Omololu Ogunmade
23 November 2009
Lagos — Issues and contentions which arose from the launch of a book by elder statesman and legal practitioner, Sir Olaniwun Ajayi last week, will linger for so long, as the book succeeded in revisiting and rekindling the ethnic rivalry which has long existed between the North and the South. Omololu Ogunmade who was present at the occasion, writes on the degree of controversy the launch has created
Until he arrived on the platform that memorable afternoon, all the programmes lined up for the launch of Pa Olaniwun Ajayi's book: Nigeria: Africa's Failed Asset? had been inspirational and thought provoking. But the coming on board of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, changed the course of the entire event.
From the book review to discussions by renowned public commentators, no member of the audience had thought that his/her presence at the MUSON Centre venue of the launch was not divine. This was in view of the nostalgic feelings created by Ajayi's book, which traced the problems pervading governance in Nigeria to the perceived unsolicited love that Britain had for the Northern Nigeria in the pre-independence era, culminating in the hand over of power to it upon its exit in 1960 when the country obtained independence.
Several other speakers and discussants at the launch, had lamented with deep feelings, the increasing spate of deterioration in the country as well as the necessity to move from colonial mentality to build an ideal society as it has been the case in the United States as well as several other countries colonized by the Britain.
However, the advent of Sanusi to the podium rocked the boat. His comment came barely few minutes after discussants had spoken extensively on the domination of power by the North, despite its paltry level of education and the resultant output, which they argued had had adverse effects on the country.
Whereas speaker after speaker as well as discussant after discussant who had spoken at the event had seemingly been objective in their submissions, identifying where things had gone wrong either in the North or in the South as well as their representatives, while at the helm of affairs of the country, Sanusi stormed the podium, in a seeming aggressive manner. His perceived resolute approach, out rightly watered down the integrity of the submissions earlier made, which had been expected to send a message of renewal to persons in power.
First, he described the language of Ajayi's book, which had been viewed to be instructive enough on the past and current state of Nigeria, as archaic and out of tune with events in this generation. He however, expressed his magnanimity to pardon Ajayi for "writing in the language of the 1953," because he had been around long before then and obviously reasoning that the discussants viz: Mr. Odia Ofeimum, Professor Itse Sagay and Dr. Reuben Abati, members of this generation, who threw their weight behind issues raised in the book could not be so easily pardoned.
For him, the entire language of discussions at the event was nothing but the pre-independence language. "The problem is that we sit here and speak in the language of 1953. We can pardon Sir Ajayi for writing in the language of 1953," adding: "Before colonisation, there was nothing like Nigeria," Sanusi stated.
As if that criticism was still mild enough, he proceeded further to stir the hornet's nest, when he said without any fear of equivocation that since the exit of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the first Premier of the old Western Region, there has been no other governor in the South-west who can be portrayed as a role model.
This was no doubt a hard language for four former governors of the South-west zone, who were present at the occasion. They are Chief Bisi Akande (Osun), Chief Olusegun Osoba (Ogun), Otunba Niyi Adebayo (Ekiti) and Senator Bola Tinubu (Lagos). He later proceeded to chastise others for speaking what he described as a tribal language.
Hear Sanusi: "How many governors produced in the West after Awolowo have been role models? How many governors produced in the East after (Nnamdi) Azikiwe have been role models? There is no evidence to show that any part of this country has produced successful leaders. When it suits us, we talk ethnicity. When (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo and (INEC Chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu), rigged the 2007 election, was it a Southern thing? No. the problem is bad government. Anybody who is preaching that the problem of Nigeria is Yoruba, Hausa or Fulani is selfish," Sanusi fired.
The CBN boss also rejected the submission of discussants at the event that Britain loved the North and hated the South and hence had preferential treatment for the region to such an extent that when they asked for 50 per cent of the membership of the parliament before independence, they were given much more.
Sanusi dismissed this insinuation, disclosing that it was rather recorded that the British said the North should be denied education to forestall a situation where the North would produce intelligent Muslims like their counterparts in Egypt and Sudan. He wondered how the people said to have been loved would be dealt with such a cruel fate, if they were loved indeed.
"It was documented that the British said the Northerners should not be educated because if they were educated, they would be like educated Muslims in Egypt and Sudan. We should stop talking about issues that divide Nigeria. There are good Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa. For ten years, the Itsekiri were fighting the Urhobo. Now they have become the Niger Delta. There were Ijebu, Owo, Akoko. When did they suddenly become Yoruba? So why not talk of what we don't have such as power supply, water, education. We should stop talking about Fulani. Is it the Fulani cattle rearer?" Sanusi asked rhetorically.
