Great post mate.Ok
So similar to a lot of African countries, the territory that became Nigeria was formed by the British carving a random piece of land out of West Africa (along with Ghana, Sierra Leone). This colony contained over 200 distinct ethnic groups, but the 3 biggest were (and are today): Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, Ibo.
Hausa-Fulani: Predominant ethnic group in the north. Pastoral/nomadic culture, with a few big trading cities linked to the Sahara trade (Kano, Sokoto, Daura). 100% Muslim. Historical government model: ruled by priest-warrior figures called Emirs. Very suitable for indirect rule (more on this in a bit). Largest population.
Yoruba: Predominant ethnic group in the west. Agricultural culture. At the time of conquest, dominated by traditional religions, although after the British took over, vast converted to Christianity/Islam (let's say 60/40 split). Historical government model: society was split into various tribes ruled by various kings, that warred with each other. A lot of people (captives of war) were sold into the Atlantic slave trade before Britain put an end to the practice in the 1800s. Very suitable for indirect rule.
Igbo: Predominant ethnic group in the East. Agricultural/trading culture. At the time of conquest, dominated by traditional religions/rites. Once the British took over, vast majority converted to Christianity. Historical government model was very democratic (every man in the village/town had a voice), as opposed to their big neighbors to the West and North. Following conquest, this region became very overpopulated, leading a lot of Igbos to migrate beyond their borders in seek of work/trading opportunities (also more on this in a bit).
Indirect rule: Because the British were better at colonizing than the French, they preferred to govern using indirect rule. They would find a traditional figurehead and let him keep his throne, and govern through this figurehead. Because the Hausas and Yorubas were used to this kind of rule, the British found it easy to govern Northern/Western Nigeria. Because the Igbos didn't have any sort of figureheads in their society, artificial ones installed by the British proved very unpopular. The resulting strife didn't make the Igbos look good from the British perspective.
Fast-forward to a few years before independence (1950s), post WW2...
At this point, Igbo people are all over Nigeria as traders and businessmen. They have a sizeable contingent in the Hausa dominated North. The British created parliament favors the Hausa/Yoruba over the Igbo. At independence, the first prime minister of Nigeria is from the North.
Fast forward to 1964-1965.
Igbo migrants are massacred in the North, in a set of violent pogroms. The ones not murdered run back to the East with only the clothes on their back.
Fast forward to January 1966.
A coup d'etat is initiated by Igbo junior officers. The prime minister (from the North), and senior military officers from the North and West are assassinated surgically, overnight. An Igbo officer not involved with the coup assumes power, but the instigators of the coup are not punished. To add insult to injury, the replacements for the murdered military officers are predominantly Igbo.
July 1966: a counter coup is executed by Hausa officers. The Igbo military head of state, as well as senior Igbo officers, are taken out overnight. In addition, after the coup success, more pogroms aimed at Northern Igbos occur. A non-Hausa officer from the North assumes power, but he does not punish the Hausa officers, neither does he do enough to protect Igbo migrants from the massacres ongoing.
1967: Fed up at the situation, a senior Igbo officer, Col. Ojukwu, threatens secession of the Eastern region, which was predominantly Igbo, but also contained a sizeable bunch of other minority tribes. His threats, supported by a seething Igbo nation, were for the most part dismissed by the military regime. After a few failed negotiations, the Republic of Biafra declares independence, raises an army, seizes federal facilities in the Eastern region, and seals all land/river entries to the region from the rest of the country.
1967-1970: the Civil War was one of attrition. Biafra fought mostly a defensive war, with the aim of forcing Nigeria to accept it's secession. Nigeria was in no mood to let Biafra go (it was a vital source of petroleum). So here is what the military regime did.
1. It blockaded Biafra from the Atlantic Ocean, preventing all but humanitarian aid from getting through.
2. Prior to secession, the Eastern Region was 1 state. The regime created 3 new states out of the region, making sure that 2 of the 3 states had majority-non Igbo populations. They effectively gave these states a good reason to support Nigeria against Biafra which was Igbo dominated
3. It began a bombing campaign against infrastructure deemed critical to Biafra (airports, bases, industrial clusters)
4. It initiated a 3 pronged invasion from the North, West and the sea (to the south), aimed at Biafra's center, with the aim of quelling the rebellion.
