By S.O. Akobe, Esq.

Nigeria is a country built on the altar of faulty foundation and deceit. The
geographical expression called “Nigeria” is nothing but an assemblage of a people
(without recourse to their wishes, of course) who ought not to be joined together
as one in the first place. When a country is founded on a threshold of
irreconcilable differences orchestrated by ethnic rivalries and delusions, the woes
of its citizenry are visible from the very beginning.

It is not surprising to yours sincerely that instead of progressing or improving as a
Country, Nigeria is regrettably known for its retrogressive acceleration right from
the very year of its independence. And this is because the white man’s (British)
idea of creating a sovereign entity called Nigeria was not such that can guarantee
progressive realities of an ideal nation. The initial idea of creating Nigeria was
obviously a self-serving, temporary strategy aimed at consolidating colonial rule
with all needed convenience for as long as it (colonialism) lasted; hence the
amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914.

Unfortunately, when the white men (the British) were to hand over to Nigerians,
they failed to admit this fundamental truth which goes to the root of the
Country’s formation. Had the British admitted the bitter truth behind the facade
of Nigeria’s formation, they would have ensured, or at least, advised the
amalgamated territories to go their separate ways and become independent
sovereign nations. Sadly enough, the British failed, ignored, and/or neglected to
admit the said truth and obviously feigned ignorance of the very problem they
themselves created via the 1914 amalgamation. Perhaps two reasons may be
responsible for this. First, the pride of the white men may not have allowed them
to concede that the Country they handed over was wrongly conceived and
birthed, and secondly, the demand for independence may have seemed to them
too early and as such, handing over a wrongly conceived and birthed Country was
the best retaliatory gift to bequeath to its ungrateful citizens!

In an article titled, “Why 1914 Amalgamation is Nigeria’s Bane”, published by the
Guardian Newspaper of 6th February 2017, a Social Analyst, Ogbo Charles, stated
as follows: “Every problem Nigeria has ever faced and will ever face can be traced
to that demonic event of 1914 when the British merged the Southern and
Northern protectorates into one country that is today known as Nigeria”. He went
further to state that, “Britain had only one thing in mind while carrying out the
amalgamation: Their administrative and economic convenience. Nothing more.
The action of the British can be compared to a man who bought both herbivorous
and carnivorous animals from the market and chose to put them in one cage to
make it convenient for him to transport them home. This man knew that
herbivores feed on herbs and are very harmless and easygoing while carnivores
feed on flesh and are most times very aggressive and violent. In other words, the
herbivorous animals in that cage might end up as meat for the carnivorous ones
even before the man would reach his destination. He knew all these but still
chose to put both animals together. Do we need the brain of Albert Einstein to
figure out the fact that the welfare of these animals was the last thing on this
man’s mind? Rather, all he cared about was getting them all home whether dead
or alive without spending extra money for another cage and extra fare for that
new cage”.

Going further, the said Writer concluded that, “Nigeria is many nations forced to
remain within an unworkable forced marriage. The amalgamation was borne out
of compulsion. That line “one Nation bound in freedom, peace, and unity” in our
national anthem is one hell of a dirty lie. Where is the freedom? Where is the
peace? Where is the unity? I really think we’ve had enough of the rhetoric, the
lies, the delusion. It is high time we got down to the real business of paying
ourselves the courtesy of being blunt. The “One Nigeria” slogan is one of the
biggest organised lies of the century. There is absolutely nothing “One” about
Nigeria. If we look at all the happenings in the country from 1914 to date, we will
discover that the only thing that binds us together is mutual suspicion of one
another”.

We think we agree totally with the above-quoted view of the said writer. The
1914 amalgamation is the very foundation of the woes of the entity called
“Nigeria”. And because of this, rather than make progress, Nigeria’s voyage as a
nation has always been a retrogressive one: one step forward, 99 steps backward!
There is no debate that Nigeria fared better in colonial years than it did under
military regime. Similarly, there is also no contention that Nigeria fared better
under military regime than it does under the current purported civilian or
democratic government. That has been the order of the Nigeria story. It is a story
of a Country in which its fortunes and potentials diminish year in, year out. A story
of a Country in which life becomes meaningless and valueless every day. A story
of political crisis in one breath and communal clashes in another breath. A story
of massive bloodsheds, kidnapping, religious killings and ethnic animosity,
election riggings, corruption, and indiscipline. A story of lack of infrastructural
development, lack of electricity, lack of portable water supply, lack of good roads,
and lack of good healthcare centers. A story of compromised democratic process,
absence of rule of law, and daily violation of human rights. A story of
unemployment, poverty, nepotism, tribalism, and all kinds of vices. That has been
the Nigeria story, our story!
Judging from all points of view, we think one would be too modest to certify
Nigeria as a “failed State” (you may have to google and know for yourself what a
failed State means). If not a failed State, how can we explain the fact that
hundreds of people are being killed in Southern Kaduna with little or no
responsible intervention by the Country’s security agencies but over forty (40)
thousand men of the same security agencies were deployed to Edo State for the
recently conducted gubernatorial election (thanks to the people of Edo State who
refused to succumb to intimidation)? If not a failed State, how can we explain the
fact that the Country’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen.Tukur Brutai who is from Borno
State, a State where Boko Haram’s dastard activities hold sway and reign
supreme, reportedly threatened to declare a state of emergency in a relatively
peaceful Southeast at a time when several lives are perishing in his own
homeland at the behest of the brutish insurgents and nothing is commendably
done about it under his watch? If not a failed State, how can we explain the fact

