AMALGAMATION OF NIGERIA AFTER 106 YEARS: THE UNSUCCESSFUL

MARRIAGE OF SEVERAL NATIONS

The problem of Nigeria started more than a decade ago from the resolution of the Berlin
Conference in 1884/1885 which culminated to the amalgamation of Northern and Southern
protectorates of Nigeria by the British Colonial Governor, Sir Fredrick Lord Lugard on January
1st, 1914. Before the entry of the British into the area presently known as Nigeria, it was an
incongruous of many units which the British called “tribes”. The pre-colonial societies in
Nigeria were made up of empires, a caliphate, kingdoms, chiefdoms, city states and
villages with rulers who exercised absolute authorities over them. The initial coming of the
British colonialists left Nigeria in three separate entities (the Colony of Lagos, the Northern
Protectorate and Southern Protectorate) which followed by boundary demarcations.

With the rich history of slavery where the Europeans first came to Africa as merchants and
traders, bringing along their religion and systems of government in the 19th century, they thought
their civilization and history were more authentic and superior. They failed to acknowledge the
fact the Africans already had forms of civilization or systems of governance with the belief that
they (the Europeans) were destined and sufficiently equipped in changing the Africans from what
were perceived as high level of ferocity, statelessness and superstitions.

In order to suppress and obliterate the indigenous political and socio-religious structures of the
now called Nigeria and also aid in the exploitation of her resources, the British through every
available force, skill and trickery set up administrative structure which later evolved to the
establishment of the British superiority over the Africans. Also, the British Government became
dissatisfied with the system of maintaining three separate administrative units with boundaries.
For the ease of administration, the colonialists wedded many entities into one nation and called
her Nigeria so that the different entities could be united. In one of the main hypocrisies by the
British to the Nigerians in the second stanza of the anthem composed by the British to the new
nation entitled, Nigeria We Hail Thee, as follows: “…though tribe and tongue may differ, in
brotherhood we stand…” This was one of the greatest falsehoods which Nigeria was founded
and which the present day Nigeria still survives.
The amalgamation of Nigeria has been considered as one of the major political blunders and
frauds by the British. Before independence, ethnicity was already crystal visible and not even the
national anthem could get rid of it. Speaking in the Assembly in 1952 by Sir Alhaji Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa (the first Prime Minister of Nigeria from 1960 to 1966) banished the
amalgamation of Nigeria and said: “…the Southern people who are swarming into this region
daily in their large numbers are really intruders. We don’t want them here and they are not
welcomed in the North. Since the amalgamation in 1914, the British Government has been trying
to make Nigeria into one country, but the Nigerian people are different in every way including
religion, customs, language and aspiration. The fact that we`re all Africans might have
misguided the British Government. We here in the North, take it that `Nigerian unity` is not for
us.”

It was already very glaring that when Nigeria was granted independence on October 1st, 1960,
the British had left a nation which was not bound by love, mutual respect, equity and unity; but it
was what Chief Obafemi Awolowo in his 1947 book (Path to Nigerian Freedom) had described
as “...a mere geographical expression.” The success of amalgamation before independence was
in the preservation of political, religious and ethnic differences which only created tension
among different parts of Nigeria soon after independence. Issues of national interest were viewed
from the local and ethnic lines. These created unhealthy and bloody administrative rivalry among
the representatives of the various ethnic groups which led to coup d’état on January 15th, 1966
and the Nigerian civil war on July 6th, 1967.

Amalgamation on its own may not have been an evil because according to a popular African
adage, “unity is strength”. But it was a fiction because for a country to be termed a united nation,
such a nation should have commonness and equal rights in law with effective electoral and social
systems devoid of any form of ethnicity which have not been achievable in Nigeria with
geographical imbalance between North and South which has hampered efforts of nation building.
After the 30 months civil war, attempts have been made to heal the wounds of the war. In the
words of the Military Head of State as at that time General Yakubu Gowon, “To keep Nigeria
one is a task that must be done,’ came up and of course, ‘Go on with one Nigeria.” Despite the
efforts, the effects of the amalgamation ranging from high rates of crimes, under developments,
high levels of corruption, religious and ethnic crises, terrorisms, militancy, and many more speak
volume of the unsuccessful marriage of inconvenience of these cacophony neighbours after 106
years.

Although Nigerian amalgamation may have been an unconsulted event as against that of the
Americans which was voluntarily, there is need for Nigerians to put national interests at the fore
rather than the interests of the ethnic groups. Also, rather than dwelling eternally on the flaws of
the amalgamation relegating it to the rare and damaging the useful prospects of it; love, unity,
fidelity and trust which are the fundamentals of the African people should be allowed to prevail.
There is need for Nigerians at all levels to imbibe the African (brotherly) spirit that will foster
brotherhood and eliminate every form of division resulting from tribal sentiments. Finally, it is
about time the constitution of Nigeria was amended to restore true federalism in order to give
more powers to the government at the regions and reduce the unhealthy grapple to govern the
centre through which Nigeria has been gradually eroded to the state of backwardness.

By

Etefia Etefia (Ph.D in view)

Class of 97