I respectfully submit that, if the Six Geo-political Zones were constitutionalised today, the South-South zone will be expected to support the existing in-equity and will be subjected to the vagaries of institutionalized violence resulting from the same political in-equity.
The Six Geo-political Zones pretend that Central Nigeria – known as the “Middle-Belt” – does not exist. That’s why the Middle-Belt was subsumed in the so-called North-West, North-Central and North-East Zones, respectively. This arrangement serves the Nigerian Caliphal purposes, both economic and political.
First, the oil resources of the South-South will continue to serve the needs of the Caliphate until oil is depleted. Once the oil income is no more enough to satisfy their appetite, they will now use the available resources of all Nigerians to develop the iron/steel or solid minerals sector, which of course, are in their ‘North’, East, West or Central. The second purpose is that, once the South-South is alienated from their neighbours and once their oil resources is gone, the South-South will no more be viable economically and, therefore, rendered useless, politically. These then are the calculations of the Caliphate, which gave birth to the six geo-political dummies.
The fact is that, we in the Middle-Belt Progressive Movement, for reasons adduced earlier on, reject completely the states and local councils as they are, and regards the Six Geo-political Zones as totally useless and unacceptable. Whatever is designed to hold down a people, no matter the gains of the movement, is not good and should be rejected. The constitutionalisation of the Six Geo-political Zones means the entrenchment of institutionalized in-equity and cheating. Neither the South-South nor the Middle-Belt stands to gain from it.
Need for True Federalism: The way forward, going by the socio-political and economics of the Nigerian nation-state today, is to forge unity and co-operation between progressive forces of the South-South and the Middle-Belt. The reason for this is not far-fetched.
The people of South-South (or Niger Delta) are ethnic minority nationalities of the South, just as the people of the Middle-Belt are ethnic minorities of Central Nigeria. The Niger Delta is as marginalized as the Middle-Belt, both of which are immensely brutalized by the powers-that-be. The two peoples and regions have economic resources that make them viable. The oil is in the Niger Delta; the solid minerals and farmlands are in the Middle-Belt. The two are minority groups in the Nigerian ethnic equation. It is they that have much stake in the Nigerian project. The South West has all it takes to be a country of their own. Ditto the South East.
If Nigeria is to remain one country, the Niger Delta and Middle-Belt people are the ones to hold it together. If everyone decides to go back to its tents, the Middle-Belt needs the Niger Delta, and vice-versa, for obvious reasons.
Whether Nigeria will remain one or not, we need an 8-Zonal or Regional geo-political structure, if we are to have a true federal system of government. The call for restructuring, resource control and state or Regional Police are the same with true federalism.
No amount of tinkering by way of constitutional amendments – even if it were possible – will give or grant autonomy to the constituent people without total restructuring of the Nigerian polity.
Based on the above firm belief, we in the Middle-Belt Progressive Movement came to the conclusion that those groups calling for the restructuring of Nigeria are those, who have correctly diagnosed the ills of the country. They, therefore, have the right prescription.
Our position of an 8-Regional structure is shown in the attached map of Nigeria.
We love our fellow minorities of the Niger Delta. We hated the days when we were used, one way or the other, to oppress them. But we want them to know that both of us – the Niger Delta and the Middle-Belt – were cheated in the process by the forces using us against each other.
We assert that our much sought-after autonomy cannot come through the arrangement of our oppressors. Why? Because their arrangements are loaded with booby traps and landmines designed to make us fail; to give us autonomy without authority and to exploit the cleavages among and between us to further weaken and divide us.
For the foregoing reasons and, in summary, we advocate for the following 8-Regional structure of government, with amendment of boundaries in existing states where necessary, to achieve a true federal structure for Nigeria, devoid of institutionalized in-equity and violence:
(1) South-West (Yoruba)
(2) South-East (Igbo)
(3) Edo/Delta and (4) ABC & R = Niger Delta
(5) Middle-Belt West and (6) Middle-Belt East = Central Nigeria
(7) North West and (8) North East = Hausa/Fulani & Kanuri
In view of the undue advantage of the North West & North East in the Nigerian National Assembly, can the above be achieved via constitutional amendment? This is the question of the moment to which efforts should be geared at resolving.
One way of resolving it in good time is by joint efforts of the people of the South-South and Central Nigeria, between the Niger Delta and the Middle-Belt. The 1999 Constitution is iron-cast and made by the Hausa/Fulani for the Hausa/Fulani. The National Assembly is full of the Hausa/Fulani and many of their acolytes. These forces will prevent and defeat efforts at constitutionalizing the Six Geo-political Structure. Even if they do support it, they will divest it of power and autonomy.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen of the great Niger Delta; let us join hands and forces to free ethnic minorities of Nigeria from the stranglehold of the feudal lords and their cronies. That seems to me, to be the way to achieve political stability in Nigeria.
Thank you.
(Being a Paper delivered by D.I.G. Potter L. Dabup at the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Conference held at Calabar on the 18th – 20th October, 2001).