by Alex Mshelia
July 1976 – A few of us, to the best of my recall and (certainly), Mr. Paul Bassi, Dr. Arhyel Mshelbwala, Mr Paul D. Mshelia, M. Hamza Nagganjiwa and I, Alex Mshelia, having been mandated by our home-based Fathers, Elders and Leaders, including Traditional Rulers, submitted the first ever Memorandum for the Creation of Savannah State, out of the then Borno State, to the Justice Gabriel Ayo Irikefe Panel sitting at the Lugard Hall, Kaduna.
The mandate conferred on us the privilege of signing the document on behalf of the people.
In scope, the proposed Savannah State comprised of essentially the present Southern Borno Senatorial District and, possibly, parts of Northern Adamawa and Sothern Yobe States as constituted today, since, as at then, neither of them had been created.
The desire and quest sought to bring together ethnic groups that had from time immemorial peacefully and harmoniously coexisted. Such homogeneity, among other long preexisting common factors as shared cultural values and commonwealth (human and natural resources), would promote the rapid development of the state.
Before then, Bauchi, Borno and Gongola States had been created on February 3, 1976, out of the North-Eastern State, but just like some people in other parts of the country did, we also desired a state of our own and for detailed proffered reasons to its viability.
Since then, Borno State has been further split into two, with the creation of Yobe State on August 27, 1991.
In the intervening years (1976-1991), the cry, yearning, request and demand for the realization of the creation of Savanna State had remained on the front burner of the peoples, who had first voiced the desire and who had continued to remind the authorities in writing and representation at every window of opportunity that presented.
We had hoped that in 1996, when one of our own also used the military fiat available for him to address the demands for additional states, ours would have been realized. It wasn’t, for reasons which now leave little room for speculation.
Undeterred, the peoples of the proposed Savannah State unanimously, as one, irrespective of tribe, faith or status had continued to press home their demand during the 2005 National Political Reforms Conference and the 2014 National Conference.
In all these (as the numerous memoranda on record testify) efforts, there was one man who from 1976 until 2014 stood out and selflessly championed the call, in his leadership of the Movement for the Creation of the Savannah State.
For enquiry, justice and more even development, he also ably led the Movement for Creation of (at least two) new States out of Borno State. Today’s Yobe State can be credited to his resolute, tireless and cooperative leadership in this effort.
The man, Robert Paul Bassi, Blama of Chung, lived and died in pursuit of justice for the common man as could only be realized by equity participation in the governance of his own affairs.
Sadly, so far as Southern Borno (aka Savanna State) and her peoples are concerned, their place has so far been relegated to second-class relevance.
The insult is the arrogant, yet ignorant notion that no citizen in this indisputably the jewel zone of the State, has ever been found qualified as worthy for leadership at the state’s helms of affairs.
Ethnic-and religious-eccentricities are two major determinants as to who may aspire for the top job and, therein, lies the bane of the State’s lackluster and dismal performance in the country’s experience with civil “democratic” governance.
While, however, we may be quick to blame our “political” stars, the fault squarely rests within us, indigenes of the zone – Savannah State!
Even, if we cannot have a state of our own (for now), it nonetheless remains our sole responsibility to stamp our relevance in Borno State as presently contrived and constituted. The choice is ours to make!