As Nigeria celebrates its 61st independence anniversary, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi has called on the government to build a balanced, equitable federal nation that would be able to drive back neocolonialism and stop ongoing efforts by opportunist developed nations to continue to further exploit the country after decades of attaining independence.
Akinyemi, an eminent proessor of International Relations, noted that Nigeria, alongside other African countries are still being controlled by leaders from former colonial territories. He explained that Nigeria, despite gaining independence 61 years ago has continued to grapple with manipulations from Britain and France.
The former minister also lamented the interference of former colonial masters in the politics of African countries. Akinyemi who recounted how Nigeria gained independence said Britain amalgamated the three regions of the country for its own selfish interest.
He added that European colonialists had a culture of breaking countries into two before granting independence, but failed to apply same to Nigeria because they felt “if Nigeria had been broken up to three regions as they were then, two of those regions would have been run by leaders they could not control.”
The elder statesman explained that the British, before granting Nigeria independence had masterminded a plot to put a leader that would serve them.
Akinyemi made this known during an interview session on ‘thruMY eyes’, an online programme that runs commentary on various international events, monitored by The New Diplomat, Thursday.
In his words, “All former colonial authorities had ensured that when they were leaving that they granted independence into the hands of leaders that they felt they could control. Those leaders that they felt they couldn’t control were killed off on the eve of independence. They made sure that they didn’t come to power. Other ones they ensured that they broke their territories into smaller countries.
“The British also did the same thing in East Africa. Probably, of all their territories, Nigeria was probably the only one they left as it is. And it’s because if Nigeria had been broken up to three regions as they were then, two of those regions would have been run by leaders the British could not control. Why only the third region would be the only one they would be able to control. And so they kept Nigeria together as one, but ensured that the control of the United Nigeria was in the hands of Nigerian leaders that they could control.
“So it not like Nigerian leaders want to be free from external authorities but if you are a leader and you want to survive you play ball with the former masters. However, a time is going to come when either (Europeans) they run into problems in Europe and leave Africa alone or developments within Africa itself ensured that new leaders come in who would be independent of manipulation by leaders from the former colonial territories.”
Speaking further, Akinyemi also lamented the role France played during the Nigerian civil war that occurred between 6th of July, 1967 to 15th of January, 1970. He accused France of engineering support for Biafra, who was agitating for secession.
According to him, France is threatened by the unity of Nigeria.
Proscribing solutions, the former minister stated that Nigeria must realise that the real enemies are the external antagonists who are interested in driving the country towards the “cliff edge.” He added that the government must build a powerful, united Nigeria that can resist the interference of European bodies.
“We are surrounded by French territories. And the French have not hidden that a united Nigeria is a threat to their control over their territories. Because in a way it encourages the leaders in those territories to see what a real independent African country can do with itself.
“You will recall that France engineered support for Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War. Now, to me, there’s only one way to actually engage the French syndrome. And that is for Nigeria to get its act together. The successful, powerful Nigeria will simply be too strong for the French to seek to undermine, but as long as we don’t get our act together in Nigeria and we are driven by ethno religious, differences and chasms and cleavages, those cleavages will be played upon by any antagonistic European body in order to drive Nigeria towards the cliff edge.
“So, Nigeria must heal this cleavages by running an equitable, fair, balanced, federal nation. Nigeria will be 61 years old tomorrow, and you would think that after 61 years, we would have found out enough about ourselves that we are not our own enemies, but that we have external antagonists and therefore we should concentrate on building our powerful nation. Unfortunately, we haven’t come to that conclusion,” he added.
