Paradoxically, the North’s strongest argument for Nigeria’s continued unity would emerge from such preparation. A region that has thought seriously about standing on its own feet will negotiate the federation from a position of confidence rather than fear. One that cannot imagine survival outside the union will cling to unity as a substitute for reform, confusing dependence with patriotism.
An electoral umpire whose antecedents and public record raise legitimate concerns about neutrality becomes not a referee but a facilitator, presiding over processes whose outcomes are tacitly assumed in advance.
Under British rule, Northern Nigeria functioned primarily as a supplier of raw materials and agricultural produce, while processing, trade, and capital formation occurred elsewhere – often offshore. What we are witnessing today is a post-colonial revival of the same model, with Abuja replacing London and Lagos assuming the role of the imperial entrepôt. The North is once again being positioned as a hinterland – useful only for what can be extracted from it.
Northern Nigeria is fast approaching the status of a basket case – if, indeed, it has not already arrived at that grim destination. This is not an emotional exaggeration, nor Continue Reading
The new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers projects that 62 per cent of Nigerians will be living in poverty by 2026. To the detached observer this may read like another sterile economic Continue Reading
By any honest measure, Nigeria has never seen the kind of money that has flowed through the federal system since 2023. Trillions upon trillions – ₦47.39 trillion in taxes, over Continue Reading
