By Julius Oweh
Of the three
prominent early Nigerian nationalists, it was perhaps Nnamdi Azikiwe, the great
Zik of Africa and a mentor to Kwame Nkrumah who believed in the unity and
corporate existence of the nation. The other two, Ahmadu Bello and Obafemi
Awolowo at one time or the other expressed their reservations about the unity
and oneness of the country. It is on record that Ahmadu Bello described the
1914 amalgamation as a mistake, while Awolowo described Nigeria as a mere
geographical expression.
At the height of constitutional conferences that paved way
for the nation‘s independence, Bello was quoted as saying about the north
‘we are not going to be part of Nigeria again‘. The most powerful politician of
the north at that time only had a change of mind when Awolowo explained the
concept of federalism to the Premier of northern region. I am embarking
on this political voyage so that you can truly understand the situation and why
after sixty years of independence, despite the abundant human and material
resources, Nigeria is still the butt of dirty diplomatic jokes around the globe.
