Echoes of a Century discusses fundamental issues in Nigeria's loose federation as well as unresolved national challenges in the past 100 years. It also examines the issue of leadership and its ceaseless manipulation through zoning, federal character, demography, ethnicity and religion that revolve around individuals against national interest; the politics and illusion of oil wealth that has become the nation's albatross; endemic corruption and societal decadence that negate her growth and development, and the clamour for a national conference to renegotiate the country's future.
ONE HUNDRED years past and gone, just like yesterday, and Nigeria is still in transition. Created on the vagaries of British imperialism, Lord Frederick Lugard, on January 1, 1914, unilaterally stitched together, two diametrically opposed Northern and Southern parts of the Niger bend to form an entity he called NIGERIA. Since then, Nigeria has remained changeless but with severe internal contradictions that threaten the shaky foundation on which it was formed. By the amalgamation of 1914, Nigeria marks her centenary in 2014 – a century that reverberates 46 years of colonial domination, which set the agenda for political instability and internal conflicts; 29 wasted years of incessant bloody military coups and dictatorship, and 25 years of incoherent democratic governance. Echoes of a Century discusses fundamental issues in Nigeria’s loose federation as well as unresolved national challenges in the past 100 years. It also examines the issue of leadership and its ceaseless manipulation through zoning, federal character, demography, ethnicity and religion that revolve around individuals against national interests; the politics and illusion of oil wealth that has become the nation’s albatross; endemic corruption and societal decadence that negate her growth and development, and the clamour for a national conference to renegotiate the country’s future. Could Nigeria have done better as two separate entities as it were, before the amalgamation of 1914, or better still, as three separate nations as envisaged in 1957, against the encumbrances of its present structure, where trust is lacking, and confidence progressively eroding among federating units? With visible cracks on its bonds of unity, rising cases of religious bigotry and fundamentalism, ethnic chauvinism and exclusion, it is argued that should Nigeria eventually survive as one united nation, it may not develop beyond the status of a third world country.
Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and the world's eighth largest oil producer, but its success has been undermined in recent decades by ethnic and religious conflict, political instability, rampant official corruption and an ailing economy. Toyin Falola, a leading historian intimately acquainted with the region, and Matthew Heaton, who has worked extensively on African science and culture, combine their expertise to explain the context to Nigeria's recent troubles through an exploration of its pre-colonial and colonial past, and its journey from independence to statehood. By examining key themes such as colonialism, religion, slavery, nationalism and the economy, the authors show how Nigeria's history has been swayed by the vicissitudes of the world around it, and how Nigerians have adapted to meet these challenges. This book offers a unique portrayal of a resilient people living in a country with immense, but unrealized, potential.
His nineteenth-century cousin, paddled ashore by slaves, twisted the arms of tribal chiefs to sign away their territorial rights in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Sixty years later, his grandfather helped craft Nigeria's constitution and negotiate its independence, the first of its kind in Africa. Four decades later, Peter Cunliffe-Jones arrived as a journalist in the capital, Lagos, just as military rule ended, to face the country his family had a hand in shaping.Part family memoir, part history, My Nigeria is a piercing look at the colonial legacy of an emerging power in Africa. Marshalling his deep knowledge of the nation's economic, political, and historic forces, Cunliffe-Jones surveys its colonial past and explains why British rule led to collapse at independence. He also takes an unflinching look at the complicated country today, from email hoaxes and political corruption to the vast natural resources that make it one of the most powerful African nations; from life in Lagos's virtually unknown and exclusive neighborhoods to the violent conflicts between the numerous tribes that make up this populous African nation. As Nigeria celebrates five decades of independence, this is a timely and personal look at a captivating country that has yet to achieve its great potential.
This is a book on Nigeria. I began this book with who I am and why I think I am qualified to speak on Nigeria – born towards the end of the Biafra war, I suffered. I lost my twin sister, Ogechi and am yet to recover from it. I have also lived most of my life in Nigeria across the six geopolitical zones. This book detailed my views and those of 100 respondents drawn from across the nation on what the issues (problems/challenges) are, the root causes, the perpetuating factors, the results and the viable solutions to the national problems. While what you already know as regards these – corruption, tribalism/ethnicity, poor/bad leadership and poor citizen participant topped the list of challenges; national restructuring, constitutional review and citizen engagement were cited as viable solutions. I also took the liberty to introduce the concept of a United Nations of Nigeria (UNON) – similar to the UAE algorithm. We need to take relevant steps to rebuild Nigeria. The time to start is now. Join the campaign.
This book, which is the first of a-three-volume series of interfaith relationships in Nigeria, presents Nigeria as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, with religion controlling almost every aspects of life. It highlights the deep-rooted religious divide in Nigeria and looks into various ways that we can move beyond the religious bitterness existing among the three dominant religions in Nigeria: African traditional religion, Islam, and Christianity, and live, work and co-exit peacefully with one another as sisters and brothers. Although this volume begins with the history of Nigeria as nation, its primary interest, and indeed, the interest of the entire series, is not with the politics, economics, and culture of the Nigerian people per se; its primary focus is the religion of the people. Hence, it is a study of African Traditional Religion, Islam, and Christianity in Nigeria. The focus is not the theological and dogmatic principles and faith life of these religions, nor the individual and various sects within these religions; rather these religions are studied from the standpoint of interfaith encounter and relationships, as a requisite for peace, unity and harmony in Nigeria.
You know, I know, everybody in leadership knows that truth is not enough to win in governance, particularly when you are destined to change the attitude, character and disposition of a legitimate Christianity and Islamic religious mafia, or the established culture of the people and the monarchial establishment that has existed over 5000 years before you are born, an establishment that are more powerful than any elected person to run Nigeria government, because these establishment are rooted in the perpetual legacy of Nigeria imperialist masters whose legacy for Nigeria social and economic advancement are perpetuated by the western media employees who are paid by their boss to use media propaganda as the super power weapon of warfare to put Nigeria and Nigerians down as corrupt. internet scams artists.dishonest and terrorists. And what shall we say then, if the west and Nigeria media is not for us, who shall not be against revolution? but the people of Nigerian, despite the antagonistic posture of some News Editors of major Nigerian Radio, Television and Newspapers who are trained in the school of western media propaganda, negative reporting about this movement of the people, we shall overcome. Despite the fact that all Nigeria political leadership operates under the control of the western media and Nigeria press boys and girls to perpetuate an age long agenda, we shall overcome, despite the fact that the media believe that there is no single Nigerian alive that is not corrupt, we shall overcome, despite the fact that some Nigeria press boys and girls has become a complete idiot in 2010 and are clueless about the imperialist masters codes to rule Nigeria with a remote control using media propaganda as their weapon of welfare to stop Nigeria socio-political and economy advancement, I say again. that we shall overcome.
