THE NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE

Are we really divided by geography or culture? Nigeria is a very heterogeneous society. From the cacophony of our disagreements, there is a straight line that separates the North and the South, the East and the West.

We have been presented with the scenario that the North will always want the opposite of what the South wants. This means if the South wants unity, then the North by default will want disunity. At the moment, most people in the south want restructuring. The North does not want it as we are told.

To what extent has geography decided our destiny? Are we really different temperamentally due to accidents in our geography? We will believe so if we subscribe to the prevailing notion that we are incapable of brewing a culture that is inclusive because of our geographic placements.

Nigeria is a very heterogeneous and variegated society that has failed to evolve a theme that is inclusive of all the people within our borders. The failure to achieve this elusive unity is due to our primordial loyalties and attachments to our origins. There is a failure of imagination and expansion of our consciousness. At this place, we will see each other. This failure also means we are still like children, who have refused to grow up and will not leave home.

Some have posited that we could have been better if the imaginary line that separated the North and South was made more visible and not blurred by the interposition of Lord Lugard. Most Nigerians will always blame the British for this amalgamation. I don’t, because Lord Lugard did what he had to do for the love of Britain. He needed to save costs and make the colonization easier for His Royal Majesty. All he did was for the love of his homeland. No matter how much we blame the British, the constant is that they did what they have to do for the love of Britain.

My question is: What have we done for the love of our people and Nigeria? This is the question we should ask ourselves every day. Have we evolved any system to bring us together as the largest concentration of black people in the World? The answer is no. At the time Africans were crying for the unity of black people, some Nigerians wanted more fragmentation. This means that we cannot go beyond the artificial lines that were created to confine ourselves and we have accepted an imaginary line that makes neighbors to be strangers perpetually. It also suggests that we are lazy and cannot go beyond our comfort zone.

We have a duty to reframe and recalibrate our relationships that are devoid of exploitation by those who gave a numerical advantage. The respect for the rights of minorities is a sine qua non in a society that aspires to be democratic. As the largest concentration of Black people in the world, it is our responsibility to evolve beyond our present conditions of strife and ethnic hostilities and adopt a more inclusive theme for our polity.

I have emphasized at various times that if you remove the imported religions, we have more in common as Nigerians. These foreign religions are actually the fuel for the tribalism and ethnic divisions that are tearing the nation apart.

There are more minorities in the North than in the South. The North is actually more advanced in terms of inter-ethnic harmony than the South. A Northerner is more likely to say he is a Northerner than a Southerner. A southerner will identify with his tribe first. This is where the Northerner is more advanced in inter-ethnic relations. They have a more panoramic view of Nigeria than the average southerner.

The South is still a basin of inter-ethnic rivalries. The reason for this is that the South is not as variegated as the North. The rivalry and low intensity animus between the South-west and South-East is becoming tiresome. This rivalry makes it difficult to evolve ethos that are beyond ethnic nationalism. These tribes instead of developing a blueprint of cohabitation with the minority tribes, they engage in parasitic relationships that are injurious to the minority tribes. They even want the minority tribes to forget their history and become members of the large tribes. Can the parasite absorb the host? Nature says no. The host just wants to be left alone to survive the interplay and ignominy of the so-called big tribes. The way Yoruba and Igbo behave in the South makes me wonder if they are aware of any other people besides them who occupy this terrain we call Southern Nigeria. They need to take a lesson from the North on how to unify people.

We need unity all over the country, but Southern unity is very essential for the unity and progress of Nigeria. Southern unity is needed to free the North from Religious tyranny that impedes progress and imprison Northern youth in a cocoon of Ignorance. This state of ignorance makes the Northern youth erroneously identify with the vision of his oppressor.

How did the North become so united? They used a language of common purpose. No matter the drawback of the Fulani, they were able to draw up a philosophy of a common heritage. This could be religion or culture. Since we don’t have a common heritage in the South, we can draw up a common theme that can unify us. We could adopt the theme: Justice, equality and fairness. It is not enough to say you are Igbo. Do you believe in justice? Do you believe in equality? Do you believe in fairness? If the answer is yes, I will work with you to evolve a better relationship.

What does it mean to be a Yoruba? Do you believe in Justice? Do you believe in fairness? Do you believe in equality? If the answer is yes, I will work with you to evolve a better terrain for our people. It is the negative answers that come from these groups that militate against any form of unity in Nigeria.

Lord Lugard amalgamated Nigeria for the love of Britain. What have we Nigerians done for the love of Nigeria? The answer to this question will lead to our evolution to a better place where our vision is not blurred. One out of every four black people in the world is a Nigerian. This is power and should be backed by our sense of responsibility to all black people around the World. This is a leadership position that every Nigerian must take as his responsibility.

To be effective, we must as a matter of urgency restructure Nigeria for proper governance. Restructuring will reduce hostilities and arbitrarily of governance. Knowledgeable people will move from a mediocre and moribund unitary/Central governance and improve the lives of people at the local level who can be trusted to pick the right people for leadership. Our focus should be on this solemn obligation that must not be trifled by any singular loyalty to the village idiot who is still a troglodyte.

DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS