LIKE UKRAINE, LET NIGERIA SPLIT!

I have followed keenly the happenings in Ukraine over the past few months which culminated in the splitting of the Soviet Nation in three nations and a fourth accepting to be annexed into Russia. As unfortunate as the power plays were, I must indeed commend the bravery and maturity of all citizens of the left-over Ukraine, Lugansk, Donestsk and Crimea. Yes, it became obvious that secession was imminent, yet they conducted themselves in such a manner that afforded the Republics of Lugansk and Donetsk the opportunity to secede from Ukraine while Crimea joined Russia without the almost-genocide situation that characterized the South-Sudan secession from the Republic of Sudan. The crisis that came up was well managed and normalcy had since returned to the resulting nations with elections having been held in Donetsk and Lugansk.

As global realities have been playing out, more countries have now started realizing the deep diversities in their cultural heritage and more splitting of countries is expected in due course. Worthy of note is the case of the Catalonians wanting to secede from Spain and the Scottish still being confused about whether or not to secede from the United Kingdom. These sections are not being led by purposeless leaders, but men and women who have realized that the very basis of National Unity cum peace, is somewhat related to shared heritage, similar cultural and religious backgrounds as well as shared moral and ethical values. The world has come to realize, albeit lately, that every marriage of inconvenience in Nation building will always lead to crisis at some point in future.

As more years begin to roll by, the world will sure witness further separations and secession which is a connotative note being sounded from those regions, that a union of a square peg and a round hole is friction-bound. Of the countries to split up in future, I sincerely hope Nigeria will be one. We are like Ukraine, a culturally dissimilar group of people, we do not have shared ancestral lineage neither do we have similar religious, moral and ethical views. I believe our being together was as a result of the determination of the founding fathers to get independence from the colonial masters at all cost even if it meant bonding together such social groups that are parallel in existence and in belief.

Today, the cracks in our bonding have started manifesting and we are suffering grave consequences of this ethnic disjointedness. The Hausa/Fulani people wants to rule Nigeria by all means possible, so Boko Haram came; the Niger Delta people wants resources control and they want to participate in governance too, so militancy started; the Yorubas are indifferent to all the happenings and are just standing by watching the scenario unfold while the Igbos are too busy with their commercial activities to have any chance for governance.

Another factor that adds a terrible twist to the drama is the fact that like Ukraine, the Nigerian geo-political divides are not characterized by same economic potentials. While the south-south region has robust economic potentials owing to the abundant presence of Crude oil, the south-west also has some crude and certain solid minerals. However, the Northern regions of the country only has potentials in the area of agriculture, whereas, the potentials of these Northern divides in Agriculture do not even measure up to the south-west agriculture potentials. To make matters worse, due to greed and over-ambition, every powerful Nigerian seems to be interested in the crude oil that only the south-south people can boast of its abundance in their land.

Where we all are interested in their oil, leading to a serious resistance of the move for resources control – the resistance basically coming from the northern elites who has since 1970s hijacked the oil prospecting rights – we have continued to look down on this same south-south people, seeing them as an infinitessimal minority that is as such unfit to govern. It is just a long tale of commotion, greed, jealousy and struggle for emancipation.

Based on this premise, I believe Nigeria is not only a marriage of inconvenience, but a total misfit that is quickly degenerating into uncontrollable crisis. I foresee, that if GMB and Atiku Abubakar are desperately gunning for Presidency because they carry a northern mandate which often comes first in the hearts of northerners before the Nigerian mandate. The simple logic is, the moment either of these two becomes President, the Boko Haram crisis will stop because the northerners would have procured what they think in their greed-infested hearts is their birthright – Governance!

However, the logic simply viewed from the south-south perspective i.e. the region from where the incumbent President hails, another form of terrorism will spring if their own son, GEJ loses at the next Presidential polls. Either way, the power plays in Nigeria has condemned us to non-stop crisis as every new government comes in place. If the Niger Delta militants replace the Boko Haram insurgents as our national headache, I fear that Nigeria will even crash and burn faster than the Boko Haram people owing to the sophistication of these militants, their almost-organized military-like formation and the education they have which majority of the northerners lack. Whichever way it goes in 2015, Nigeria is going to be in some form of crisis or the other, and that should scare us all!

I strongly suggest however, that a lasting solution should be found to this crisis i.e. separation of the units that make up Nigeria. For example, I advise that we seek a peaceful disintegration of Nigeria into at least three countries with each resulting country being made up of people who share some basic similarities in economy and history such that their unity may be naturally maintained if problems arise in future.

I say the Yorubas of the south-west region secede into a country of their own with the people of the south-south region. In this country, there will not only be peace, there will also be genuine and greed-free trade that will empower the economy of the country. I make bold to say though, that given the natural resources that this kind of country will possess and the academic viability of the people, this country will by far be the richest of the three.

The south-east Igbos are better suited to stay alone given that they have exhibited such character traits that can help a country of theirs stand alone and thrive. The igbos being natural entrepreneurs will in no time successfully build a strong country from scratch while their economy will most likely be self-sufficient like the Japanese model. This is because the igbos like the Japanese, possess high technological abilities coupled with entrepreneurial knowledge that can make their economy viable and self-sufficient. This will probably be the smallest country of the three, but very economically buoyant.

The Northerners as a whole should then form one country of their own comprising all northern tribes i.e. the Hausas, the Tivs, the Kanuris, the Idomas, the Nupes, the Fulanis etc. These people share same heritage and should be allowed to function together in a country where their co-habitation is historically encouraged and preserved. The core Hausas and the Fulanis may not readily be interested in this union as they are more related to the Nigeriens of Niger Republic. In this case, they could just opt for annexing into the Republic of Niger where their cultural bonds may yet be stronger – just like Crimea! This country looks to a layman like it is going to be the poorest due to the lack of natural resources. However, trade in farm produce (yam, onions etc) for which the north has been known as well as animals (ram, cow etc) alongside hides, clothing materials etc with the heavy presence of textile companies in that region will help them build a viable economy that can afford the citizens success. It will however take some hardwork.

I believe this is the perfect solution to the problems currently facing Nigeria as a nation. Disintegration will ensure that all sections co-habit in their new countries with tribes with which they share naturalized love and unity while commerce will be encouraged due to the economic potentials of all these regions. Only when this is done can we stop the insurgency and greed for power.

I say resoundingly, in the face of present security crisis, political cross-carpeting prompted by serious greed, that the solution to our problem is Ukrainian in nature – the splitting of this country into at least four units with one unit being annexed into Niger Republic! This is my honest opinion!

ODERINU ADEDAYO T.

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