20 grave errors Nigeria and Nigerians have made from the colonial era until now

[1] In the 1951 elections, Aminu Kano's Northern Elements Progressives Union (Nepu) won the elections in the Northern Region but alas the British conspired to ensure that Nepu did not even win one seat. Terrified of the leftwing Aminu Kano, the British colonial authorities introduced election rigging into Nigeria. At the time, British tabloids like the Daily Mirror and Sun carried headlines like: "No to the Red Peril." Nigerians should have rose up en masse against this fraud

[2] In 1962, the NPC/NCNC government took a decision to destroy the Action Group. To achieve this end, they jailed its leader Obafemi Awolowo, declared a state of emergency in the Western Region and imposed Ladoke Akintola on the region, introducing violence and the sit-tight syndrome into Nigerian politics

[3] At the 1957 and 1958 London Constitutional Conferences, Nigeria's ethnic minorities wanted their own two regions. Joseph Tarka pleaded for the Middle Belt Region, while Harrold Dappa-Biriye and Eyo Ita pleaded for the Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers Region. In 1963, when the Midwest Region was created out of the Western Region, these other two regions should have been created too

[4] In 1964, the federal elections were terribly rigged. In the Northern Region, the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) intimidated numerous candidates form other parties to stand down and also forcefully got a lot of candidates to convert to Islam

[5] During the 1965 regional elections, the rigging perpetuated by Ladoke Akintola's Nigerian National Development Party was the worst ever in the history of Nigeria. Candidates who got no more than 10% of the total vote were declared winners

[6] In January 1966, when certain young military officers decided to carry out a military coup, they sadly decided to give it an ethnic slant. Emmanuel Ifeajuna was Nnamdi Azikiwe's cousin and had his own agenda which he hid from the likes of Chukwuma Nzeogwu. Some of the northern military officers killed like Joseph Pam and Kur Mohammed, were actually just as anti-Sardauna as the coupists themselves

[7] When it became clear that the January 66 coup had failed, Emmanuel Ifeajuna and Donatus Okafor should have freed Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa at Ifo near Abeokuta. had they let him go, he would almost certainly have been able to prevent the violence that followed. With Balewa dead, there was a dangerous power vacuum

[8] After Major General Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi had put down the Ifeajuna coup, he should have insisted that the senate president Nwafor Orizu swore in Zanna Bukar Dipcharima as prime minister. By assuming power himself, he created the impression that he was one of the coupists

[9] Aguiyi Ironsi's Decree 34 of 1966 is the most destructive piece of legislation ever passed in the history of Nigeria. It made Nigeria what he called a "Unitary state" and made the regions no more than local government areas. This unbelievable law which negated everything agreed in 1957 and 1958 at the London Constitutional Conference, created so much ethnic distrust, that we are yet to recover from its effects

[10] When the Supreme Military Council met in Aburi in Ghana in 1966, Lt Col's Gowon and Ojukwu should have insisted that a deal be signed. In Gowon's case, it was senior civil servants who rejected his deal, while Ojukwu refused to accept any amendments despite the likes of Phillip Effiong, Hilary Njoku and Alexander Madiebo telling him to do so as he got 90% of what he wanted

[11] By May 1968, about 10,000 Igbo children were dying daily. The likes of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Michael Okpara, Francis Ibiam, Jaja Nwachukwu and the Biafran military leaders urged Ojukwu to accept Gowon's peace deal but he refused. Just imagine how many lives might have been saved as a result
[12] At the end of the Civil War in 1970, major General Yakubu Gowon should have announced a return to the 1957/58 formula and stuck to the plan to return to civil rule in 1971

[13] In February 1976 when the Murtala Mohammed regime created 19 states, it should have inserted as part of that decree a clause making state creation only acceptable if the states could fund themselves

[14] Likewise in August 1976, the then Obasanjo military administration introduced local government reforms, introducing them as the third tier of government. In a bid to bring government nearer to the people, local government elections held the following December but alas, all the military men in power saw this as an opportunity to get government money, so everyone ensured his village had a local government area, hence we have ended up with 774 local government areas today. At the time, the decree establishing local government areas should have laid down strict criteria such as being self-funding, population, having certain facilities, etc

[15] A 49 member Constitution Drafting Committee was appointed in October 1975, produced a draft which was later debated and amended by a partially-elected Constituent Assembly. This body should have insisted on a return to the 1957/58 formula

[16] In 1978 the PRP, GNPP, NPP and UPN should have merged to create a united opposition rather than operate as fractured parties. Had say Obafemi Awolowo picked Aminu Kanu as his running mate and Ibrahim Waziri as his senate president, with maybe MCK Ajuluchukwu as speaker, they would most likely have won

[17] In 1978, the NPN decided to go for the weakest of presidential candidates. There is no way Shehu Shagari would have made a better president than say Maitama Yusuf Sule or Joseph Tarka but alas, he got elected

[18] In 1993, Nigerians should have continued their protests against the annulment of elections indefinitely until the military was forced to stand down

[19] 1n 1999, Nigerians should have insisted on the prosecution of all past military rulers to draw a line under corruption. It was this failure to do this than resulted in the legitimisation of corruption and the notion that one can get away with stealing with such impunity

[20] In 2009 when Boko Haram started its reign of terror, Nigerians turned a blind eye to it, hoping it would go away. Had we shown the kind of revulsion we show to say armed robbery where we publicly execute suspects,

http://www.nigerianwatch.com/news/5433-20-grave-errors-nigeria-and-nigerians-have-made-from-the-colonial-era-until-now

Ok brb read b4 I comment

It was all ment to happen that way..

In every decision you take there must be a consequence. May God foegive them for the mistake they have Made, since it was made for the best interest of the nation and it turn out to be a mistake. God bless nigeria

I never knew most of these until now. Very true, Nigerian system is too lenient with corruption that's why it's thriving successfully, walking in every Government parastatal, private sector and streets with arms opened wide--I rule them all. Yes, indeed I do.
Today, I was watching an EFCC (ECONOMIC and FINANCIAL crimes of CIVILIANS COMMISSION) and saw mostly greedy bankers and students who wanted more food on their table been prosecuted, and yet our looting politicians are busy jumping around the streets accusing one another of lavity and unseriousness. One of the prosecuted was a student who stole 1million naira; they treated him as if he was a high way robber and yet leaders who stole over 1million * 100 are treated like gods. Look at Fmr. Adamawa state governor. In fact, there is no crime regulatory commission in Nigeria. Corruption is equal to depriving citizens of their rights to the benefits of democracy. It should be charged with at least 50yrs imprisonment. And Nigeria needs a revolution in all sectors, the leaders of today are still the leaders of tomorrow; how does that change anything? God bless Nigeria.

Aamoo:
[20] In 2009 when Boko Haram started its reign of terror, Nigerians turned a blind eye to it, hoping it would go away. Had we shown the kind of revulsion we show to say armed robbery where we publicly execute suspects,

Nigerians turned a blind eye? Are u kidding me?

Another error is about to be made in 2015