In the past two weeks, I have highlighted the distinctive existence and virility of the many nationalities that make up our country. The reason for this is that the central government of Nigeria since independence has operated on the dangerous agenda that our nationalities should be subdued and destroyed in order to build a united Nigeria. For this reason, we often hear some prominent Nigerians telling us that we should detest our identities as Yoruba, Igbo, Urhobo, Kanuri, Nupe, etc, and identify ourselves only as Nigerians. For this reason also, the federal government has followed policies aimed at destroying our nationalities – by, among other things, accumulating all power and resource control in the federal centre, by turning the states of our federation into impotent entities, and by banning the teaching of our nations’ histories and languages in our schools. The thinking behind these policies is that when our nationalities’ languages become extinct and we forget our nationalities’ histories, our nationalities will die out and Nigeria will emerge united and strong.
But assuming that we can build Nigeria upon the ruins of our nationalities is a false and dangerous assumption. Countries that are homes for many nationalities are many in the world – such as Britain, Spain, Belgium, India, Switzerland, Indonesia, etc. In some of these countries, the nationalities have lived side by side for hundreds of years. In not a single known case has any of the nationalities died out. In every case, the wise policy pursued is to let each nationality enjoy some freedom or autonomy to manage its life according to its culture – and thereby make its own kind of contributions to the prosperity of the country to which it belongs.
Part of this wise policy is that India restructured its federation properly after independence, allows much autonomy to its states, recognizes 22 national languages and supports their being taught. Even the Union of South Africa has now recognized 11 national languages. Britain pursues a policy of devolution – meaning, giving much autonomy to each nationality. It is only in the countries of Black Africa that the rulers are trying to destroy their indigenous nationalities – and the result has been conflicts and bloodshed. Those who think that destroying our own nationalities in Nigeria is the way to build Nigeria are trying to create a time bomb that may someday destroy Nigeria. It is in the interest of our posterity to resist and stop this evil agenda and make our country pursue the path of sanity.
To show how virile and worthy of respect our nationalities really are, we have looked at our three giant nations – Hausa-Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba. But virility does not belong to these giants only; very many of our smaller nations are strong and respectable too. Today, we will highlight the Kanuri and the Edo.
The Kanuri people in the Lake Chad valley had, by as early as the 14th century, evolved into a large empire, the Kanem-Bornu Empire, ruled by emperors who bore the title of Mai. Very successful farming in the lands of the lake and its rivers made this empire a land of prosperity and thick population. To this prosperity, long distance trade contributed enormously. Northwards, trade routes connected the empire with the Mediterranean territories to the north, and with the lands of the Nile and Arabia to the north-east. With such connections later came the religion of Islam, and with it came literacy in Arabic. Westwards and southwards, trade routes linked this rich empire with the lands of the Hausa and of Mali and, later, of Songhai, and, across the Niger, with the countries of the Yoruba and other forest peoples of West Africa. Before the 16th century, probably most of the trade of the peoples of the country now known as Nigeria with the outside world through the Mediterranean passed through the lands of Kanem-Bornu as centre of exchange. By the late 16th century, the government of Kanem-Bornu maintained regular diplomatic relationships and embassies with the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean world. The court officials of one Mai who ruled in the first years of the 17th century gave the world perhaps the earliest history book written in the interior of West Africa.
This empire suffered some decline in the course of the 18th century. In the early 19th century, the Fulani-led jihad movement in Hausaland made a bid to conquer Kanem-Bornu, but the old empire defended its territories successfully. While defending itself, the empire revived much of its old strength and glory.
Without doubt, by the late 19th century when the European imperialists began to come, this empire of the Kanuris was a coherent and strong state, a state with a lot of proud history. But the British and French empire builders came in the last years of the 19th century, seized the area, set up boundaries of their own making, and created new countries. The heart of the old Kanem-Bornu kingdom was ultimately incorporated into British-owned Nigeria and the rest into French possessions to the east and north. European imperialism thus snuffed out a strong and beautiful nation-state that had existed for many centuries.
Next, we will look at the Edo nation in the deep forest country to the southeast of Yorubaland. Here, the old Edo kingdom of Benin was, by the 19th century, a rich land of commerce, culture, power and pride. Its capital city boasted broad streets, great market centres, a splendid palace and collections of art, gorgeous royal ceremonies, and an impressive system of city walls. Its central province was the homeland of the Edo nation, and its subordinate provinces the territories of Edo-related peoples (like the Ishan and the Afenmai). Altogether, territorially, it was larger than many of today’s nation states of Europe – such as Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, and the Republic of Ireland. It undoubtedly commanded a first-rate capacity to become a prosperous nation-state or country in the evolving modern world.
The Benin kingdom had been one of the foremost centres of trade with Europeans along the West African coast since as early as the late 15th century. Benefiting massively from the trade, the kingdom had evolved into a powerful commercial empire, with commercial tentacles reaching out for hundreds of miles in neighbouring counties.
Alarmed by the news of the activities of European imperialist agents in other parts of West Africa in the course of the 1890’s, the Benin kingdom adopted a defensive mode. While still fully welcoming trade with the Europeans, the Benin authorities tried to limit contacts with agents of European imperialism operating on the coast. But the British were already active in seizing territories in West Africa, and were determined to seize the Benin kingdom.
In 1897, the British asked for permission to send a delegation to the Benin palace, and the Benin government refused to grant the permission. In defiance of the explicit Benin refusal, the British sent envoys from the coast to the palace of Benin, accompanied by some troops. Benin’s security forces ambushed and wiped out the intruders. Seizing on that as declaration of war, the British mounted a massive invasion, and overran the Benin kingdom. This proud kingdom was ultimately forced into the British Protectorate of Southern Nigeria, and then into Nigeria – where it became one of the many small nationalities in a large multi-nation country.