Biafra fought well against increasingly overwhelming odds, as supplies and food and morale started to dwindle. A lot of people died from bombs and disease and starvation. There were a few massacres (mostly aimed at Igbo civilians/unarmed combatants by Nigerian soldiers). Biafra attempted an invasion of the West in order to divert attention away from it's homeland and force international intervention but it failed. It took 3 years but in 1970, Ojukwu fled abroad and his second in command surrendered.
The Nigerian head of state is famous for insisting "no victor no vanquished" and his outward agenda was to pretty much, re-integrate Biafra into Nigeria and move on. This was accomplished with the aid of the oil boom in the 1970s which flooded Nigeria with petro-dollars. But the war has kind of been swept under the rug. I don't believe the country has done a full reckoning of the aftermath of the war, how it has impacted relations between Igbos and the rest of the country till today (there has been no Igbo president/head of state, ever), and how the region was deliberately neglected for years to the detriment of the North and West.
There you go. The literature is harrowing yet fascinating. Chimamanda Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun is set in Biafra during the war... I'm more of a non-fiction/military geek though so that's where I've done a lot of reading.
Thanks, I appreciate the effort you put in to make such a detailed response. I'll watch Three Sisters at the theatre on 8th February. It will be a privilege to view Nigeria from a new perspective. I only have two friends in real life that share my enthusiasm in black history. The rest would rather engage in my country is better banter.Ok
So similar to a lot of African countries, the territory that became Nigeria was formed by the British carving a random piece of land out of West Africa (along with Ghana, Sierra Leone). This colony contained over 200 distinct ethnic groups, but the 3 biggest were (and are today): Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, Ibo.
Hausa-Fulani: Predominant ethnic group in the north. Pastoral/nomadic culture, with a few big trading cities linked to the Sahara trade (Kano, Sokoto, Daura). 100% Muslim. Historical government model: ruled by priest-warrior figures called Emirs. Very suitable for indirect rule (more on this in a bit). Largest population.
Yoruba: Predominant ethnic group in the west. Agricultural culture. At the time of conquest, dominated by traditional religions, although after the British took over, vast converted to Christianity/Islam (let's say 60/40 split). Historical government model: society was split into various tribes ruled by various kings, that warred with each other. A lot of people (captives of war) were sold into the Atlantic slave trade before Britain put an end to the practice in the 1800s. Very suitable for indirect rule.
Igbo: Predominant ethnic group in the East. Agricultural/trading culture. At the time of conquest, dominated by traditional religions/rites. Once the British took over, vast majority converted to Christianity. Historical government model was very democratic (every man in the village/town had a voice), as opposed to their big neighbors to the West and North. Following conquest, this region became very overpopulated, leading a lot of Igbos to migrate beyond their borders in seek of work/trading opportunities (also more on this in a bit).
Indirect rule: Because the British were better at colonizing than the French, they preferred to govern using indirect rule. They would find a traditional figurehead and let him keep his throne, and govern through this figurehead. Because the Hausas and Yorubas were used to this kind of rule, the British found it easy to govern Northern/Western Nigeria. Because the Igbos didn't have any sort of figureheads in their society, artificial ones installed by the British proved very unpopular. The resulting strife didn't make the Igbos look good from the British perspective.
Fast-forward to a few years before independence (1950s), post WW2...
At this point, Igbo people are all over Nigeria as traders and businessmen. They have a sizeable contingent in the Hausa dominated North. The British created parliament favors the Hausa/Yoruba over the Igbo. At independence, the first prime minister of Nigeria is from the North.
Fast forward to 1964-1965.
Igbo migrants are massacred in the North, in a set of violent pogroms. The ones not murdered run back to the East with only the clothes on their back.
Fast forward to January 1966.
A coup d'etat is initiated by Igbo junior officers. The prime minister (from the North), and senior military officers from the North and West are assassinated surgically, overnight. An Igbo officer not involved with the coup assumes power, but the instigators of the coup are not punished. To add insult to injury, the replacements for the murdered military officers are predominantly Igbo.