Earlier, Professor Attahiru Jega, also a Northerner, had admonished the gathering that instead of agonizing for Nigeria as a failed state, discussions should rather be held about how Nigeria could be moved forward. He argued that when Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), was introduced by the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, deliberate efforts were made to destroy progressive bridges in the country through the introduction of what he called divide and rule tactics.
He disclosed that the military dictators eventually succeeded in instilling fears in the progressive forces of the country and therefore advised all and sundry to build the broken bridges, carry their crosses and move ahead without being weighed down by the failures of Nigerian leaders. Jega advised Nigerians to put behind them their ethnic differences and forge a credible alliance that can make Nigeria work with justice, equity and fairness.
During the discussion, Sagay, while speaking on how Britain pampered the North, remarked that What Ajayi's book had done was to provide overwhelming evidence of what people had earlier suspected. He argued that the North shoul not by any means be blamed for the sentiment offered them by the colonial masters, because the people of the region did not lobby for it, since nobody could naturally object to being loved.
He remarked that whereas there has always been a suspicion between the North and the South, the suspicion was created by the colonial masters. He added that it was easy for Ahmadu Bello to rule Nigeria from the North because Britain had already given them more than the 50 per cent of what they asked for.
Sagay, a constitutional lawyer, who said that colonialism did not end in 1960, noted that the colonialists succeeded in imposing one ethnic group over the North and later proceeded to impose the North over the entire entity called Nigeria.
But Abati remarked that almost 50 years after Nigeria obtained independence, it was high time that the people of Nigeria moved forward from the colonial mentality like other countries. According to Abati, who is the Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Guardian, the book being launched revealed that when the Conference of the early 1950's was held in Ibadan, the capital of the old defunct Western Region, there were only two graduates from the North at the time, while there were countless graduates in the South.
Abati, who regretted that the North had mismanaged the huge opportunity at its disposal, was swift to add that it was not only the North that should be blamed, recalling that Northern military dictators, despite their obvious cases of misrule, always had their allies in the South, who betrayed the protest of misrule in the South.
Also buttressing his point that the failure of Nigeria should not be blamed only on the North, Abati recalled that a Yoruba man from the South was in power for eight consecutive years, without bringing any difference to bear in governance.
Ofeimum, another co-discussant, who lamented the decline in public education, reiterated the importance and the impact of public schools on the people in the days that public schools were at their best. He bemoaned the destruction of public schools by successive governments in Nigeria, emphasizing that without the existence of vibrant public schools, there can never be a proper society adding that this unwholesome development amounts to the destruction of the future of the born and unborn children.
In his closing remark, Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Akin Mabogunje, wondered what was actually wrong with Nigeria, that despite a marriage which had taken place as far back as 1914, when the North and the South were almagamated, it has taken too long for the people to know one another and co-exist peacefully. He ended his remark with an expression which connotes that in an economic and socio-political environment like Nigeria, "we must work together."
In his remark, author of the book, Ajayi, urged President Umaru Yar'Adua to put adequate machinery in place that would ensure that the integrity of the 2011 general election is not eroded.
Ajayi who advised Yar'Adua to ensure that he succeeds where his predecessors failed, also urged the President to make history and create for himself a name that will forever be imperishable.
The elder statesman charged the President not to sweep the recommendations of the Justice Muhammed Uwais' committee under the carpet, but to rather carve a niche for himself as a man of integrity by implementing the committee's report. He canvassed the power of restructuring as the tool for credible election.
"Our President should see to it that election is not raped. He should see that Nigeria is restructured. There should be a structure against political geometry," Ajayi said, insisting that the principles of true federalism must be upheld, while the idea of concocted federal system is jettisoned. He restated the call for Sovereign National Conference (SNC), which he said must be quickly convoked to enable Nigerians discuss the way forward for the country," Ajayi said.
The book reviewer, Professor Adigun Agbaje, who described it as a "serious book written with brilliant scholarship," said revolutionary change which it advocates is only possible with the involvement of the people adding that revolution can only be achieved when the people possess the will to change the situation.
Other speakers who spoke at the occasion said people should stop blaming Nigeria's woes on the colonialism of the past, recalling that many countries of the world including the United States were colonized, but soon rose above colonialism to become the world's super power.
Others notable individuals present at the occasion were the Prelate of Methodist Church, Dr. Sunday Ola Makinde, Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Alhaja Salimot Badru, former President of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Attahiru Jega, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ado Ekiti (UNAD), Professor Akin Oyebode, a leader of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Leader of Afenifere in Lagos State, Chief Supo Shonibare among others.
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