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YOU might want to know why Nigeria as a developing country in its 60s has been unable to get rid of historical implications. The imperialists and colonialists’ intervention in the country’s political, economic and religious culture was catalysed mainly by the activities of the Nigerians in their pursuit of wealth and interest. First, the country known today as Nigeria is an amalgamation of several kingdoms, empires and caliphate with each one of them administering its affairs and acting (to some extent) independent of another. Notable among which are the Oyó empire of the Yoruba,the great Benin Kingdom, the Borno empire and the Sokoto Caliphate, each lasting for an appreciable number of decades and centuries. Needless to mention is the unifying, economic and political achievement of these kingdoms. However, by the intervention of the Europeans, at first the Portuguese by the mid fifteenth century,and series of European adventurers, the region of Nigeria and Africa as a whole began experiencing demographic, economic, political, socio-cultural and ideological challenges.
These were the impacts of the popular slave trade (the trade in human rather than goods where millions of the people of Africa forcefully migrated to the New world to work on the European plantations in America),and colonialism. To prevent verbosity, let us fast-forward to the immediate intervention of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The colonialist movement of the Europeans (British) in Nigeria can be traced to the annexation of Lagos as a British colony in 1861. This was preceded by the Bombardment of 1851 when the British disingenuously claimed to be intervening in Nigeria’s politics with the aim of abolishing the slave trade which Lagos was notorious for. However, historians and International relations specialists have perceived the intervention as being acted for British interest. With the annexation, Lagos became a British colony under the auspices of British governors who were responsible to the British governor in sierra Leone. It is pertinent to briskly justify the relevance of the existed claim of the catalystic activities of the Nigerians as mentioned earlier in this article.
As seen today,the succession dispute ubiquitous in Nigeria is not an outlandish matter; it is a conventional characteristics of megalomaniacs who would rather die than not satisfying their power-hungry. In light of the foregoing, Dr. Habeeb Sanni of the Department of History and International Studies,LASU pointed that Akitoye, Kosoko’s uncle, in order to secure British assistance to regain the throne of Lagos of which he had been ousted by Kosoko and his warriors between 1845 and 1851 presented himself as ‘’a king who abjured slave trade’’,hence, the British Bombardment of Lagos. This is one among numerous examples by which the Nigerians and Africans at large have attempted to sell their prestige to the developed worlds all in the aim of securing personal interest. This was how the British penetrated the Nigerian politics and ruled in the areas that were later to become Nigeria including,Lagos,and the consequential Southern and northern protectorates of the Nigeria of today.
For economic reasons ,the British decided to amalgamate the northern and southern protectorate of the “Niger-area”, an act which Awolowo, the first premier of the western region of Nigeria, perceived as a “marriage of inconvenience”. Indeed, this “marriage” has since then been an uncontrollable disaster to the development of Nigeria so much that we still have today(aside the 1967-70 agitation),agitators of a divided Nigeria. Ndaliman et al, in their Evaluation of the Evolution of the Nigerian-States and the factors that promote stability and instability in the Nigerian Polity quoted Awolowo to have argued:”Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. There are no “Nigerians” in the same sense as there are “English”, “Welsh” or “French”. The word “Nigeria” is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria from those who do not.” This intervention has caused so many setbacks to the stability of the country.
Political, economic, religious and ideological implications
You would recall that it is for effective administration of the unwilling and culturally diversified welded Nigerians that the Richard constitution of 1946 embraced regionalism i.e a political ideology that seeks to increase the political power and self-determination of one or more subnational group. Consequentially, politics of regionalism and ethnic favoritism have become some of the inexorable impediments of a progressive Nigeria, even in a situation whereby the power holders seek to get rid of it. Uncountable are the effects of western ideology. Through the introduction of education, which according to Rodney in his How Europe Underdeveloped Africa “was to create mental confusion”, the British easily influenced Nigerians. By imbibing western ideology, people are able to see through the alleged ‘primitiveness’ of some cultural activities which have been able to play a tremendous role in checking the excess use of power by rulers and government officials. For example, the Oyó empire in its days was able to establish a constitutional checks and balance of power, whereby the Alaafin (King) could checkmate the affairs of the Oyomesi (kingmakers) and vice versa. The Ogboni (Cults) could also check the formers. All these were abolished, and the European system of government where a president is immune from just appearing before the court of law is held with high esteem.
This is not to debunk the advantages education has brought, but needful to assert is the fact that, the introduction of education was not an altruistic act,it was introduced as a means to promote the missionary activities of the British and to aid the subjugation of the Nigerians. This intervention has caused so many setbacks to the stability of the country.
