AGITATION FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF BIAFRA AND THE QUEST FOR THE RESTRUCTURING OF THE NIGERIA FEDERATION

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AGITATION FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF BIAFRA AND THE QUEST FOR THE RESTRUCTURING OF THE NIGERIA FEDERATION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Politics of imbalance and to very a large extent poor Leadership in Nigeria at various levels of governance and administration has failed to address nagging the socio-political, and economic inequality in the nation’s polity. The politics of imbalance in the nation’s political, social, economic, political and co-operate governance in the management, sharing, and allocation of the nation’s common wealth, constitute to a very large rampant state of insecurity, rancor, fear, suspicion and feelings of agitation, exclusion and isolation within and among the various ethnic nationalities in Nigerian state.

Hence, primarily the problems of underdevelopment, poverty, social and political imbalance further fuel the desire for agitation and division within the Nigerian federation. Again, the politics of uneven wealth sharing formula further stimulates feelings of secession from the Nigerian state, via agitation for Biafra from the South Eastern Nigeria, calls for re-structuring also from the South Western Nigeria stemmed from the marginalization and exploitation of the resources from the South-South area of Nigeria.

Hence, feelings of marginalization and deprivation nursed by people of the South East region occasioned by the high spate of poverty in the region has fuelled the called secession for another country, other than Nigeria.

Biafra agitation stemmed from leadership failure on the part of government, amounting to years of social neglect, economic and political isolation of the people in Nigeria and particularly people from the South East of the Nation in general. Again, the monumental underdevelopment, lingering unemployment for the youth skewed political structure and composition and snarled speed economic growth of the Nigerian state resulting to increased poverty, hunger, insecurity and instability via Boko Haram [1].

The problem is further compounded with the failure of successive government over the over years to address the high rate of unemployment, corruption, mismanagement of public funds at the expense of the national interest.

This has led to brain drain, money laundering by government officials, immigration to Europe in search of greener pastures and terrorism and very recently violence clashes between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in the North Central of the Nation. A Nation is an abstraction in itself without any form or status; it is the people, their customs, culture, language and political difference/affiliation, personality and their idiosyncrasies that gives forms and meaning to what constitute a Nation (Soremekun, 2012).

Again, a Nation’s characteristic is noted in its geographical location, topography, population, natural resources, climatic conditions, social, political, economic, cultural beliefs and ideology. Nigeria is describe and regarded as a nation because of these characteristics highlighted above. Fundamentally, again, a Nation exists because of its people, values, cultures, and socio-political and economic structure [2].

While, it is true that Nigeria as a Nation fit into these description as well as other Nation in the world, its socio-political composition has created tension, insecurity and a feeling and consciousness of social, economic and political exclusion and isolation of some of its constituent part in the minds and hearts of peoples in these areas. Many scholars have contended that the skewed composition of Nigerian political structure constitutes avenues of conflict, political instability and unending agitations for balance, fairness, sense of belonging and social inclusion, and most recently restructuring in the polity.

The Nigerian state historically, was the conception and the design of the British colonial master in 1914, when the Northern and the Southern protectorate were brought together as one political unit by Lord Lugard. Its primary objective and purpose was to service the British commercial, economic interest and for the ease of administration of colonial Nigeria in 1914 as postulated by James Ojiako.

Hence, this exercise did not consider the overall interest, customs, cultures, language, and religion of the different ethnic nationalities in the polity.

Again, the skewed administrative, socio-economic and political arrangement of the Nigerian state, occasioned by the merging of different ethnic nationalities in 1914 by the British colonial master. Hence, this gave undue advantage to particular ethnic nationalities in the polity in term of size, population, land mass and geographical spread, and revenue sharing at the expense other ethnic nationalities, particularly the minorities. Hence, this further generated insecurity, suspicion, and fear.

Again, this is further articulated by James Ojiako in his book titled: Nigeria: Yesterday, Today, “that the British colonial master upon conquering the different ethnic nationalities and its peoples created the problem of how to merge, manage, and administer discordant elements and vast land mass into a coherent political unit”.

These gave rise for tension and agitation right from colonial period, whereby minorities in the polity demanded for increased revenue and political inclusion and participation in the scheme of things in Nigeria, through a credible, transparent and sustainable review of the revenue sharing formula and increased political expression and identity in the Nigerian polity

Diverse agitations and advocacy for systematic change in the social, economic, and political structure of the Nigerian state is more or less seeking collective and mass participation, acceptance, identification and recognition in the scheme of thing in the Nigerian polity. Again, agitation is simply an expression of frustration of people, particularly in the South Eastern vis-a-vis Igbo tribe for inclusive rather than exclusive or dominating altitude from the rest of the tribes in Nigeria.

