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| Balewa |
Owei
Lakemfa,
is a seasoned journalist and an accomplished labour leader. In this article,
written about five years ago (September, 2010), he looked at the origin of what
became one-Nigeria, and which Fulani Northerners want the world to believe they
are interested in its oneness. Read and see that the oneness Fulani Northerners
seeking is just subjection of others and the stealing of their resources.
AS we mark the fiftieth year of our flag
independence, many Nigerians are despondent believing that our lingering
problems are because we are cursed.
This is incorrect; rather, our problems are foundational
as typified by our founding Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. He
was a school teacher when the colonialists spotted his talent as a “House
Nigger” – House Slave.
In January 1947 he was appointed into the Northern
House of Assembly and two months later into the Legislative Council (National
Assembly) Balewa was of low esteem; he felt inferior to the White man, was
grateful to have been colonised, was an unapologetic agent of colonialism, was
ready and willing to do the bidding of the British, and did not believe in the
unity of Nigeria.
To the colonialists, this was the perfect person to
invest in and promote to lead Nigeria. To mitigate any controversy, let me
reproduce excerpts of his first speeches at the two legislative houses as
published by his friend/master and official biographer, Trevor Clark in the
book, A Right Honourable Gentleman: The Life and times of Alhaji Sir Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa.
At the Northern House of Assembly, Balewa submitted:
“We are fortunate in having the British here as our guides and teachers. They
are great colonial administrators and they have great experience in developing
and administering many tropical dependencies. I want all our British officers
to realise that now is the time when we, as their pupils, need all their
patience and courage, and the use of their knowledge and experience. If ever
the Northern provinces change, as I know they must, I want them to change into
modern Northern Nigeria, but not into some sort of artificial civilization
which is not either European or African. The Northern provinces are now facing
a great danger.
Evil ideas are creeping into the North from outside
sources. In all countries of the world you find men who thirst for power, who
agitate the government and disrupt the happiness of the people for the
satisfaction of their own personal ambitions. I understand we have such a class
of people in Nigeria. I do not know what right those people have to claim to be
the voice of the North. We must do something soon in the North to show Britain
and the world that these self-styled leaders do not and cannot in any matter or
in any way represent us. We have our own leaders whom we have chosen”.
At the inaugural meeting of the National Assembly,
Balewa declared: “We are still far from one country, despite the railway train
and the motorcar which have created the opportunity of understanding among
ourselves.
This alone is not enough. We here are
representatives of different communities, to discuss our common problems and to
establish our future destinies. The success or failure of the Richards
Constitution lies mainly with the unofficial members. We should not close our
eyes to the fact that the Yorubas, the Igbos and the Hausas, who are the
predominant tribes in the country, do not see eye(to eye).
“…Among the needs of the Northern provinces are mass
literacy, and for the education of our boys and girls to go side by side. We
have only one secondary school – we ask for five more, three for boys and two
for girls. In the awards of scholarships, the Northern provinces should have
more places, because the Western and Eastern provinces have been enjoying those
opportunities for a long time. Now the time has come for the North, and we
should like to make up for what we have lost. We are glad that it has come to
the notice of government that the Northern provinces have not been receiving
the use of their full share from the Nigerian government.
Well, we do not want to lose utterly, and we ask for
the development of the North absorbing the greater portion of the funds
allotted to Nigeria from the colonial development, so as to make up their
losses from the revenue. We ask for improvement in villages which have remained
in the same places as before the British occupation, and for better prices for
the farm produce, which means raising the standard of living. Agriculture alone
cannot save us, there must be industrialisation. …As to native authorities – we
should like the position of our emirs and chiefs, as rulers of their own
people, to be clearly defined. Most are men of experience. Their experience and
knowledge of their own people and of the local conditions carry great weight.
“… The doctor’s care is still badly needed, but it
should be remembered that the child is now fast reaching years of discretion,
and he is now asking to be given an opportunity for a quicker growth. Our
mistakes could be corrected easily because we should always have the advice and
guidance of our British officers…
“There are some people in Nigeria who have taken
upon themselves the responsibility of speaking for the whole country as one. A
delegation of these people (made up of Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe and
Michael Imoudu) toured parts of the Northern provinces. We did not then
understand the real intention of that tour, and we naturally mistook it for one
of friendship.
We had never dreamed that it could ever possibly
happen that these people could have thought of becoming our mouthpiece. We
should like the world to know that in the North we have got our own leaders, whom
we have chosen ourselves, to be our rulers and our voice. We do not want our
Southern neighbours to interfere in our
Immediately after this speech, on the parliamentary
floor, colonial governor, Sir Arthur Richards scribbled Balewa a congratulatory
note!
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