The Amalgamation of Nigeria has been seen as fraud from most quarters in Nigeria, different people have argued that the basis of Nigeria’s problem as of today can be traced back to 1914, the bringing together of the northern and southern Nigeria protectorates in 1914 was not in the interest of the people but was based on business interest by the British colonialists championed by Major Lord Lugard.
If you remember, Sokoto was not conquered until 1903, so there was no question of Nigeria as at then. The reasons for amalgamation were given as follows: the north is poor and had no resources to run the protectorate and they had no access to the sea, but the south had resources and have educated people; the northern protectorate was not making profit but the south was, so the British had to merge the protectorates using the surplus in the south to offset the deficit being recorded in the north.
Several issues unfolded with time, Nigeria’s foundation as a country is weak and founded on lies and we cannot turn back the hands of time to undo what error that had been made. What is being sought now is the way forward because almost everything Nigerians are suffering can be traced back to the roots.
According to John F. Kennedy, “Geography has made us neighbours, History has made us friends, Economics has made us partners and necessity has made us allies”. Nature and circumstances have bonded the north and south to become Nigeria.
The present day Nigeria has evolved over time, leaving us in position of shame and unbelief. Despite various methods adopted to manage the great country, 90% of Nigerians live below the poverty line which includes both northerners and southerners; all are suffering the effects of bad leaderships from both regions.
Lets us look beyond the deceit under which Nigeria was brought together and work towards uniting the country on a just cause.