Nigerian Civil War was fought between the Government of Nigeria and secessionist state of Biafra of mostly Igbo and some minority extraction which took place between the years 1967 and 1970. The event that resulted to a full fledge war as outlined above, primarily was the political tension in the Nation as mostly as a consequent of the 1964 elections characterized by incidences of fraud, marred electoral process, rigging and political violence against party officials and the oppositions parties.

Thereafter, the year 1966 military coups, counter coups in July the year, and subsequent killings of the Igbo people in the northern part of the country. Which led to the mass exodus of the people from the North as directed by then region governor because of his inability to guarantee their safety and the eventual declaration of the Biafra Republic in 1967 and the subsequent rejection of the Biafran republic the Nigerian government culminating into a full blown war that same year.

According Ajayi [9], the conflict resulted from political, economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions which preceded British formal decolonization of Nigeria entity from 1960 to 1963. Again, the immediate causes of the war in 1966 stemmed from a military coup, and a counter coup respectively and later the subsequent massacred of the Igbo’s people living in northern Nigeria, with tension and a state of insecurity in the Western region, between Akintola group and the Awolowo group for party supremacy and power struggle.

This activities later engulf the entire nation into a full fledge war that last three years. This particular action was necessitated by the perceived feelings of marginalization, deprivation and isolation by people in the south eastern Nigeria and domination altitude from the people in the Northern part of Nigeria.

Again, the political crisis in the nation in general and particularly in the western region stiffen the peace and tranquility of nation and engulf the entire nation also represented a factor that plunged the nation into a bloody civil war that took lives of over 500,000 to 2 million from both side of the divide.

Again, as noted by Ajayi [9] many civilians died from starvation as a result of economic blockade of the Nigerian government of strategic boarder and entry point between the Nigerian state and the secessionist state. The impact of this blockade policy created famine in 1968 on the Biafran divide, its effect was seen on the images of malnourished and starving Biafra children, suddenly saturated the mass media of Western countries.

This later created humanitarian crisis in the south eastern region and later prompted international community concern and action via funding of non-governmental organization like Red Cross and relief agencies for assistance in the war thorn areas.

Britain and the Soviet Union were the main supporters of the Nigerian government, while France, Israel and some other countries supported Biafra. However, France and Israel provided weapons to both combatants as submitted by Ajayi [9].

The consequent of the Nigeria-Biafran war was noted in the degree of destruction of properties and the loss of over 2 million lives from both side, it was a bloody experience that cost the nation dearly.

Again, the war had its root in the ethnicity and divisive manipulation and tendencies observed in the Nigerian political structure and arrangement by the British colonial master via the 1914 amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates.

The purpose of the exercise was as asserted by Ajayi [9] for better administration due to close proximity and availability of finance from the southern protectorate. However, there was so much difference in the culture and religion of the people. The amalgamation, oil was discovered in Eastern Nigeria (now South-South Nigeria), and this was a turning point in the history of Nigeria, as that led to the struggle for control amongst the regions.

Statement of the problem

There may have been previous researches in this subject. This work gives further explanations and analysis in agitation for the independence of biafra and the quest for the restructuring of the nigeria federation

Purpose of the study

To understand the impact of continued agitation for the independence of Biafra.
To understand the relationship between agitation for Biafra, and restructuring and development of the Nigeria federation.

Significance of the study

This work aims at understanding the continuous agitations for self determination, independence, and restructuring for the peoples of Nigeria who feel marginalized. It also aims at pushing the boundaries of knowledge in this area of discuss to provide resources with more depth for use by future researches.

Scope of the study

This research was conducted to cover selected states in In Nigeria, states where there is a high concentration of aggrieved youths of Nigeria, youths aggrieved on the basis of untold and unwarranted levels of corruption stemming from the stench of marginalization, sectionalization, and deliberate disenfranchisement with clinical regularity been metted out on peoples of Nigeria from certain sections or regions of the country as the case may be, this includes, southern Nigeria, and middle belt.

Research questions

What is the impact of continued agitation for the independence of Biafra.
What is the relationship between agitation for Biafra, and restructuring and development of the Nigeria federation.

Research hypothesis

H0: There is no relationship between agitation for Biafra, and restructuring and development of the Nigeria federation

H1: There is a relationship between agitation for Biafra, and restructuring and development of the Nigeria federation

Purpose of the study

The information gathered from his research will provide adequate reserve of resources for further research in this subject of discuss. Recommendations and solutions proferred in the course of this work could be implemented by the federal government authorities.

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