IS AMALGAMATION OF 1914 A BLESSING OR A CURSE?
Written by Ogochukwu Nnanna
For family writers
In the annals of Nigeria history, one chapter that has remained till today controversial and very elusive to candid classification is the amalgamation of 1914. The ill –conceived connubial resolution that brought Southern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria together in 1914 is up till today being debated to be the basis of the problems we are facing today.
The union which ought to serve as a unifying factor turned out to create an endless animosity between the two protectorates because none of them was prepared for it. I can confidently say that the amalgamation of 1914 is nothing but a fraud because it was not created for the interest of the Nigeria or Nigerians or Biafrans but in the interest of the British.
In retrospect, southern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria were coalesced together in 1914 to form a single colony of Nigeria. The unification was consummated purely for economic reasons rather than political. It was a union marshalled and carried out without any form of consultation between South and the North. In fact there are no mutual agreements for such an unfruitful marriage, the devil incarnate who is said to be the governor – general in the person of Lord Lugard who took office in 1914 was responsible for overseeing the unification. While his girl friend Flora Shaw who was born on December 1852 coined the name ‘NIGERIA’ This Lucifer called lord Lugard was said to have established several central institutions to anchor the evolving unified structure.
Southern Nigeria came into existence January 1st 1900at the centenary of the fall of Benin in 1896 and these made the creation of the Southern protectorate possible. There is nothing like Nigeria in that time and it was after the conquest of Sokoto that they were able to create the Northern protectorate in 1903.This devil called Lord Lugard went in full blast and created what was to be known as the protectorate of Northern Nigeria, a central secretariat was instituted in Lagos, which was the seat of government, and the Nigerian council {later the legislative council}, was founded to provide a forum for representatives drawn from the provinces. Certain services were integrated across the Northern and Southern provinces because of their national significances_ military, treasury, audit, post and telegraphs, railways, survey, medical services and legal departments were brought under the central secretariat in Lagos. Despite the fact that the unification process developed embryonic problems and was greatly undermined by the persistence of different regional perspectives on governance between the North and the Southern provinces. The colonial masters never deemed it fit to put up an ameliorative process that could have made the forced marriage work.
While Southern colonial administrators welcomed amalgamation as an opportunity for imperial expansion, their counterparts in the Northern Province believed that it was injurious to the interest of the areas they administered because of their relative backwardness and that it was their obligation to resist the advance of Southern influences and culture into the North. Southerners on the other hand, were not eager to embrace the expansion of legislation originally meet for the North to the South.
Today many observers of our national polity are of the opinion that Nigeria myriads of problems are as a result of the 1914 amalgamation. That is why up till this moment, the relationship between the two is one based on mutual suspicion and is responsible for the country’s retrogressive nature among comity of nations. The resultant effect or failure of the 1914 amalgamation is what the two protectorates that are now represented on the basis of three major ethnic groups are battling with today.
It has always been a cat and mouse relationship in which every ethnic groups tries to outsmart one another in an existential “rat race”. And the North has always wanted ‘ALL’ since the journey began that’s why they always say that they are ‘BORN TO RULE’ while Easterners are born to serve them as slaves. From the way 1914 amalgamation was conceived, the union was never meant to be apolitical elixir but an ill- conceived palliative economic measure. This Lucifer called Fredrick Lugard has his short comings as a governor general of both Southern and Northern Nigeria.
Among other things, he was mandated to unite the two protectorates and was to complete the amalgamation into one colony. This Lucifer called Lord Lugard from 1914 to 1919, sought persistently to secure the amelioration of the condition of the native people, among other means by the exclusion of the possible, of alcoholic liquors and by the suppression of slave trading and slavery.
