I like to see the North as a MELTING POT where the various ethnic
group have apparently accepted a mutual identity, embedded in the
phrase "One North" which invariably makes anyone from Nigeria upper
half to be seen as a NORTHERNER or loosely as an Hausa-man. Of course,
the melting has its own advantage which are not in doubt and I will
leave you to guess. However, the South is like a MOSAIC, whose various
entities even when called SOUTHERNERS only accept to be refereed by
their different identities of S_W (Yoruba majority), S_E (Igbo
Majority) and S_S (Ijaw, Urhobo, etc) - hence there is no such phrase
as "One South". Somehow, I think I like the northern model although
the southern scenario also has its obvious advantage also.
Ayo Abiola
On Nov 11, 3:58 pm, "Igietseme, Joseph (CDC/OID/NCPDCID)"
<j...@cdc.gov> wrote:
> IBK:
> Dont be SOMETHING else! Are you practising your knowledge of Nigerian Constituional History on me or you think you are talking to a Tokunbo? I am NIGERIAN BORN, went to elementary and High Schools in Nigeria and received a First Degree in Nigeria before going abroad for my higher education in the 1980s. So what is your point with Direct and Indirect Rules, or the Clifford's, Richard's, and the Macpherson Constitutions, as well as the 1963 Republican Constitution, or the barrage of military decrees starting in 1966, or the 1979 and 1999 Constitutions that you believe I dont know? How would all these explain the apparent political enchantment of the South whereby many Southerners like to believe that when an Adamawa, Bornu Benue-Plateau, Nupe/Niger, Sokoto, Kano or Katstina emerges as Nigerian leader, it is the NORTH ruling Nigeria; however, whenever, a SWesterner or SEasterner emerges as Nigerian leader, they dont see it as South ruling Nigeria (but as a Yoruba or Ndiigbo or SS)?
> This is the POLITICAL REALITY IN NIGERIA, and it is driven by nothing other than Ethnic Jingoism! The pathological ethno-centricism of the average Southerner (especially some of you from the major ethnic groups) makes him to selfishly see the South as distinct SW, SE and lately SS political entities, while they see the North as one political entity; they forget that Northern Nigerian has NW, NC, NE and the Middle Belt as legitimate and independent geo-political regions as well. Nigerians MUST rise beyond these Ethnic-focused politicking to move forward meaningfully in quality governance.
>
> In fact, you ended your response with the self contradictions you started, beating your drums for a role for tribalism in Nigerian political equation, a shameless exhibition of a primordial instinct that modern man has shed to build mighty nations all over planet earth (and soon planet Moon); these are modern nations that are founded on Kinship of Ideas, not where my ethnic groups, my tribe or ancestors came from. For instance, after attempting to argue that the differntial pre-independence governing structures instituted by the Colonizers dictated the apparent One North versus Several South political outlook of the average Southerner, you realized that you were caged; then you veered into an after thought that """...it is a mix of ethnicity, religion, preferences, administrative convenience, and other considerations that evolved Nigeria." You also agreed that although one " cannot legislate away ethnicity..... Modern states come in different shapes and sizes and forms. Some with ethnicity at its base, others with religion, while others like America is an aggregation of immigrants and settlers.""" You confused yourself further by relaying your Austrian Taxi driver's saying that "Everybody here comes from somewhere else." Did you forget to remind the cab Driver who was apparently stroking a sweet talk for a nice tip from you that "people migrated to even where everybody comes from"? The world is humans to occupy and conquer. The Afrikana fighting for Homeland in South Africa is as validated as the immigrant Barbarian or Scandinavian now fighting for Britain as Homeland. That is the Story of Human Beings! The migrant of today soon becomes the indigene of tomorrow. And you can see that you dont have any moral authority to educate me about Nigeria, its compostion, how ethnic jingoism and tribalism have delayed Nigerian development, the existence of homogeneous ethnic or multi-ethnic nations and life in such societies. Take care. JUI
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Nigeria...@yahoogroups.com on behalf of Ibukunolu Alao Babajide
> Sent: Thu 11-Nov-10 8:15 AM
> To: Igietseme, Joseph (CDC/OID/NCPDCID); NIgerianWorldFo...@yahoogroups.com; NIgerianWorldFo...@yahoogroups.com; OBSERVE YOURSELF; naijapolit...@yahoogroups.com; usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com; afen...@yahoogroups.com; edo-national...@yahoogroups.com; nigeria...@yahoogroups.com
> Cc: igbo_fo...@yahoogroups.com; igboeve...@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: NigerianID | RE: Jonathan is Igbo, yes Igbo, and we back him- says Amechi
>
> Joseph,
>
> Take some time to study the history and evolution and the development of Nigeria. The British created different administrative models in the Protectorate of Northern, and the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria. In 1860 we had the colony of Lagos. Later, different southern states were conquered to form the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria - this was completed in 1923 when the Egba were fully crushed after a tax uprising.
