In the days of the parliamentary system when political friendship and electoral brotherhood was highly valued and priced, the Niger Delta Congress, NDC, was about the only democratic friend the Northern Peoples Congress, NPC, the northern based and controlled octopus, had in the entire South. Infact, it could be said that the two were very collaborative political twins. Which was why Balewa picked Ekotie Eboh as his minister of finance against protestations by the NCNC, its alliance partner.
In recognition of this brotherhood, the Broadcasting Company of Northern Nigeria, BCNN, the first radio outfit to be quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, created such programmes as “Rivers State calling” during the war years. It could be said that the station created the first nucleus of broadcasting houses in the states of the Niger Delta.
Perhaps, in appreciation, during the second republic, the area predominantly Christian, voted for Muslim Shagari against Christian Nnamdi Azikiwe and Awolowo. It may not be wrong to postulate that they were the first to break the ragionalist and religious tendencies of geo-religious politics, and this wasn’t a fluke. Yar’Adua, Shinkafi and Chiroma were their first choices during the aborted pre-June 12 presidential primaries. It was a repeat of friendship and solidarity on the political front.
Ever since then, the North, so to speak, has been the arrow of their politics, the type of electoral friendship between Kwara and Sokoto until recently when ANPP failed to cultivate the diplomatic mien to retain the godfatherism of Sola Saraki in that area. It was a costly political blunder.
While some Southern elements are insisting that the eight year rotatory arrangement of the PDP, between the two divides, be thrown to the starved whales of the Atlantic, powerful elements from that zone have been insisting that on no account must and should the arrangement be ditched even as they are better claimants to the ‘throne’ than all others. How else could a true political friend be undoubtedly loyal and committed.
The point is, the people of the Niger Delta since pre independence have identified Northerners as their political twins and all those years they have never failed to demonstrate their absolute sincerity to this brotherhood.
Indeed it was in this light that a delegation of women from the area visited the ACF to intervene in the happenings in the area. They saw brothers and sisters and rushed to them for assistance in their greatest honor of need.
If today the Deltans feel that their greatest and long standing political brothers and sisters have betrayed their confidence, can they be realistically faulted? For sure they have a point. Friends of over fifty years, who have been together from childhood to date have no reason to quarrel whatsoever, but rather to strengthen the bonds of their relationship.
The North and the South South need to remain the best of friends for ever and ever, if the South South has been giving the North their assurances of comradeship all these years, the North, in turn has every obligation to reciprocate in the same spirit and the best way’ to do this is to withdraw the current pro-dichotomy suit, if for nothing at least in the spirit of friendship and brotherhood.
Let us face it, as legally proper and legitimate the action of the Northern Governors is, in this matter, there is a limit to which the North would continue to depend on oil sources for its survival. It has the resources to earn for it what it has been getting from oil and perhaps even more. It should go for these resources and minimize its over dependence on oil.
Let it also be frankly admitted that the decline of the relevance of Northern economic resources started post in the war era when Northerners were in charge. They neglected these vital resources in favour of oil. Of course, it could be argued that they never wanted to be regionalist in their perception of the Nigeria Project. However, there is nothing sectarian in seeking to develop available resources for the betterment of all Nigerians. Whatever were their good reasons for relegating other resources to the backyard, still, there was a serious economic laxity in their approach.
Be that as it may, Babangida should take credit for harmonizing the revenue from oil in line with the derivation principle. It could be understood why the Northern Governors never protested then but what of the elite. Indeed, even when Obasanjo was shouting himself hoarse against the agitation over the matter, he was more or less a lone ranger. Of the 29 supporters of the bill in the Senate, 7 are/were Northerners. They were also on the joint Senate-House Committee that harmonized the differences between the two branches of the legislature. Pity that nobody said anything then.
Even without these, what political scientists call “real politik” ought to inform the complainants to lay down their arms on the issue. If they appreciate that other non oil states in the South are supportive of the actions but not part of the complainants then they ought to appreciate the wider dimension of their action.
More important however is for them to reflect very seriously on the long standing relationship between their area and the South South. This is very important in our type of federating arrangement. Each area needs more friends and that is that.
If the harmonizing act is a triumph of political solution to a problem, so could matters be also resolved through political horse trading. In as much as the suit is legally flautless, this remains a better elective option. Sentiments apart, it is.
