MEMORANDUM
BY
NATIONAL CHRISTIAN ELDERS FORUM (NCEF)
TO
LEADERS OF:
- Afenifere – South West
- Middle Belt Forum – Middle Belt
- Ohaneze N’digbo – South East
- PANDEF – South South (Niger Delta)
HIGHLIGHTS:
- The Amalgamation of 1914 has been given different interpretations. NCEF in this 23 page Memorandum is setting out to clarify these issues, more so, since four out of the six geo-political zones in the country belong to the Negro race representing 386 ethnic nationalities compared with the Negroid race having 3 ethnic nationalities.
- The Sardauna in page 133 of his autobiography wrote, “‘I rise to associate myself with the last speaker. The mistake of 1914 has come to light and I should like to go no further.’ Echoing this sentiment, Alhaji Mohammed Mahadi Shehu on 30th March, 2020 in the SUN newspaper was quoted as saying, “When the Amalgamation of Nigeria took place, virtually everybody’s head in this country was not up. In other words, nobody realized the consequences of merging this country. With the passage of time, with the knowledge, with clear daily happenings it was realized long ago that the Amalgamation was done in haste, out of mischief without taking into consideration the peculiarities in Nigeria.”
For a Northerner to say that Amalgamation was done out of mischief, is the height of ingratitude. - Alhaji Yerima Shettima, was quoted in the SUN Newspaper as saying “The collective interest of the North is that the average northerner believes that we will ensure, we will mobilize towards 2023. We must negotiate, we must lobby to retain power, we can’t afford to lose power, the only thing we have at hand. With all the insecurity that we have in the North, poverty, unemployment, lack of direction and vision by this present administration you still want the North to lose power? It is not possible.” [Why North won’t surrender power in 2023 –Yerima Shettima – The Sun Nigeria Newspaper 28th March, 2020].
NCEF is at a loss how insecurity, poverty, unemployment, and lack of vision constitute strategy to retain power? - The entitlement mentality displayed in the statements above is behind the Sharia Movement in Nigeria which seeks to supplant Democracy with Sharia as National Ideology. The members of the Sharia Movement who live in Dar-al Islam (abode of peace) have deliberately turned Nigeria into Dar-al Harb (abode of war). Sharia is deliberately promoted to corner the wealth of Nigeria.
- It is also clear that this entitlement mentality was deliberately crafted and nurtured by Frederick Lugard who said, “my desire to utilize the Fulani as rulers has been described in a former report and has met with the approval of the Secretary of State…” It must be remembered that in Sokoto State at one time, vehicle number plates borne the inscription “born to rule” which showed clearly that the Negroids see themselves as ordained rulers of Nigeria after the departure of the British.
- It is very clear that the British deliberately handed the 386 (out of 389) ethnic nationalities to the Fulani who unfortunately see themselves as successor colonialist which led to arrogance and desire to change the system of government from Democracy to Sharia. However, the NCEF does not see this conspiracy as sufficient to break Nigeria into bits but recommends Re-Inventing the country which is the main reason for this memorandum.
- It is stealth jihad for the courts especially the Supreme Court, the last hope of the ordinary man, to be Sharia constituted to influence Sharia over Democracy. Above all, it is stealth jihad when the whole object of imposing Sharia on Nigerians is to constitute the Muslims as “us”, and the Christians as “them”, in a country where the Christians had labored to promote civilization and modern living both at home and in the Diaspora. The memorandum shows how the Sharia movement through stealth and conventional jihad ensured that Nigeria remains Dar-al Harb, the abode of war. Nigeria post COVID-19 must be fully re-invented and transformed to a Democratic entity.
- It is not enough under the circumstances to say that our heroes past who are still alive spoke to the Islamist President in private. If they did, then it is time for them to do so in public. We believe that it is the void created by Generals Gowon, Obasanjo and Danjuma, who understand our national value system that is now being filled by members of the Sharia movement to corner the wealth of Nigeria for the use of a few. NCEF is grateful to God that these men are still alive, because they are Christians who should be able to put a stop to conflict of ideology of Democracy and Sharia and the drift of Nigeria to Alice in wonderland. The three Generals must come out openly to say which side they belong: Democracy or Sharia. They cannot be on both sides. The NCEF is convinced that the demand for Sharia ideology is merely a camouflage to control the wealth of Nigeria through the use of force and deceit (stealth jihad).
- The leadership of PANDEF, Afenifere, Ohaneze and Middle Belt Forum must persuade these Generals who are living heroes to intervene and in particular speak to all the soldiers, Emirs, Obas, Ezes, Chiefs and in particular the Sultan of Sokoto to soft pedal in promoting Quran as his Constitution, in other words, he wants Nigeria to be an Islamic state.
- The Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria in January 1st 1914 is one of the few “gifts” the white man gave the black man. Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Protectorates in Nigeria provided for Africans a new hope of salvation and civilization. Amalgamation was able to provide in Nigeria a home for one in every four black person through the world. Amalgamation ‘united’ two races - (a) the Native Nigerians with about 386 tribes, who are Negros and (b) immigrant group of brown skin, Arab descent from the Middle East today’s Hausa, Fulani and Kanuris.
- The mistake made by the British would appear to be the inability to have appreciated the incompatibility of the two ideologies of “Democracy” and “Sharia” that they were leaving behind. Britain had all the opportunity to have converted all Nigerians to Democracy.
- The solution therefore is that Nigeria must enter into post COVID-19 negotiation on the basis of equality of its ethnic nationalities: 389 in total. There is no free lunch; there is also no freedom on a platter of gold. We must take back our freedom by peaceful means; after all, native Nigerians are supposed to be educated. To import Fulanization or Arabization on other Nigerians as discussed in the Memorandum and that seemed to have worked in the past can no longer work in the future. The eyes of Christians and other Nigerians are now opened.
- The NCEF is of the view that Amalgamation of January 1, 1914 is not a mistake, but a very important event that gave birth to Nigeria in the 19th century that now requires re-inventing. There must be re-inventing of Nigeria.
Elder Solomon Asemota, SAN
Chairman
National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF)
25th April, 2020