>
> At the same time, negotiating with the Germans in Kameroon and the French, and in 1909 with the destruction of Borgu after Sokoto and others had been conquered, the protectorate of Northern Nigeria was also created.
>
> I hope you are following me so far. While these conquests were going on, the British engaged with these different people differently, especially in the North. That engagement was generally described as Indirect Rule. The key consideration of the British was administrative convenience and how to exploit a very large territory that was four and a half times the size of Great Britain and Ireland.
>
> In the South because of the nature of engagement, the rule was direct rule.
>
> In 1914 there was an amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates. Clifford's Constitution.
>
> Then the debates on the way forward where Chief Obafemi Awolowo emerged with his idea of federalism came in the late 30's and early 40's leading to the three regions North, East and West - Richard's Constitution.
>
> Then in 1951 we had the Macpherson Constitution that paves the way for regional self governance and that led to the 1960 Independence, Constitution, the 1963 Republican Constitution, the barrage of military decrees starting in 1966, the 1979 Constitution that gave us Executive presidency, and the 1999 Constitution that we are using now.
>
> Two Books will help you. Try:
> 1. Kalu Ezera; Constitutional Developments in Nigeria: An Analytical Study of Nigeria's Constitution-Making Developments and the Historical and Political Factors That Affected Constitutional Change; and
>
> 2. Benjamin Nwabueze; The Constitutional History of Nigeria.
>
> The British signed bogus treaties with different ethnic groups under different conditions. They signed with Igbessa, Ilaro, Owode, and so many small kingdoms in the Yewa side because we were facing threats from Dahomey invaders and they easily provided us with protection. They had to destroy some other kingdoms like Benin, and Borgu, and others. In Gongola and Bornu, they took former German territories after defeating the Germans in the first world war.
>
> So it is a mix of ethnicity, religion, preferences, administrative convenience, and other considerations that evolved Nigeria. You cannot legislate away ethnicity. I keep telling you that you have a fundamental error of conception when you see ethnicity as primitive and the opposite of your self-created Americanized modern state.
>
> Modern states come in different shapes and sizes and forms. Some with ethnicity at its base, others with religion, while others like America is an aggregation of immigrants and settlers. Two nights ago in Edison, an Austrian Taxi driver gave me a ride from Edison Station to my Double Tree Hotel in Somerset in New Jersey. He made a very profound statement - "Everybody here comes from somewhere else."
>
> Nigeria is diverse and plural in ethnicity, religion, orientation, some like you look to Washington for inspiration whereas others look to Riyadh (Mecca) for their own inspiration, while many look to Ile-Ife for theirs and so on and so forth.
>
> Your analytical prism is simplistic and rather childish. Modern states evolve, and so many different factors inform their evolution. Countries like Germany and Italy which are both less than 200 years old are primarily ethnic driven, like-wise many countries in Europe. Dr. Val Ojo has made this point to you in the past.
>
> Indonesia and Malaysia are driven by ethnicity and religion. Malaysia has the Malay Mala, the Indian Malay, and the Chinese Malay with some having political power (Malay Malay), others having economic power (Chinese Malay) and the different religions like Islam, Hinduism, and Bhudism also playing a part.
>
> Let me add that the British who sacrificed life and limb to conquer us will not let their investment just slip away like a drunken sailor does - in 1940, as they were putting in place the Richards Constitution inflated the population of the North and until today that lie is at the foundation of our polity - read the Edwin Clarke Ciroma exchanges. In 1945 they cut large chunks of the East as part of the North and large chunks of the West as part of the North. That is still causing us problems till today.
>
> So my dear Mr. Modern state, take time to read on subjects outside your ken, and learn. There are different forces at play. The ethnic is just one of them. There is the religious force, settler and indigene another, education another, economics another, etc etc. You can not single out one factor of ethnicity for denigration and vilification. In some ways it is a force for good and in others it may not be a force for much good.
>
> Like you mad friend the vicious animal Chukwuma Agwunobi will say, I rest my case.
>
> IBK
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
>
> Received: 07:12 AM EAT, 11/11/2010
> From: "Igietseme, Joseph (CDC/OID/NCPDCID)" <j...@cdc.gov>
> To: NIgerianWorldFo...@yahoogroups.com, NIgerianWorldFo...@yahoogroups.com, "OBSERVE YOURSELF" <NaijaObser...@yahoogroups.com>, naijapolit...@yahoogroups.com, usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com, afen...@yahoogroups.com, edo-national...@yahoogroups.com, nigeria...@yahoogroups.com
> Cc: igbo_fo...@yahoogroups.com, igboeve...@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: NigerianID | RE: Jonathan is Igbo, yes Igbo, and we back him- says Amechi
>
> The apparent political enchantment of the South is a HEAVY BURDEN in
>
> ...
>
> read more »
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