Vote Second Tenure or Sovereign National Conference
By Yiro Abari
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| Currency showing diversity |
On October 1st, 2013, Nigeria marked its 53rd independence
anniversary. As is the tradition, The President of Nigeria and
Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, gave
a speech, relayed live on radio and television. President Jonathan gave a
traditional speech that often downplayed the shortcomings of the nation and
played up its successes. Also, the speech was loaded with eulogy for ordinary
people. One thing was exotic in the
speech though: the President touched on one of the most sensitive topics in
Nigeria: the Sovereign National Conference. The President said he was setting
up a committee to work towards the possibility of convening a Sovereign
National Conference. The question of a Sovereign National Conference is one
that a lot of Nigerians have asked for in the past but also one that a lot of other
Nigerians have ran away from, due to a spectrum of reasons. In Nigeria we all know that a call for a Sovereign National
Conference points to just one subject: the subject of a possible disintegration
of the nation as there is nothing very sensitive that has not been discussed
previously except the disintegration of the nation.
Two days after the independence anniversary, a local radio
presenter hosted a show in which she threw opened the doors of her show to
callers, requesting them to call and say what it is about Nigeria they love the
most. As usual, there were brilliant and dumb responses. I did not call to
express my feelings. Hard I called, I would have cited the beauty of the
diversity of Nigeria and the potential it holds for the nation as my reasons
for loving Nigeria.
Two days before, another presenter hosted a special show to
mark the anniversary. He looked at the history of Nigeria’s entertainment
industry with emphasis on popular Nigeria’s entertainment in contrast to
Nigeria’s folk entertainment. Among other things, he traced the history of
Nigeria’s popular music. He then sampled music from some of Nigeria’s finest
Highlife musicians. With just three artists taken from different regions of
Nigeria, he was able to paint a picture of the beauty of Nigeria’s diversity
and the potential it holds for the nation.
I was overwhelmed by the revelation that came with this. I realized that
football shouldn't be the only binding factor of Nigeria but the beauty of our
diversity as well.
I am a member of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA,
on Facebook. The forum has also enabled me to see the beauty and potential of
Nigeria’s diversity. Authors are people who are lucky to be born with a little
writing skill. At ANA’s Facebook page, authors post excerpts of their
unpublished work so that colleagues can read and give comments. After reading
some of the posts, I was blown and compelled to hold my head between palms in
respect of the enormity of Nigeria’s human resources which comes from the bulk
of our population which is more than sand on the seashore, in addition to the
fact that authors often write from the viewpoint of the regions and cultures they
come from, making entries colorful and gorgeous.
What preoccupies authors in Nigeria today and elsewhere, is
taking part in one literary competition or the other. With what I was able to
see at ANA, I felt bad for the rest of Africa, knowing that the Nigerians will
always dominate a lot of these competitions due to the advantage of its status
as one huge medley of assorted nations. This year for instance, four Nigerians
were among the last five men/women standing for the Caine Prize Award. Of the
four, one was Hausa, one Ibo, one Yoruba and the forth from a minority tribe.
The prize eventually went to one of them. This is a typical example of the
importance of our size and diversity: it will always work in our favor. It is the
reason I see it as a crime to call for the breakup of this colossal piece of
God’s invention called Nigeria.
When many Nigerians such as me and many others call for one
united Nigeria, it is not out of desperation for wanting to belong to an
oil-producing nation. I am fully
conscious of the reality that my state, taken alone, can never be poor. We are
home to an envious collection of economic (!) mineral deposits. We were once a
home to the Amalgamated Tin Mines of Nigerian Limited, ATMN that engaged the
earth of my part of Nigeria for close to a hundred years, mining Tin and
Columbite and eventually left due to abrupt policy changes by the Federal
Government of Nigeria. So the ore is still there. My state and many other states
across Nigeria have resources that can make them financially stronger than they
currently are, in the event of the Niger Delta turning its back on the rest of
us. If we call for one nation, it is not out of fear of poverty but out of love
for a parent we are used to and brotherhood that we are also used to, not to
talk of the benefit to us all.
Those who call for the fragmentation of Nigeria are either
greedy or blind to the causes of frustration for many Nigerians. The calls for the
division of Nigeria used to come from the southern half of the country as a
whole. After the Obasanjo presidency between 1999 and 2000, the South-West suddenly
went mute on the issue of Sovereign National Conference. A section of the
people from the South-East and South-South are now the ones calling for a
Sovereign National Conference. The Ibos have made it clear that their huge
concern is being shut out of Aso Rock, to sum it up; that Aso Rock is close and
yet far. In the same vein, the South-South is calling for a Sovereign National
Conference because it desperately wants a second tenure for the-big-hat-man; it
is all about the Presidency! This article serves to open the minds of Nigerians
who are blind to the motives behind the call for a Sovereign National
Conference.
It is important to note that the fragmentation of Nigeria
will not change the status of the ordinary man in the emerging nations, should
all other things remain the same. If the declaration of the independence of the
Niger Delta region as a state can improve things ordinary Niger Deltans would
have been among the happiest Nigerians long ago. This is because in addition to
the monthly subventions that are due to the region from Abuja, there is the
Derivation Funds, the Ministry for Niger Delta Affairs and the Niger Delta
Development Commission all of which channel huge billions to the region. The
revenue that accrues to Bayelsa, a state of just two million people, within a
month sometimes equals that of the whole North-East region of Nigeria within
the same period. Still, the leaders of the region are not satisfied.
‘The solution to Nigeria’s woes does not lie in a Sovereign
National Conference. It lies in getting rid of the greed among political and
traditional leaders. In the Niger Delta, these leaders unleash militants to the
nation and tolerate oil theft. Now they add the issue of the Sovereign National
Conference to threaten the rest of us into surrendering another tenure that
sustains the billions going into private pockets and those of their executioners
in the field. The selfish political leaders of the north also threaten the rest
of the nation by openly talking in favor of Boko Haram. Years back, the
South-West hard threatened the rest of us with Odua People’s Congress. Along
that line, one can say that the Ibos have demonstrated a high level of
statesmanship that should be respected. This is because it is difficult to link
the activities of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of
Biafra, MASSOB, to the regions political leaders. Perhaps Ombatse is a weapon of greedy
politicians of the North-Central region. Only time will tell.
There is the need for ordinary Nigerians, especially the
youths to understand these underlying issues and work to overcome them. Since
the power-sharing deal of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, excludes
other Nigerians, it means that the nation has other options. If the youths can
understand these tricks and throw away divisions based on tribe and religion,
they can channel their votes, overwhelmingly, to the right Nigerian. If the
votes are staggering, it will be difficult for the Nigeria’s Independent
Electoral Commission to, successfully, play games.
The youths can find energy in the understanding of the huge
benefits of diversity that we already have. The source of strength that can
sustain Nigeria’s unity is not only in football but in the beauty and potential
of Nigeria’s diversity. One united Nigeria remains a most.
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