The Fault in Our Stars: The Beginning of the Nigerian Problems induced from the West -By Fakinlede Pelumi

The Nigerian problem is both internally and externally induced and in this article I will be bringing the external now to deal with the internal later in a way. First and foremost, what or who is Nigeria? Nigeria is a geographical location for over 200 tribal dialects, headed by a single tribe believing that they are born to rule for sixty years and the largest deposit for blacks in the world who is crawling to be the giant of Africa.

The Nigerian problem began in 1914 at the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates which is a marriage of inconvenience. Before the so-called marriage, the two sides had nothing to do with each other maybe only in trade. They had different kinds of administration for their people but yet the colonial power wanted something easier for themselves to the detriment of the people they hope to govern.

During the colonial era, the power that be used force to rule and created a kind of divide and rule mechanism. It was easier for them in the North due to a single religion and a common sense of culture though the Hausa are the majority, headed my Fulani monarchs with other minor tribes as Nupe, Tiv, and Kanuri. The South was a partial success and East was a total mess and this unbalanced process deepens the calamity that befell the nation.

Just before independence, the colonial power pinned independence to when the North was ready even when the other groups had moved for self-government yet it was at the readiness of the North, Britain decided to release power. Making the Hausa-Fulani group In Nigeria the sole proprietor of the country and the most relevant decision-makers.

Just as the move to elect indigenous leaders arose, Britain needed people that can be easily controlled and with the Yoruba and Igbo that won’t be possible, the colonial power had to institute electoral malpractices into the election in which produced a northern the prime minister who is the Head of Government, leaving two foreign-trained lawyers to scrabble for ceremonial head and opposition.

Even though 1960 was an election, Nigeria was still a puppet in the hands of the crown and not until 1963 that a little relief came as a republic yet the political structure remains a Northern at the helm of affairs and in 1966 when that was toppled, the nation went into a civil war barely seven years old as a nation. Gowon would have allowed Biafra secede but the western power reminded him of the usefulness of the seceding part which made him flaunted the Aburi Accord.

Now to the present day Nigeria, Nigeria gets the title in corruption and embezzlement yet it is these same western powers that received the loot from them all in the name of investment and property acquisition. Even as every government in Nigeria goes, the rate of debt owed is alarming that one will ask if we can’t run governance without debt.

In 2017, I was in a conference where I met a Rear Admiral who told us about the western conspiracy about the steel company, many Nigerians never wondered what happened to Ajaokuta steel factory, during that period it was established that the steel factory was 95% ready and will be a future success for Nigeria only for Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) to sap it.

Nigerian should stop seeing the western world as friends and China as benefactors in fact they are fri-enemies. Friends who are there to kill dreams and hope of a good governance. Truth be told, they are very happy with the way we are now because it keeps us dependent on them. Nigerian government should put up modalities to do without them. We are Nigerians and we know how best to move this country forward.