July 1966: a counter coup is executed by Hausa officers. The Igbo military head of state, as well as senior Igbo officers, are taken out overnight. In addition, after the coup success, more pogroms aimed at Northern Igbos occur. A non-Hausa officer from the North assumes power, but he does not punish the Hausa officers, neither does he do enough to protect Igbo migrants from the massacres ongoing.
1967: Fed up at the situation, a senior Igbo officer, Col. Ojukwu, threatens secession of the Eastern region, which was predominantly Igbo, but also contained a sizeable bunch of other minority tribes. His threats, supported by a seething Igbo nation, were for the most part dismissed by the military regime. After a few failed negotiations, the Republic of Biafra declares independence, raises an army, seizes federal facilities in the Eastern region, and seals all land/river entries to the region from the rest of the country.
1967-1970: the Civil War was one of attrition. Biafra fought mostly a defensive war, with the aim of forcing Nigeria to accept it's secession. Nigeria was in no mood to let Biafra go (it was a vital source of petroleum). So here is what the military regime did.
1. It blockaded Biafra from the Atlantic Ocean, preventing all but humanitarian aid from getting through.
2. Prior to secession, the Eastern Region was 1 state. The regime created 3 new states out of the region, making sure that 2 of the 3 states had majority-non Igbo populations. They effectively gave these states a good reason to support Nigeria against Biafra which was Igbo dominated
3. It began a bombing campaign against infrastructure deemed critical to Biafra (airports, bases, industrial clusters)
4. It initiated a 3 pronged invasion from the North, West and the sea (to the south), aimed at Biafra's center, with the aim of quelling the rebellion.
Biafra fought well against increasingly overwhelming odds, as supplies and food and morale started to dwindle. A lot of people died from bombs and disease and starvation. There were a few massacres (mostly aimed at Igbo civilians/unarmed combatants by Nigerian soldiers). Biafra attempted an invasion of the West in order to divert attention away from it's homeland and force international intervention but it failed. It took 3 years but in 1970, Ojukwu fled abroad and his second in command surrendered.
The Nigerian head of state is famous for insisting "no victor no vanquished" and his outward agenda was to pretty much, re-integrate Biafra into Nigeria and move on. This was accomplished with the aid of the oil boom in the 1970s which flooded Nigeria with petro-dollars. But the war has kind of been swept under the rug. I don't believe the country has done a full reckoning of the aftermath of the war, how it has impacted relations between Igbos and the rest of the country till today (there has been no Igbo president/head of state, ever), and how the region was deliberately neglected for years to the detriment of the North and West.
There you go. The literature is harrowing yet fascinating. Chimamanda Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun is set in Biafra during the war... I'm more of a non-fiction/military geek though so that's where I've done a lot of reading.
Great article.Also its the 59th Anniversary of the death of Patrice Lumumba, Prime Minister of the Dem. Rep. of Congo
He was tied to a tree, shot by a firing squad, buried, exhumed, reburied again, exhumed, hacked into pieces then dissolved in sulphuric acid.
All because he wanted to protect Congo’s natural resources in order to improve the conditions of Congo, this was perceived as a threat and he lost his life for it.
Article on it here: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/01/patrice-lumumba-assassination-anniversary-congo
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My mum has been in Ghana since March 14, trapped due to lockdown & borders shutting. Ghana has seen a really big rise in cases in the last month or so because of rainy season, which is typically cold/flu/malaria season (my mum actually got malaria last week - but she gets it quite regularly)Been a while since I gave this thread a bump.
How are all those on the continent dealing with COVID and all the expats?
Here in Namibia, we've seen a big spike in cases the past week or so, most concentrated at the coast and most traceable back to a truck driver who escaped from a quarantine facility. Health services are just about coping at the moment, though testing is slow.
Economy wise, it's been devastating. There's been alot of layoffs and salary cuts and there's virtually no social safety net here. For the moment we're holding on but if this persists past August, things may begin to fall apart.
