By Chidiebere Nwobodo
If southerners are yet to realize how disunity among them has perpetuated northern domination, the barrage of attacks that have greeted the recent meeting of southern governors—emanating mostly from the north, is a pointer that southerners have been the ones holding themselves down and invariably entrenching northern supremacism in the polity.
The north is not agitated that southern governors met—but that they met under the umbrella of “Southern Governors Forum”. While northern governors want to continue to converge under the platform of Northern Governors Forum, they want their southern counterparts to remain eternally divided alongside South-East Governors Forum; South-West Governors Forum and South-South Governors Forum. And once southern governors meets under one body, it becomes easier for southern National Assembly members.
Anyone that conceptualized and made this southern governors recent meeting possible—may God bless him or her. Whether the resolutions of the meeting will be implemented to the letter is a different story all together. The major gain here is the convergence—the unity of purpose amongst southern governors in this regard—first time in a long while. We want more of such meetings—even if it is just for the optics—PR, because perception is stronger than reality.
The unprovoked and irrational outburst emanating from northern political elites against the meeting, shows that northern hegemonic hold on Nigeria gets weakened anytime southern political elites, especially governors, speak with one voice. Southern age-long disunity has been the strength of the north—not population or so-called political wizardry.
I urge southern governors to ensure that this new found unity of purpose is diligently sustained in order to project and protect collective interests of southerners. Make no mistake: the north—feeling bruised by this development, will go back to drawing board and relaunch its divide-and-rule propaganda to polarise the south again. The number bait they’ll deploy is 2023 ambition. They’ll dangle presidency like carrot.
I encourage southern governors to ensure that a council of southern traditional rulers is promoted to extend this unity among our traditional institutions. Southern socio-cultural organizations like Afenifere, Ohaneze, PANDEF are already leading in this regard. Nigeria can only be restructured only when south pursue this mandate with one voice.
It should be impressed upon the north that once restructuring—demanded by one south, is rejected by them, disintegration becomes inevitable. Then imagine what happens when the south—speaking in unionism, wants to revisit 1914 amalgamation; with the sole aim to severe the ties. There’s strength in unity. Southern Nigeria is not a conquered entity.
Do you know that the north needs cooperation of at least a section of the south to retain power. With impregnable southern solidarity, it is impossible to keep power in the north beyond 2023.
God bless southern governors!