that obviously rigged elections are upheld even by the Supreme Court of Nigeria
and the citizens now run to foreign governments for palliative remedies of
securing travels ban or restrictions against the people in power who orchestrated
and/or masterminded the thwarting of the electoral process? The list is endless
and it is indeed a sad commentary!

In all fairness, Nigeria represents a radical opposite of an ideal nation. Everything
is obviously wrong with the Country. In terms of leadership, our score is zero. Talk
about power, education, security, transparency, infrastructural development,
accountability, and respect for the rule of law: our scorecard equals to zero! But,
we have 100% score in corruption, election rigging/manipulation, insecurity, bad
governance, unreasonable and insensitive borrowings, unemployment, high
inflation, high cost of living, poverty, religious hypocrisy, insurgency, and
terrorism.

Nigeria and Nigerians have always had it wrong, rough and tough, but in the
history of the Nation’s sojourn from one gory tale to another, the-2015-till-date
episode is the height of it all. A man was well packaged and clothed as
unblemished and he consequently obtained the people’s mandate to unseat an
unblemished man in Nigeria’s Seat of Power. Using the empty mantra of “change”
and having a Redeemed Christian Church of God Pastor who is also a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria as a running mate, Nigerians saw their long-awaited “saviour”
in the former military dictator (and 1983 coup leader) from Daura, Katsina State!
Of course, they were all wrong in their honest belief as the said “saviour” has
turned out to be the very reason for their daily wailings. Between 2015 and now,
Nigeria has lost its entire flesh; only its weary bones are left to be bequeathed to
the future generation. Naira has depreciated beyond explanation. The Country’s
debt profile has risen beyond expression. Our foreign reserve is nothing to write
home about. Inflation is very high and this remains unabated. Insecurity and
insurgency are gaining momentum day by day. Elections are now won through
superior firepower of gun bearers backed up by security agencies at the pleasure
of persons who enjoy the cover of incumbency. Human rights abuse and disregard
of the principle of law are now the order of the day. Fuel price is arbitrarily hiked.
Prices of food and other essential commodities are now above the reach and means of average Nigerians, not to talk of the poor ones. There is hunger in the
land and people are suffering everywhere. Insecurity has beclouded the entire
nation!

This is where we find ourselves right now as a Country at Sixty-two (62)! But,
then, do we have hope? What is the way out? In our humble view, the Nigeria
problem cannot be solved except by revolution. We need a peaceful revolution,
not war. A revolution that is founded on peace and determination to have an
ideal nation with a working system that will be favourable to all. A revolution that
would give Nigeria and Nigerians a fresh start for good governance and
development. There is a need to change the old order by way of national rebirth.
2023 election is at the corner. We must get it right this time around. Let’s get our
PVCs and vote with our consciences, not based on gratification or vote buying.
We must all rise to bring to reality the change we all earnestly desire through
peaceful change of government. After all, this is our Country and not the property
of any individual.

Finally, as Nigeria clocks 62, we implore the Nigerian Government to take
conscious steps to alleviate the sufferings and pains of the Nigerian people. This is
not the change they desired. It is obvious that the current state of things in the
Country is very provocative and therefore, capable of having the propensity of
stirring the people into unimaginable action and/or movement. The greatest
political mistake any leader could make is to think that he can continue to
exercise power and authority over his disgruntled subjects who are already
running out of patience. It will surely get to a point when it will become to them
a-do-or-die affair, and at that point in time, no degree of intimidation,
suppression, and/or assault by security agencies including the military, will be
able to curtail the people’s resolve for a new order by way of revolution. If it once
happened in Lybia, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Mali, and just recently, Burkina Faso, to
mention but a few, then, it can also happen in Nigeria. A stitch in time, they say,
saves nine!

*Solomon Onunoja Akobe is a Law Lecturer, and a renowned Writer/Social
Commentator.