Professor Yusuf Turaki, who is one of the conveners of the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self Determination, has said Nigeria is a piece of patchwork deliberately designed fail at some point, as can be clearly seen in our struggles as a nation.
He said the signs are already there as proof that the patchwork is finally tearing apart. But instead of accepting reality, those benefiting from the failed project would rather continue doing patches, hoping to keep the rest of the parts from breaking away.
Turaki who stated this in an interview with Saturday Sun, also noted that the nation's current struggles has an historical foundation which according to him, was laid down by empire builders or social reformers.
Asked why Nigeria doesn’t seem to be at peace and almost overstretched to a breaking point despite many years of nationhood, he said, "This is the question I have been asking myself right from the mid 70s and I have been involved in serous research concerning this country.
"What I have discovered on what is happening to us today had a historical foundation, which was laid down by empire builders or social reformers. I traced myself back historically."
He said to better understand what the colonialists did to Nigeria, he undertook a serious studies, on 'How the British set up the socio-political social order of Northern Nigeria and Nigeria itself.'
"I wanted to look at the long-term consequences of what the British had done, especially to the Muslims and the non-Muslims in Northern Nigeria that has ramifications not only in the North, but also in the entire country," he said.
Speaking further, he said, "The chaos, the conflicts, the lack of direction that this country is facing right now is rooted and placed upon the foundation which the British colonial masters laid upon Nigeria. But people are surprised and ask question about what is happening today, why do we have ethno –religious conflicts and crises in Northern Nigeria, as well as other parts of the country?
"They try to give answers to these issues, but their answers do not go back to the foundation, which had been laid down by the colonial masters. Usually, the solutions or answers that Nigerians give don’t address the foundational issues – how Nigerians were set up against each other by the colonial system."
On whether the faulty foundation can be corrected considering some people or group of persons are benefiting from it and likely will oppose, he said, "Yes. In my research, I looked for the solution. The solution is that if Nigerians will be willing to go back and address the fundamental issue, which is a threat to Nigerian state. In my research through my life, I have proffered solutions on how to address the issues that affect Nigeria as a country.
"However, the way the British set it up, you find out that some groups in Nigeria are the beneficiaries. Let me give you a historical background of what I call, the development of negative social values that affect Nigeria. This is the summary of the question, which you raised about issues that are affecting us – the crises, the conflicts, the lack of unity, insurgencies, banditry, things that are happening today.
"Let me go back to the background. The social structure and the values of the British colonial social order were berthed into Nigeria. The first is that the British colonial social order, called Nigeria was characterised by the following: the establishment of districts, provinces and regions based upon racial and tribal inequality and the patterns of dominance subordination relationship between ethnic groups and regions.
"Secondly, Nigeria’s social order was characterised by differential or preferential treatments of ethnic groups and regions. Therefore, Nigerian society was characterised by a stratified inequality in political, social and economic spheres. Fourthly, Nigerian social order was characterised by the creation of new ethnic hierarchies and tribal social units.
"The long-term consequences were: they institutionalized socio-political conflicts among ethnic groups and regions. Secondly, is the development of historical and social advantages or disadvantages of ethnic groups or regions in the colonial and post-colonial systems. Thirdly, is the continuity of the unjust colonial structures and values in the post-colonial Nigeria.
"Coming after this, is the setting up of unbalanced political system for the centre, for the regions and within regions and the introduction of the politics of population, domination and representation.
"Then, the social and political policy and administrative practices and attitudes of the colonial administration towards ethnic groups and regions were based upon the following: Social, cultural and religious differences of the ethnic groups; secondly, it was based upon the concept of racial, ethnic inequality of the tribal and religious groups. Thirdly, is the colonial justification of racial, cultural and religious differences of ethnic groups in implementing its colonial administration and practices."
Describing the values governing the nation as 'serious', he said, "After independence on October 1, 1960, instead of Nigeria to develop common national values, standard ideal, morality and ethics, they modified primordial ethnic and religious values that have become the major source of crises and conflicts.
"The first thing that is happening in Nigeria is simply the practices of inequality and injustice, especially the current regime today, from 2015 to present. Today in Nigeria, we have seen practices of inequality and injustice in government in the governance of the leadership of this country. Persecutions, discriminations, marginalization of people based upon ethnicity, religion or region and these abound everywhere in Nigeria.
"Nigerians are crying of persecutions, discriminations, and marginalisation and these are based upon these three things – ethnicity, religion and regionalism. Social practices of inequality and injustice have affected us very badly, especially Christians in Northern Nigeria. Christians in Northern Nigeria face discriminations, persecutions and marginalisation; they suffer these things based upon ethnicity, religions and the areas they come from."