In the economic sphere, Nigeria, a country reputable for abundance of natural resources that is supposed to satisfy the need of its citizens have proved incapable. Today, Nigeria is such a state where the poor man tries by going extra length to upgrade himself into the competitive arena of the rich. It is no gainsaying that the constructed Nigeria is working on such system whereby the rich are getting richer while the poor Nigerians are getting poorer. Although the country keeps on discovering more natural resources in different areas within the country, It is surprising however, that the economic growth of the country is far compared with the economic development(That is, the rate at which the growth reflect in the welfarism of the Nigerians). Thus, the 2022 45 trillion naira Nigeria’s GDP with 3.54% increase than the previous year has failed to cater for a proper welfare of her citizens.This is also an implication of European intervention in African politics coupled with brutal policies of the government, embezzlement of public fund, favoritism, tribalism and corruption,among other factors.Aside the demographic effect of the slave trade hinted above, several Nigerian economic resources have been exploited forcefully which result among other factors to the dependency of the Nigerian economy on the outside World. After the abolition of the slave trade, the Nigerian kings and merchants were forced to trade legitimate goods with the Europeans particularly, the British. The latter had not stopped the slave trade in 1807 and pronounced it illegal in her colonies by 1837 only (if at all) for its obnoxiousness, but because it was forestalling the growth of capitalism which was coming into light in Britain at the material time. It is this clear with the above argument that the attempt by the British to forcefully unite people of diverse cultures under an umbrella was nothing but a decision made for the Nigerians at their own detriment.
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In the religious realm,the Europeans have done many goods for Nigeria that one of the reasons behind banditry and terrorism in Nigeria today has to do with religion. The introduction of Christianity in Nigeria is like creating an opposition party to the existing ruling party (Islamic religion) with one party criticizing the other due to ideological differences. In the pre-colonial Niger-area, while clashes occur because of territorial expansion by kingdoms and empires trying to expand its territory at the expense of another, substantial amount of peace was recorded especially within empires as regards to their religious life. This was owing to the fact that,more often than not, there is similarities between the deities worshipped, especially as regards their origin. For example the Yoruba believe that Sango (god of Thunder and Lightening) was the husband of Oya (goddess of Wind and Lightening). As such, worshippers of either of the deities see each other as one family. While yhe the two alien religion(Islam and Christianity) have helped to an appreciable extent, to rid some of obnoxious practices of the traditional religion,it has also caused loss of lives and properties by religion extremists. According to Genocidewatch,no fewer than 2,543 christians have been killed by Jihadists in Nigeria. These are sects of Muslims who misconcept the meaning of Jihad and think that the killing of innocent people who do not share the same ideology with them,is an act that Allah Almighty would reward. Just in May this year,a second-year student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Deborah Samuel was killed and lynched on 12 May,2022 on accusation of Blasphemy. As if that was not enough, a prostitute,Hannah Saliu in June this year,was killed as wel,for keeping the Qura’n under her pillow. These are a few examples of the danger of the ideological differences in the alien religions brought to Nigeria.
As has been demonstrated, the amalgamation of the people of the Niger-area who with ethnic diversity are unwilling to live together, is a major challenge to Nigeria’s development, as agitators continue (aside the popular 1967-1970 Biafra breakup), to advocate for a divided Nigeria. The situation of Nigeria having ideological diseases which have cost the country, not only lives and properties but a continue loss of potentials is uncalled for. Nigerians have been bamboozled that we no longer get delighted at our own products, rather we hold the foreign-made goods in a high esteem. Nigerians are no longer interested in residing in Nigeria rather they consider travelling abroad as way of making change., which in most cases lead to loss of lives during the migration process. It is also sad seeing Nigerians claim they understand the alien religions than the pioneers. These among others,are a retrospective analysis of the challenges facing Nigeria. It is not gainsaying that while corruption and bad governance are a big impediments on the country’s development,both are some of the transmitted diseases the Nigerians are infected with during the colonial contact.
Until we get rid of secessionist thought, religious violence,and self-deprecation, not forgetting the evil of corruption and bad governance on national development,we will not only be defrauded forcefully (slave trade and colonial era) but on our own assent. With consciousness and integrity,we can all rid our dependency on the western world and rise to become a formidable country not only in Africa but in the world at large. Only then would our abundant natural resources be a “gain” and not “drain” to Nigeria and its residents.
- Abdulkadir is a student of Lagos State University
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