Mathemagician1:


How about you suggest that the article be edited to reflect the truth? Why this particular lie all the time about Yorubas being the most educated/ intellectual in the country when in actual fact, they're lagging behind the SE and SS in all human development indices? If no one had objected, it would have been assumed as a fact, hence the need to discuss such falsehood before we confuse the future generation.

I have my facts, i'm not the type that argues without facts and I strongly believe that illogical arguments should be countered immediately with superior facts. If anyone is ready for an intellectual argument on the subject of Yoruba intellectualism and educational domination please come forward with your fact. I promise to draw my facts only from JAMB, WAEC, Nigerian University Commission, Nigerian Bureau of Statistic, papers published in the 90s and other national archives.

madridguy:
Nice write from you @ OP.

Meanwhile, unity is Power.

crownprince102:
The bell is ringing and the alarm is sounding loudly. The writings are inscribed bold and clear on the wall for those who can see. Tick, tick say the clock and nobody is in haste to do things quick. There is fire on the mountains and the rivers are overflowing but nobody seems to be on the run. The inferno is razing down our homeland and no one is in haste to do anything. The hills are crumbling down but we all look comfortable as they fall to break our heads. The grounds are shaking heavily and we all stand on them with no fear. The Sun of our land is disappearing and we are all wait to see it vanish hoping a new sun will shine. The rain is about to fall and we all stand outside our shelter with the hope it will was away our tears. Is our dear nation Nigeria falling?

Nigeria is a country located in West Africa, it was formed by the amalgamation of two British protectorates in 1914 by Sir Frederick Lord Lugard. The amalgamation was done due to the fact that the Northern protectorate is falling shut of its budget and the Southern protectorate making surplus revenue. The nation is bordered by Benin Republic in the west, Cameroun in the east, Niger and Chad in the North and the Atlantic oceans in the south. It gained her independence from the Great Britain on 1st October, 1960, after series of nationalist movement led by European educated elites with Sir James Robertson the last Governor General. The modern day Nigeria were former sites of different kingdoms and tribal state such as the Oyo Empire, the Benin Kingdom, the Ile- Ife Kingdom, the Sokoto Caliphate, the Kingdom of Nri, the Kanem-Bornu Empire, etc. This is a major factor for the country’s ethnic diversities.

The country at independence was seen then as the new hope for the African continent which the rest of the world sees as a backward society. Nigeria has since then never reach the height the world thought it will achieve due to several factor such as tribalism, religious hypocrisy, greed, hatred, selfishness, ethnic bigotry, etc. The nation’s economy was very strong at independence as the country was the highest producer of Cocoa and palm oil in the whole world and one of the top producer of Groundnut. Though, the country is Africa’s largest economy today and it has a population of over 180 million people, it hasn’t fulfil it potentials when considering the available human and capital resources. Political upheavals and economic downturn in recent times is shaking the foundation of the country, the future of the nation is facing a lot of uncertainty due to structural problems the country is encountering. The question is; is Nigeria on the path of Yugoslavia?

Yugoslavia was a country in southeast Europe during the most of the 20th century. The country was formed after World War I in 1918 but received it international recognition in the year 1922. The country was formed by a merger of provisional state of Serbs, Croats and the Slovenes which has seceded from Austria-Hungary. It adopted the name the Kingdom of Serbs, Croat and Slovene at independence. The Serb’s royal house of Karadordevic was adopted as the royal dynasty for the new Kingdom due to the large population of the Serbs. The country was attacked by Adolf Hitler’s German forces during World War II but the country recovered after the war and formed the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia in 1945 when Communist government was establish. The country was sub-divided into six federations of Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Slovenia and two autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina inside Serbia to cater for the ethnic diversities of the nation.

Series of political upheavals and conflicts during the 1980s led to the breakup of the country in the early 1990s. Ever since the formation of Yugoslavia in 1918, the Serbs has dominated the leadership of the country due to their population strength which was later opposed by other federations majorly Slovenia and Croatia. Leadership crisis in the 1980s led the country to replace the position of the president with Yugoslav Presidency, a year-long system of rotating the leadership of the country among the six federation and two autonomous provinces. The death of Serb’s Jozip Broz Tito rendered the system as irrelevant as it created a power vacuum which lasted for most of the 1980s. Structural problems and unfavorable international climate together with economic collapse and the death of Tito led to the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Unresolved issues made them result to war known as Yugoslav war which didn’t last too long.