Things look alot worse in South Africa, hearing quite a few horror stories from colleagues over there.
Hope everyone stays safe and that United give us something to smile about over the next few weeks because 2020 has been just awful so far.
Well hopefully things improve soon. We're beginning to get overwhelmed with the number of cases. Our health systems barely function in normal times and now everyone is just overwhelmed.My mum has been in Ghana since March 14, trapped due to lockdown & borders shutting. Ghana has seen a really big rise in cases in the last month or so because of rainy season, which is typically cold/flu/malaria season (my mum actually got malaria last week - but she gets it quite regularly)
Thankfully though number of Covid deaths in Ghana is still very low, less than 150 last I read vs about 27k infections is remarkable. Far better than a lot of the horror stories that were being written in Feb/early March.
The economy is suffering of course but money can be gained again, lives can't. I'm thankful that the President has been taking this seriously from the start. I think in doing so, they can now look at actions that can be taken to modernise certain workplaces, and also improve infrastructure.
I think this is the big factor. Median age here in Namibia is 21.@villain and @Adisa
I think there was a study that people with blood group 0, which is the predominant blood group in the sub-saharan countries, are milder affected than the other blood types (Type A being the worst).
This plus different demographics (way more younger people) might be positive reasons for mentioned countries to be less affected.
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Good post.For those not aware, there have been major protests in Nigeria calling for the abolition of a controversial police unit called SARS, short for the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. It was formed back in the 80s to tackle armed robbery in urban areas targeting banks and convoys... However in recent years it has devolved into a rogue unit that extorts innocent civilians on the road, and it has been linked with many extra-judicial detentions and killings. They specifically target young people based on spurious reasons (hairstyle, dress, car being driven), wrongly labeling many as fraudsters.
I've had the misfortune of driving into their checkpoint in December of last year. They tore the car apart and searched my phone for any "evidence" of criminal activity... Luckily I was let go.
So in recent days there have been numerous peaceful protests across different cities in Nigeria calling for their abolishment, at levels not seen since the early 90s. They have deliberately paralyzed several choke points in Lagos, the country's commercial nerve center, in order to force attention to the issue. In addition, the youth led protests have been given attention by Afrobeats musicians and celebrities who now have more of a following outside the country. The government initially acquiesced to the demands by declaring the end of the unit, but there are concerns that such declarations are talk. As of today, the protests continue within and outside the country. Very interesting to see whether the protests evolve to a more strategic wield of power by the youth against many of the issues plaguing Nigeria, or they fizzle out. Hoping for the former.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/13/africa/nigeria-police-sars-victims-intl/index.html
From all indications the army has been supportive of the protests, protecting protestors from police and other thugs. Things would have to deteriorate before the army stepped in, and even then I think they are more conscious of their role in society given Nigeria's history with military coup d'etats.Good post.
Saw a few things on social media but didn't get a chance to really look into it. Rumors of maybe the army coming in.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-54551629
Well said.I also have had the misfortune of having to deal with the thugs called SARS. They took all the money I had on me. I am in Lagos right now and proud of what these people are doing. They have virtually shut down the city. I can't even do what I came home to for.
The honest truth is that although this has been about police brutality, it feels much more than that. This country has robbed its youth of their future due to the mismanagement and chronic corruption. Youth unemployment is well above 50%, our leaders call us lazy while giving us nothing to work with. I feel so pessimistic about the future of this country right now and if feels like a ticking time bomb. The level of frustration is incredible. MoM food inflation is in the double digits .
This is a start. We need to let these cnuts know we are tired.
There I go being completely wrong about everything hereFrom all indications the army has been supportive of the protests, protecting protestors from police and other thugs. Things would have to deteriorate before the army stepped in, and even then I think they are more conscious of their role in society given Nigeria's history with military coup d'etats.
Social media has been a major contributor towards the momentum of recent events. A lot of fundraising and logistics being done on Twitter for example.
Couldn't even watch the game. Saw the scoreline and still felt numbI hope you guys are doing okay mentally with all that’s going on across the continent - the Nigerian government opened fire on their own citizens tonight and things seem to be escalating rather quickly.
Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, seeing constant harm to black life is traumatic even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time. Never get desensitised to our pain
It sucks that the coverage on this is basically nonexistent but, it’s not a surprise at this point.
Yep I’m struggling to sleep knowing what’s happening to our people, I was watching videos of the peaceful protests earlier today and it’s haunting me knowing they’re being targeted.Couldn't even watch the game. Saw the scoreline and still felt numb
Aye, I’m just down South and I don’t even know about this until I read your post - that’s how crappy the coverage has been - and I have a few friends and classmates in Lagos and Abouja. I’ll reach out to them.I hope you guys are doing okay mentally with all that’s going on across the continent - the Nigerian government opened fire on their own citizens tonight and things seem to be escalating rather quickly.
Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, seeing constant harm to black life is traumatic even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time. Never get desensitised to our pain
It sucks that the coverage on this is basically nonexistent but, it’s not a surprise at this point.
It's been trending in certain sections of twitter the last few days, and a lot of celebrities are talking about it now so news media will speak on it for sure.Aye, I’m just down South and I don’t even know about this until I read your post - that’s how crappy the coverage has been - and I have a few friends and classmates in Lagos and Abouja. I’ll reach out to them.
Good bro, be expecting a whatsapp from me soonAye, I’m just down South and I don’t even know about this until I read your post - that’s how crappy the coverage has been - and I have a few friends and classmates in Lagos and Abouja. I’ll reach out to them.
@adexkola my man, how are things? Just on a lighter note, we too, have thugs who rob people, in this country called SARS - our revenue services
Stay safe man.Like I said earlier, I am in Lagos at the moment. Couldn't sleep. Police/military kept shooting on my street throughout the night.
The Guardian asking users on Twitter for help has to be a new lowIt sucks that the coverage on this is basically nonexistent but, it’s not a surprise at this point.
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The coverage of this was so minimal from the mainstream media I thought it was an online joke protest at the start.It's been trending in certain sections of twitter the last few days, and a lot of celebrities are talking about it now so news media will speak on it for sure.
It's frustrating honestly because when it comes to events that happen in other regions in the world like South America, Central & Eastern Europe etc, you get coverage instantly, but oftentimes when it comes to instances in Africa & Asia it almost has to reach boiling point before the West takes notice.
@Adisa I hope you & yours stay safe out there, I can't imagine what it's like to be there right now
Ahh man Stay safe bro!Like I said earlier, I am in Lagos at the moment. Couldn't sleep. Police/military kept shooting on my street throughout the night.
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As a Nigerian who is born and bred in the diaspora and having just had Independence Day exactly three weeks ago, it really makes me think about how the ones back home are living and, while they may be independent from the British colony, they are still in the constraints of the tyrannous government so are they truly independent?
A member of the British parliament, Ms Kate Osamor, representing Edmonton, has written to question and seek clarification on the nature of aid the United Kingdom Government through the office of the Secretary of State, Foreign Affairs, extends to Nigeria’s disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
According to Thisday, The letter written on October 15 and personally signed by Osamor, called the attention of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Mr Dominic Raab, to the nationwide protests in Nigeria in the past seven days against the excesses of SARS.
She warned that further assistance be withheld and also called for an audit of what the previous aids were used for so that the UK Government agency would not be unintentionally supporting or facilitating the actions of an agency notorious for human rights violations.
The letter made available to ACE was written in a tone of caution to avoid a situation SARS got support from the agency without proper use.
Osamor’s letter cited that there have been 82 proven and documented incidents of torture, ill-treatment, extrajudicial executions and gross human rights abuses against SARS since January 2017 and cautioned it would be unthinkable that UK agency gives support to such body unless for training on proper conduct that respects human rights.
Osamor notified Raab that she wrote in her capacity as a member of a committee that superintends the agency.
She alerted that given the shady accountability process in the Nigerian agency, there might be the likelihood that UK might have been unknowingly providing support for an agency involved in the offences of abuses mentioned.
http://saharareporters.com/2020/10/16/uk-agency-questioned-over-financial-support-sars
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