"DIGGING DEEP INTO THE ORIGIN OF THE CURRENT NATIONAL PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA":Nigeria as a nation as it is today was the political creation and the brain child of the then British colonial power. Nigeria was set up for the maximum economic interests of the then Great Britain. Nigeria's 450 ethnic nationalities and her many religious groups in that new colony were forced to live together through a political system of divide and rule from 1914 at the amalgamation of the two protectorates (south and north) till 1960 when Nigeria became an independent nation from Britain.
The various ethnic nationalities and the many religion groups that make up what is known today as Nigeria were all politically, economically, socially and religiously autonomous and independent from one another for hundreds of years before the coming of the European powers to Africa as colonialists. Nigeria was formed by the British Empire without holding a national referendum to determine whether the various ethnic nationalities and the many religious groups were ready to live together under one nation that was named as Nigeria (a colony around the river Niger) . This is the political origin of today's major and deep crises in Nigeria.
The successive governments (military and civilian) that have ruled Nigeria to date have all refused to right these political wrongs that were created by Britain and refused to allow Nigerians to hold a national referendum or a Sovereign National Conference despite all the major crises that Nigeria has faced to date. The Main Cries in Nigeria since October 1, 1960 to date remain the same issues under the military and the civilian governments. They are the following: "True Federalism", "Marginalization", "Secession into Independent Nations", "National Sovereign Conference", "Theocracy", "Resource Control", "Regional Autonomy", "Rotational Presidency", "State Police", "Devolution of Powers" and "Self-Determination".
The Nigerian Project has not worked on behalf of the 450 ethnic nationalities that make up this great union. Two out of the three other nations (India and Sudan) that were created by the British with similar ethnic and religion settings had already broken up into two more manageable and independent nations due to their brutal civil and religion wars.
The future of this union of 450 ethnic nationalities and the various religious groups is very uncertain in the year 2012 and beyond. Sudanese referendum that was carried out successfully and resulted in the the formation of two independent nations of Sudan and South Sudan that are now living side by side all points to the possibility of a similar political development in Nigeria in the nearest future because of the deep similarities in the political experiences of both nations of the former Sudan and present day Nigeria that were created by Britain the same colonial master. Only time will tell.
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