Nigeria Beyond Divorce: Amalgamation in Perspective

Chapter Nineteen: The Crucial Strategic Need to Remain United

C H A PT E R 19 THE CRUCIAL STRATEGIC NEED TO REMAIN UNITED Nigeria’s breakup is too frightening to contemplate… our interwovenness and complementarity makes a breakup totally undesirable… since it will create many Bosnias. – Gen Olusegun Obasanjo (1994) Some critics may feel that if so many other countries could split and go their separate ways, why not Nigeria? It’s not as simple as that because “divorce” they say “is a broken egg that produces nothing but stench”. Besides, no other country has as many blacks as Nigeria. Also, of all Black African countries none is as large and rich in human and material resources as Nigeria. Indeed nature has so made it that what a part of the country lacks, the other has it. Mother Nature is therefore, telling us that we shouldn’t do without each other. Consequently, to achieve 205 206 Nigeria Beyond Divorce this Divine-ordained mission, Nigeria should in spite of all odds remain united. A detailed study of those countries that have split will indicate that the wounds are always hard to heal and generally leaves in its wake, tension, instability, dysfunctional economic growth, border skirmishes and outright border wars like between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. Thus, funds that could have been used to develop these countries will be wasted in fueling the ambers of war. Various methods of splitting are as given below with examples: (a) Partition of former Indian sub-continent into India and Pakistan. (b) Breakaway of USSR satellite states. (c) Peaceful demarcation of Czechoslovakia into Czechs and Slovania. (d) Negotiated breakup of Central African Republic and West Indian Federation. (e) Forceful secession in Cyprus, Yugoslavia and Bosnia Herzegovina. (f) Separation through Referendum between Sudan and South Sudan and till date, they are still fighting. Details of Some Breakups‡ Central African Federation which by 1953 consisted of Northern Rhodesia (present Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (present Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (present Malawi) split and went their separate ways. 207 The Crucial Strategic Need to Remain United‡ The West Indian Federation was established in 1957 and by 1962 they split to various countries.‡ Pakistan split from India in 1947 while Bangladesh (previously East Pakistan) split from Pakistan (previously, West Pakistan). A total of 1.3 million souls were lost in the wars that ensued between India and Pakistan while 0.7 million were killed in the civil war between Pakistan and Bangladesh.‡ The Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) was dissolved without any fighting in 1991 and they allowed the following satellite states to go: Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Byelorussia, Georgia, Estonia, Moldavia, Armenia, Azerbazan, Turkemena and Tajikistan.‡ Yugoslavia, which the famous statesman, Tito founded broke up forcefully into Croatia, Slovenia, BosniaHerzegovina and Serbia plus its satellite principalities of Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Vojrodina. Over 0.9 million souls perished in the ethnic cleansing that characterised the civil war.‡ Bosnia-Herzegovina eventually, after protracted war with 1.1 million casualties split into Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia.‡ Cyprus since 1974 has been split into Turkish Cyprus and Greek-Cyprus. The tension is very high across the border.‡ Czechoslovak split in 1991 quietly without fighting into Slovaks (mainly Catholics) and Czech (mainly Protestants). 208 Nigeria Beyond Divorce‡ Korea broke-up in 1950 into South Korea (capitalist) and North Korea (communists) and they are still in confrontation with NorthKoreabeingaccused ofplanning to wipe out South Korea with its ‘nuclear” weapon.‡ Southern Sudan’s break away from Sudan through Referendum and they are still fighting each other. Cases of Countries that Have Gained Immensely by Staying Together (1) United States of America (USA) would not have been a world super power today if the South had succeeded in seceding. The rivalry that would have existed between the North and South would have dissipated their energy and made concentration on development difficult. Why can’t Nigeria be like USA that has put their civil war behind them and are forging so well ahead that today an African-American is enjoying a second term as President. This is a serious food for thought for Nigeria which unfortunately is sitting on the fence between being united and pulling apart, even after the no victor, no vanquished declaration. (2) North Vietnam and South Vietnam fought a bitter ideological war between Capitalist South and Communist North, in which 2.2 million souls were lost. Fortunately the Viet Congs of the North fought the US, the strong ally of South...