Alternative options for the Nigeria referendum

As I had explored in this newspaper sometime ago, the blessing of the civilian political coming of our most dear Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s head of state is to reveal to us that the true change that Nigeria has ever needed must happen now. Indeed, that change was in the slogan of their political party, but as a gimmick only. But as God Himself would have it, He was using their mouths to reveal this upcoming mind of God; a real change for all those Nigerians desirous of freedom, universal human love, justice, progress and the death of all the systematic corruptions that have become the other name for Nigeria as a country.

This government brought all those corruptions and retrogression to a crescendo in the nepotism, tribalism, ethnicity, religious fanaticism unto “a jihadism”, double-speak (taqiyah) and small and big terrorisms and their protection, which this government has tried to perfect itself in. It is all of these, and the arrogance with which those who embraced them, practiced them and believe that nobody may dare to challenge them in it that has brought us all to this dead end. This is so, despite their having as arrogantly seized all the strategic financial, economic, military and human security commands into their hegemonic hands in the hope that this will guarantee that nobody would dare to choose to confront the monstrosity. Unfortunately, they are still thinking in the outdated and most primitive mode of illiteracy and lack of proper education; instead of the now advanced civilization that teaches all that it is love that conquers evil, not any other evil forces as hate, war or any other belligerence.

In my last article published in this medium, I had talked about this win-win, civilized, loving and peaceful dissolution of the present devil’s empire that Nigeria has most obviously turned into; and thus generating all sorts of youthful resistances and freedom fighting. I had provided the simplest and easiest way to do this dissolution, based on the well negotiated 1960 Independence Nigeria semi-autonomous three regions for the true Nigeria and according to Gideon Okar’s wrongly delivered but proper prophesy concerning Nigeria. I had observed therein also, that it was not the only option; as should be properly put on any democratic voting exercise for the proper plebiscite or referendum that must be the civilized and healthy way for Nigeria to go now that it has completely collapsed as a nation. This is the case, even if some obviously politically deaf and dumb people continue to prefer to think and believe otherwise.

In this article, I wish to discuss the second (Four Republics insisted of the other three) voting option for this now inevitable referendum.

This second option will be based on a combination of the 1963 Republican Constitution, the Gideon Okar prophecy of 1990 and the infamous, yet most beloved, Sanni Abacha’s seemingly only good contribution to the Nigerian restructuring that has always been there for serious and honest Nigerian leadership to do their best to fashion out. Unfortunately, all our military “heroes past” beginning in July 1967 had all done these restructuring without exception; but all in the negative! However, even as this alternative and second option for the plebiscite or referendum may resemble each other in the three basis for deriving these four federating units, it must be clear at once that the exact boundaries of these federating units or republics for this referendum option, would not exactly correspond to any of the three (1963, Okar or Abacha) original options that form their basis.

Thus, in the first option discussed earlier, the Futa Jallon ethnic nationality that has remained a primary source of the political crisis in Nigeria, ever and always, and based primarily in the North-west, will be charitably, respectfully and peacefully persuaded to either return to their original home or carve out their secondarily occupied current Nigeria territory and join their brethren in Niger, Upper Volta and all the other West Africa Regions right back to that Futa Jallon area. They may also choose to remain alone as their own independent nation, where they will always remain in power as has been their desire. This is the only way that they may truly achieve their “born to rule” of their similarly nomadic, western education hating and almajiri life cultures. The Shuwa Arab, Boko Haram, ISIS and ISWAP jihadist and caliphate seeking North-eastern folks whose political trouble-making in Nigeria would seem the hottest now, but which very truly is far less than the Futa Jallon one, would also charitably, peacefully and respectfully be assisted to get themselves carved out to try to join their brethren in Chad, Upper Cameroun and Central Africa Republic in the ISWAP of their choice.

Again, they may choose to remain as their self-chosen caliphate all alone there as a nation of their own. The remaining parts of Nigeria will then retain the three semi-autonomous regions of Nigeria’s 1960 independence structure; but now as semi-autonomous republics, but not the regions of old. This is surely an advancement merited for the last 60 years of this otherwise wasted life that Nigeria has turned out to be. The names of these three federating units as already discussed will be the Oduduwa Republic, the Republic of Biafra and the Middle Belt (Kwararafa or other) Republic; with the constitution having a very clear provision for dissolution of the federation should any of the republics show up as going to continue the present hegemonic tendencies that have killed Nigeria now.

In this second alternative of the present discussion, the exits of the desirous parts of the present North-west and North-east regions of Nigeria according to the Abacha formula will lovingly happen as the referendum will determine the actual boundaries thereof. However, the remainder of the present country as the Gideon Okar prophesy rightly indicated for this said Federation of the Southern Nigeria Republics will have four republics instead of three, as we had for the 1963 constitution. These would be the Oduduwa Republic, the Republic of Biafra, the Middle Belt (Kwararafa or other) Republic, and the South-south (or Niger Delta) Republic – again all according to the boundaries as will be determined by the plebiscite only.

In my very humble opinion, these are the issues that all the progressive ethnic nationalities, socio-political groups and responsible politicians and citizens should be discussing if they desire peace, true development and progress for this present suffering people of Nigeria, victims of the present terrible government. We must do this respectfully, mutually educatively, and indeed charitably. We will keep loving and helping each other as persons or as these nations and republics, both for those who depart and those who stay, as the peace-loving and charitable people that we must be and remain! May it please God to grant to Nigeria, truly reasonable leadership in the practicing political class, to progress in this most needed way; both in their personal interests (obviously) and in that of the rest of us as well. Amen!

Asuzu is a retired professor of public health and community medicine, University of Ibadan.