The Northern Nigeria Hausas can be compared to the Serbs in the former Yugoslavia. The Hausas have dominated the leadership of Nigeria since independence producing eight of the twelve men that has ruled and ruling for 38 years of the 56 years of independence. The Northern Nigeria has lowest western education rate in the country and economically the weakest. The region owns the lowest share of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the Gross National Income (GNI) the region is also the lowest but the region has the highest number of farmers in the country and the largest agricultural produce. The population strength of Northern Nigeria has ensured their dominance in the politics as Nigeria operates on “one man, one vote” system. Slobadan Milosevic of Serbia also proposed this system at an extraordinary congress organized to resolve the country’s political disagreement but was opposed by Croatia and Slovenia who feels the system is in favor of the large Serbian party.

The Igbos in the Eastern Nigeria can be likened to the Croats of the former Yugoslavia. The Igbos are very industrious people with a reasonable population spread across the country. The eastern Nigeria owns a fairly large share of the nation’s GDP and a relatively high Gross National income. Economically, if the Eastern Nigeria is a country on its own, it will be Africa’s 5th largest economy ahead of the likes of Angola, Morocco, Kenya, Ghana, etc. Just like the Croats, the Igbos are always one of the first to push for self-determination. The Eastern Nigeria under the leadership of Military Governor Odumegwu Ojukwu has once seceded from Nigeria to form the Republic Of Biafra but was brought back to the union after being defeated in a civil war with claimed over two million lives and lasted for three years. There have being move recently for Biafra to secede again from Nigeria. The Director of IPOB, a group leading the movement has been arrested and charge for treasonable felony by the Federal Government. For over a year, he has been remanded at Kuje Prison even after being granted bail by the Federal Government.

The Yorubas on the other hand can be likened to the Slovenes of the defunct Yugoslavia. The Yorubas are very creative and intelligent people with high level of education, in fact, the Western region of Nigeria is the most educated part of Africa while the Yorubas as Africa’s most educated tribe. The Yorubas like the Slovenes has a high number of intellectuals and technocrats which has seen the region become the most developed region in Nigeria. The 6 states of the Southwest Nigeria contribute 55% to 60% of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product with Lagos state owning the largest part. The Gross National Income of the western Nigeria is the highest in West Africa. The Yorubaland if it was a sovereign nation will be the Africa’s 3rd largest economy behind only Egypt and South Africa. Lagos, the commercial hub of West Africa is a city that belongs to the Yorubas and it access to sea is a huge resources for the city. Unlike in the middle of 20th century, the spirit of nationalism in the Yorubas is dying but can be revived when there is urgent need for. Like the Slovenes, the Yoruba believed in achieving all things through intellectualism which has been pivotal to their growth and development since independence. The Yorubas are the major reason Nigeria is still together, there has never any official move to secede like the Igbos and the Hausas have done earlier though a reasonable population of Yorubas are currently in support of Yoruba nation secession.

Nigeria’s cultural and ethnic diversities and a flawed system of federalism has led to the country’s failure in developing into a nation of pride for the entire African continent. Nigeria is a country known around the world today for various crimes and corruption, our national image is nothing to be proud of in the global community. Carriers of Nigerian passport are made to undergo severe scrutiny at foreign airports and embassies. Our nation has lost it international respect, we‘ve sold our birthright through individual greed and selfishness. Our prestige in the global community has gone down the river, we are no more proud people. Our dignity around the world has been swallowed by unknown forces, we are no more unique. Our honor has been was away by the waves and we are now engulfed in shame. All we have left are tribal hatreds, religious conflicts, collapsing economy, internal crisis, dirty and immature politics and all sort actions demeaning our national image. Perhaps and Indeed, Nigeria is on the path on Yugoslavia.

Cc: fynestboi, seun, lalasticlala

darknetcom:
op, see ya head like yugoslavia...

this is what you wish,not reality...

MirabelArode:
I daresay LET NIGERIA DIE. Heaven will NOT FALL rather it will enjoy unprecedented progress never before seen in the history of Africa and other Africans countries will sit up.

NIGERIA'S DEATH= DEVELOPMENT FOR AFRICA.

Maduawuchukwu:
While I disagree with some of OP's assertions here such as the North dominating Nigeria's political space( the South has ruled Nigeria for 13 years since democracy came back in 1999) and also the GDP contributions of the regions listed(taking note of the fact that any mention of GDP contribution without the region that lays the golden eggs is faulty) I kinda agree with you on the Yugoslavia part. Nigeria is slowly disintegrating and the abnormal is becoming the normal for instance the killingunattended to by the Fulani President in charge. Nigeria must change its political structures and its leaders must fanning the embers of hatred or else Rwanda is loading.