However, Lugard was criticized for running the country with half of each spent in England, distance from realities in Africa where his subordinates had to delay decisions many matters until he returned, and base and base his rule on military system. The interest of Europeans in Africa and his deal in Nigeria was the economy and still economy till today. At various stages of this unholy matrimony, we have recorded series of events including a civil war and currently the Boko Haram menace. Unfortunately, we have not found unity in diversity as we tend to deceive ourselves. The only thing that unites us with the Northerners are CORRUPTION AND OIL IN BIAFRA LAND.
And it is because of this oil in Biafra land that you are hearing one Nigeria one Nigeria every here and there today. Had it been that the oil is in the North, the country would have been divided since ages past. It is not today that the Northerners started their tribalism, when North formed a political party, the Northern leaders called it Northern People’s congress [NPC] they did not call it Nigeria’s Peoples Congress. Also when Aminu Kanu formed his own party, it was also called Northern Elements Progressive Union[NEPU] and not Nigerian Elements Progressive Union. It was only Zik who know that there is something called one Nigeria’
In fact, the so –called Nigeria created in 1914 was a complete fraud! It has never for one day favored the Easterners instead they have been killing us like fowl every day and all the key positions in the government are occupied by the Northerners. According to Lord lugard, this amalgamation is to last for 100 years and after that any region who don’t want to continue can secede. So I want to let the whole word know that the amalgamation is over and for that Biafrans who are formally known as the Eastern Nigeria before want to be left alone just as they were before the British came since the unholy marriage refused to work.
Written by Ogochukwu Nnanna
For family writers
In the annals of Nigeria history, one chapter that has remained till today controversial and very elusive to candid classification is the amalgamation of 1914. The ill –conceived connubial resolution that brought Southern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria together in 1914 is up till today being debated to be the basis of the problems we are facing today.
The union which ought to serve as a unifying factor turned out to create an endless animosity between the two protectorates because none of them was prepared for it. I can confidently say that the amalgamation of 1914 is nothing but a fraud because it was not created for the interest of the Nigeria or Nigerians or Biafrans but in the interest of the British.
In retrospect, southern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria were coalesced together in 1914 to form a single colony of Nigeria. The unification was consummated purely for economic reasons rather than political. It was a union marshalled and carried out without any form of consultation between South and the North. In fact there are no mutual agreements for such an unfruitful marriage, the devil incarnate who is said to be the governor – general in the person of Lord Lugard who took office in 1914 was responsible for overseeing the unification. While his girl friend Flora Shaw who was born on December 1852 coined the name ‘NIGERIA’ This Lucifer called lord Lugard was said to have established several central institutions to anchor the evolving unified structure.
Southern Nigeria came into existence January 1st 1900at the centenary of the fall of Benin in 1896 and these made the creation of the Southern protectorate possible. There is nothing like Nigeria in that time and it was after the conquest of Sokoto that they were able to create the Northern protectorate in 1903.This devil called Lord Lugard went in full blast and created what was to be known as the protectorate of Northern Nigeria, a central secretariat was instituted in Lagos, which was the seat of government, and the Nigerian council {later the legislative council}, was founded to provide a forum for representatives drawn from the provinces. Certain services were integrated across the Northern and Southern provinces because of their national significances_ military, treasury, audit, post and telegraphs, railways, survey, medical services and legal departments were brought under the central secretariat in Lagos. Despite the fact that the unification process developed embryonic problems and was greatly undermined by the persistence of different regional perspectives on governance between the North and the Southern provinces. The colonial masters never deemed it fit to put up an ameliorative process that could have made the forced marriage work.
While Southern colonial administrators welcomed amalgamation as an opportunity for imperial expansion, their counterparts in the Northern Province believed that it was injurious to the interest of the areas they administered because of their relative backwardness and that it was their obligation to resist the advance of Southern influences and culture into the North. Southerners on the other hand, were not eager to embrace the expansion of legislation originally meet for the North to the South.
Today many observers of our national polity are of the opinion that Nigeria myriads of problems are as a result of the 1914 amalgamation. That is why up till this moment, the relationship between the two is one based on mutual suspicion and is responsible for the country’s retrogressive nature among comity of nations. The resultant effect or failure of the 1914 amalgamation is what the two protectorates that are now represented on the basis of three major ethnic groups are battling with today.
