RE: I Don’t Believe In One Nigeria

By Isah Abuh Yusuf

Tinubu was right. Every right thinking Nigerian should clamour for a United Nigeria, not one in discord.

If we look at it critically, we would see clearly that Nigeria is now even more divided along Religious, Ethnic and tribal lines, even much more than it was when Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu highlighted it in a THISDAY Newspaper publication of the 13th of April 1997 that a lot of noise makers made reference to.

All the regions of the country are either divided along ethnic, religious or tribal preferences and differences, or all three. And a true elder statesman should really be worried with the kind of face this Nation is wearing, whereby a citizen is firstly being identified by his/her state of origin, before being regarded as a citizen of the federal republic. In fact, all patriots should be so worried about this mode of identification.

So, noteworthy is what is being referred to as “The Luggard’s mistake of 1914”, which can actually be corrected by Nigerians, by our leaders, and by our constitution. We keep referring to it as an unholy amalgamation because instead of us to keep uniting as a people to keep forming a more united entity, things keep falling apart. And we keep sleeping with one eye open, for fear of the unknown. And over a century after the amalgamation, citizens in most parts of the country continue to live like strangers amongst people from other tribes. Even as some parts of the country are relatively indifferent about tribal and ethnic differences, other parts can be regarded as Red (Danger) zones, as fanning the flames of hatred and discord is the order of the day in those parts of the country. So, why shouldn’t Tinubu be worried? I as a Nigerian is so worried, and we all should be.

Look at the unrest from Jos to Kaduna. From Borno to Modakeke/Ife and so on and so forth. These were the differences that ordinarily should not escalate, but because of the indigenes/settlers undertones therein, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, and so are properties worth billions of Naira. Can this kind of arrangement be regarded as being a united one? Of course not. And whoever prides him or herself with this kind of Nigeria is actually one of the enemies of this great nation. I am not happy about it, and that is exactly how Tinubu feels.

If we all highlight the build up to the 2015 Presidential election for instance, we would all agree with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu that we are far from being united as a people of one nation in accord. The campaign between the two major political parties says it all. It is either extremely religious, totally tribalistic, or has all the colours of ethnic bias and hatred.

And no, Tinubu is not anti-Nigeria. Rather, he detests the way the affairs of the country is being run. He dislikes the fact that brows are still being raised sometimes when an Igbo man wants to do business with a Yoruba man. And that people still don’t buy the idea of an Ibibio woman getting married to a Hausa man. Or even when a Yoruba lady decides to spend the rest of her life with a Kanuri man. Tinubu, and millions of other Nigerians alike, are not happy with the fact that people are still being repelled by their parent/family from taking a wife, or getting married to someone that practices a different religion. In case you don’t know, Tinubu is of the Islam faith, but married a Christian. And that’s actually the way it should be.

There is no way Tinubu can be anti-Nigeria because he poured out his mind in a newspaper publication some 23 years ago. He is someone that has a Joe Igbokwe (an Igbo man) and people from other states/tribes of this great nation on his team for so many years and still counting. The Igbo communities in Lagos can attest to his love for people from their region. So also, the Hausa communities among others. Also, people from other parts of the country are contesting for political posts and some are winning in Lagos State. That is what the Asiwaju wants, and it is actually the way it should be. One Nigeria.

Tinubu’s collaboration with Muhammad Buhari gave birth to the APC, and ultimately, the present administration. Someone that hates Nigeria so much as an entity. In fact, someone that doesn’t love his country wholeheartedly would not support and throw all his weight and political structures behind a politician from the Northern part of the country (who contested three times and lose the election) to become President of the Federal Republic.

Can you look at yourself in the mirror and say you truly love how divided we keep becoming as a people every day? Would you not want to be in a Nigeria where a communal clash breaks out in a Hausa dominant part of Rivers State (which happens to be your State of Origin) and you have nothing to worry about because you live with your family in the core Northern part of Nigeria?

Would you not love to see our own version of Nigeria where Religion, Tribalism and Ethnic differences would no longer define us, or be our major problems, asides corruption? Would you not like us to be better off the way they want us to be as a result of the premature amalgamation which our abductors left us in? That is the exact version of Nigeria Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is clamoring for. As all global citizens are worried about how some countries of the world are being badly treated by their supposed big brother nations. The same way many right thinking Africans are so concerned about the xenophobic attacks on Africans by Africans. That is how a Nigerian with the right thinking mindset should not only be so worried about we are living together as a people, but speak out about it, so that the problems can be tackled heads on.

And so you may wish to know, Tinubu was never, has never been, and would never be Nigeria’s problem. He only wants a lasting solution by speaking out. Therefore, he shouldn’t be castigated for baring his mind on our very visible problems that might likely consume us if we don’t quickly do something about it. Now we know what our problems are. Can we all bring heads together and work out a lasting solution?

Long Live The Federal Republic Of Nigeria.

Isah Abuh Yusuf, 08031177777, sahinve@gmail.com