Is This the Federation Nnamdi Azikiwe Fought For?

Long before the Nnamdi Kanu- and Sunday Igboho-led calls for the ethnic secession of Igbo and Yoruba people, respectively, in the 2000s; before the Chukwuemeka Ojukwu- and Isaac Adaka Boro-led Biafra and Niger Delta Republic secessions, respectively, of the 1960s, Nnamdi Azikiwe, then president of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons, addressed his party caucus on 12 May 1953 about the consequences of the North seceding from Nigeria. Azikiwe’s speech served as an intervention to address the rumours of a planned exit of the North from Nigeria. He highlighted the need for Nigeria to be united despite the differences. As one of those at the vanguard of the quest for Nigeria’s independence, Azikiwe was not oblivious to the internal ethnic divide of the country. However, he felt that the country could work through its differences and benefit from the union. Despite believing that the South would fare better in the event of a secession, he argued that ‘it would be better if all the regions would address themselves to the task of crystallizing common nationality, irrespective of the extraneous influences at work.’

More than 60 years after Azikiwe made this passionate plea for national unity, Nigeria still exists, although on the precipice. The country has ‘survived’ several attempts at breakaway, although a few have ironically achieved situations where the country still exists but is more fractured. For example, the aftermath of the Biafran War (1967–1970) has left the South East region feeling more marginalized ever since.