It has always been a cat and mouse relationship in which every ethnic groups tries to outsmart one another in an existential “rat race”. And the North has always wanted ‘ALL’ since the journey began that’s why they always say that they are ‘BORN TO RULE’ while Easterners are born to serve them as slaves. From the way 1914 amalgamation was conceived, the union was never meant to be apolitical elixir but an ill- conceived palliative economic measure. This Lucifer called Fredrick Lugard has his short comings as a governor general of both Southern and Northern Nigeria.
Among other things, he was mandated to unite the two protectorates and was to complete the amalgamation into one colony. This Lucifer called Lord Lugard from 1914 to 1919, sought persistently to secure the amelioration of the condition of the native people, among other means by the exclusion of the possible, of alcoholic liquors and by the suppression of slave trading and slavery.
However, Lugard was criticized for running the country with half of each spent in England, distance from realities in Africa where his subordinates had to delay decisions many matters until he returned, and base and base his rule on military system. The interest of Europeans in Africa and his deal in Nigeria was the economy and still economy till today. At various stages of this unholy matrimony, we have recorded series of events including a civil war and currently the Boko Haram menace. Unfortunately, we have not found unity in diversity as we tend to deceive ourselves. The only thing that unites us with the Northerners are CORRUPTION AND OIL IN BIAFRA LAND.
And it is because of this oil in Biafra land that you are hearing one Nigeria one Nigeria every here and there today. Had it been that the oil is in the North, the country would have been divided since ages past. It is not today that the Northerners started their tribalism, when North formed a political party, the Northern leaders called it Northern People’s congress [NPC] they did not call it Nigeria’s Peoples Congress. Also when Aminu Kanu formed his own party, it was also called Northern Elements Progressive Union[NEPU] and not Nigerian Elements Progressive Union. It was only Zik who know that there is something called one Nigeria’
In fact, the so –called Nigeria created in 1914 was a complete fraud! It has never for one day favored the Easterners instead they have been killing us like fowl every day and all the key positions in the government are occupied by the Northerners. According to Lord lugard, this amalgamation is to last for 100 years and after that any region who don’t want to continue can secede. So I want to let the whole word know that the amalgamation is over and for that Biafrans who are formally known as the Eastern Nigeria before want to be left alone just as they were before the British came since the unholy marriage refused to work.
If there are documents to support a provision tor regions to opt out at the end of a century to opt out of the union if they choose, why should Eastern Nigeria be forced to remain in the unholy alliance? I am impressed that eminent Nigerians like Prof Wole Soyinka hsd spoken favorably on this matter even though he does not hail from Biafra land. History will remember him. For Buhari who did so much harm to Igbo people to be so insensitive to young Biafrans as to let them know how disdained he was and is still against Igbos is unfathomable. He Buhari, should understand that these young ones to whom he is displaying his hatred for would grow up one day to learn of how ruthless he and his co-conspirators were to their parents, uncles, brothers and sisters. How does he think that they (Corpers) would react to such memories? Please Mr. President be reminded that any attempt on your part to lead Nigeria into another Civil war would not be to your advantage rather history would portray you as one helped to destroy Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteThis Daura Fulani fanatic and tyrant president must be taught a lesson. He has crossed the boundary for insulting Igbos by talking to our young people like that. Buhari is a fool and a national disgrace. We, Biafrans must teach him a lesson period! We cannot let him get away with these insults and impunity.
ReplyDeleteThe history must always be told so that the contraption called Nigeria will continue sinking to her bottomless pit of abyss, Mr Buhari,you have already destroyed the Zoologycal republic in general,you said, your leaders instruct you to fought in order to keep Nigeria one,you deceiver tyrant Buhari and his co northern caliphate, where is the one Nigeria today?
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