WHY DO WE NEED A SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN NIGERIA NOW?

(i) The 450 ethnic nationalities, many religious faiths and cultural groups that had lived politically autonomous from one another for centuries as caliphates, empires and kingdoms were forced into a new colonial nation that was named Nigeria at the amalgamation of the Northern and the Southern protectorates by the British colonial authority in 1914. Nigerians were never allowed to hold a referendum, a constitutional conference or have any political input into their new terms of national engagements in 1914.

(ii) The whereabout of the official amalgamation document that was used to form Nigeria in 1914 by the British colonial authority is not known since 1914. No living or dead Nigerians have ever seen this document in the public. No Nigerian either dead or alive knew the whole terms in this document.

(iii) Prominent Nigerians who are either dead or alive laid a strong claim to the fact that a clause exist in that amalgamation document that allows any of the disgruntled region of Nigeria to break away from Nigeria after the first 100 years of this new nation. The 100th year anniversary of this amalgamation will be on the January 1, 2014.

(iv) Nigeria today is showing all the terminal symptoms of a failing state. National poverty is over 80%, unemployment is over 50%, the government cannot provide security of life and properties, the nation's population is growing out of control, the national infrastructures, social services and the education systems are all old, inadequate and collapsing. The massive unabated official corruption is the order of the day as well as mismanagement of our state resources by our officials. The rule of law is now replaced by the rule of lawlessness and brutality.

(v) The last voting patterns in the presidential election of April 2011 showed clearly that Nigeria is not one nation in all reality, but a heavily divided nation along ethnic, geopolitical and religious lines which depicted the original Southern and Northern protectorates before they were amalgamated together in 1914 by the British.

(vi) Even Lord Lugard the first British Governor General who set up Nigerian nation and the principal founding fathers of Nigeria that fought for her independence in 1960 who had the major universities, streets, public buildings, national currencies and postage stamps named in their memories in Nigeria today did not believe in one Nigeria from the onset and from their various comments about Nigeria that are below:

Lord Lugard:“The North and the South are like oil and water, they will never mix.” Yet he went ahead and amalgamated them.

Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa:“The Southern people who are swamping into this region daily in such large numbers are really intruders; we don’t want them and they are not welcome here in the North. Since 1914, the British Government has been trying to make Nigeria into one country. But the people are different in every way, including religion, custom, language and aspirations… we in the North take it that Nigeria unity is only a British intention for the country they created. IT IS NOT FOR US”.

Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo:“Nigeria is only a geographical expression to which life was given by the diabolical amalgamation of 1914, that amalgamation will EVER remain the most painful injury a British Government inflicted on Southern Nigeria”.

Al-Hajji Sir Ahmadu Bello:“The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate from our great grandfather, Othman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We must use the minorities in the North as willing tools, and the south as conquered territories and never allow them to have control of their future.”

Retired General Yakubu Gowon:“Suffice it to say that putting all considerations to the test, political, economic as well as social, the basis of unity is not there.”

Is Nigeria not more divided today than in 1914? Are those caliphates, kingdoms, empires and their internal boundaries that were officially eliminated in 1914 by the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates to form Nigeria not rapidly forming back again almost 100 years later? Do Nigerians today see themselves first and foremost as Nigerians or as ethnic nationals, Christians, Muslims, traditionalists or pagans? Are MASSOB, OPC, MEND, Boko Haram and the other ethnic, religious and cultural groups across the length and breath of Nigeria today not the new 21st century caliphates, kingdoms and empires that were believed to have been finally laid to rest in 1914 by Lord Lugard?

In conclusion:what is the way forward for Nigeria in this 21st human universe? I believe 100% that the present day Nigeria that was formed in 1914 was structurally deficient. Nigeria will never work without holding an independent Sovereign National Conference that will decide the new terms of engagement for her 450 ethnic nationalities, many religious faiths and cultures who were fully exempted by Britain and Lord Lugard in the formation of Nigeria in 1914.