documented Igbo's left enmass,withdrew their money from the bank,after the war everyone those who had and those who did not have money at the bank were given 20pounds,now tell me anywhere in history was that done to the losing side.

masseratti:
lolz would have being.... Lolz not only Ibadan pilot it was ikene pilot,FYI Awo's paper is still in existence its called the tribune.

masseratti:
there was nothing like handing over power, a government was meant to be formed,non of the parties involved had a majority, NCNC and AG did not have the majority to form a government, the 3rd party Ibadan parapo formed an alliance with AG to form the majority in the house and they formed a government, no one cross carpet, no one denied Zik his seat representing Yaba Lagos whose majority of the voters were Yoruba from Lagos,H Macurley a yoruba man appointed Zik to led NCNC after his death, Mr Unongo is either Ignorant of History or he is just a liar.

9jaDoc:
The BIG difference is that in US all the major groups have only one language - English. In the Nigeria all the major groups have different languages. Language barriers are hard to overcome

Ovamboland:
Being alive during an event does not necessarily confer in depth knowledge of actual events apart from the protagonist. Some of us had grandparents who were alive at independence yet know little compared to far younger learned people with better developed ability at analysis.
Unogo could have been swayed by propaganda rife in that era and he confessed his bias by his own admission that he belonged to the Zik school of thought which actually advocated for Imitate systems of government.

Ironsi implemented the unitary system and lost his life. That unitary system subtly adopted by the military and military midwifed constitution led us to where we are today. Cries today for restructuring is simply yearning for true federalism. Awo was right after all

WetinConsignMe:
This is why he couldn't keep his promise. Note the bolded.


Why Awo did not make West to Secede

VANGUARD
26 SEP 2017
By Eric Teniola

ON May 1, 1967 at a meeting of Leaders of thought of Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo made the following declarations:
“I consider my duty to Yoruba people in particular and to Nigerians in general to place four imperatives, two of them categorical, and two conditional:

(1) Only a peaceful solution must be found to arrest the present worsening stalemate and restore normalcy.

(2) The Eastern Region must be encouraged to remain part of the Federation

(3). If the Eastern Region is allowed by acts of omission or commission to secede from or opt of Nigeria, then Western Region and Lagos must also stay out of the Federation.

(4) The people of Western Nigeria or Lagos would participate in the Ad hoc Constitutional Committee or any similar body only on the basis of absolute equality with other Region of the Federations”.

It was the gravest statement made by any leader in Nigeria at a crucial time.
...
The question is why did the Western Region not follow the Eastern Region when it seceded on May 30, 1967?

The Daily Sketch which published in full Chief Awolowo’s speech on May 2, 1967 sold in Enugu at two shillings per copy which is more equivalent of today’s six hundred naira. The speech was a hot cake.

Then there was the argument that the fate of the Yorubas in Ilorin and Kabba provinces at that time was not properly addressed in that speech considering the political influence of Chief Josiah Sunday Olawoyin (1935-2000) and later leaders like Chief Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo (76), my friend Chief Ayo Opadokun and Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki (1933-2012).

It is a pity that Chief Awolowo did not publish his memoirs before he died in a domestic accident in his hometown of Ikenne in Ogun state in the early hours of May 9, 1987. Maybe he would have shed more light on why he made those declarations.

I personally believe till today that it was that speech that took the Federal Capital from Lagos, although events have proved later that taking the Federal Capital out of Lagos does not equate with taking commerce out of Lagos- thanks to Chief Bola Tinubu and his successors.

Chief Awolowo’s speech stunned the nation. It was a wakeup call on General Yakubu Dan-Yuuma Gowon (83), the Head of State at that time to prepare for war and save Nigeria. If Chief Awolowo had taken Western Region and Lagos out of Nigeria, it would have been suicidal...

If Chief Awolowo had taken Western Region and Lagos out of the Federation at that time definitely Western Region and Lagos would have been the battle ground. And where were the troops and how prepared was he for a major war. At the time he made those declarations, officers of the Western Region in the Nigerian Army were less than 7%. At that time Lagos, Ibadan and Abeokuta garrisons were occupied by ‘northern troops’. Even the then Governor of Western Region, Major General Adeyinka Adebayo was not prepared for war. Chief Awolowo admitted on May 1, 1967 speech, that ‘We have neither the military might, nor the overwhelming advantage of numbers here in Western Nigeria and Lagos...'