MIDDLE BELT PEOPLE OF NIGERIA: ARISE

By Godson Offoaro, Monday March 12, 2012

“Let me tell you, in the event of the breakup of Nigeria, the north is the component that will remain one and united”. Junaid Mohammed
Good morning class. Today’s lesson is taken from the Book of Karl Marx. It is about rebellion. By the way, how many of you have heard of Karl Marx? His doctrine glamorized rebellion. He had asked workers of the world to unite against tyranny and or exploitation of any kind by the bourgeoisie, as they (workers or proletariats) in the final analysis, have nothing to lose other than their chains.

He sanctimoniously predicted the rise and eventual dictatorship of the worker over the owners of the factors of production. Okay? Workers indeed did rebel and the result was the now moribund Soviet Union and mighty industrial China. Who was the poet philosopher king that coined the adage, “to reign is worth an ambition; better reign in hell than serve in heaven? If you know the answer, keep it to yourself, as no questions shall be entertained throughout the two hours duration expected of a lesson such as this, this Monday morning. Who remembers that guy of yore, who soliloquized, “give me death in one hand and honor in the other and I will look at both indifferently as I love the allure of honor more than I fear death.” Julius Ceaser. Paraphrased.
Now, from what part of the country did we have a powerful soldiering clique that metamorphosed into a dreaded and influential mafia, named Langtang? Which part of Nigeria has the reputation of having produced the greatest numbers of Generals in Nigerian history? And finally, which part of the Nigerian federation has been involved in coup making more than the rest combined? I forgot. One more question class, and we are on our way. Which part of the Nigerian federation has the reputation of being the bread basket of the country priding itself as possessing or sitting atop the largest concentration of solid mineral deposits in Africa?

If you are of age like I am, come let’s reason. If you are of the younger generation Middle Belt Nigerian, get a sheet of paper handy. Because everything we say in this lesson today, will eventually form part of a quiz to assess your grasp of the knowledge of the wasted lives and resources of Middle Belt peoples of Nigeria. We shall also examine the reason why they lag behind the minorities of the South-south, who have since re-asserted their pre-eminence and single-handedly removed the oppressive shackles (of their majority neighboring tribes); we shall discuss the sickening role of Middle Belt minorities as perpetual cannon fodder for the Hausa-Fulani people in their unending struggle to dominate Nigeria. While we do not in any way claim to approximate to the wisdom of the aforementioned peoples nor do we claim a right to speak on their behalf, we must help since it appears no one hears from Dan Agbese anymore. I want to use this sacred podium to call on the people of the Middle Belt of Nigeria to rebel against the tyranny of the Hausa/Fulani or forever remain the most backward and endure accordingly.

People of the Middle Belt, arise; you have nothing to lose other than your chains.
To fully understand, we must take a trip into the not too distant past of Nigeria’s history. Yes we must! Now, you ask: what has become of the dreaded, respected, feared, war-like Middle Belt people of Nigeria? Who caged the giants of the Middle Belt, Nigeria? Where are the scions of Joseph Tarka and Gideon Orkar and Colonel Iyorshe? Should General Maman Vatsa have died in vain? Over some time, these questions and more have agitated the minds of well meaning Nigerians and lovers of democracy and liberation struggles. Essentially of the Nok culture, the Ebira, Jukun, Gwari, Nupe, Tiv, Idoma, Bissom and the clusters of other minority elements in the Middle Belt region dominate the geographical area we are talking about. They were and are still war-like, thoroughly educated, industrious, fiercely nationalistic and predominantly Christian. The crafty British did not lose sight of this. They recognized this so much that in the beginning, it was from this class that the foundation of the infantry (foot soldiers) of the West African Frontier Force and later the Nigeria Army, was formed. It was not any surprise that the Nigeria Civil War was theirs - just for the asking. Class, hope you’re still with me. Theophilus Danjuma, reputed to have killed Aguiyi Ironsi and Adekunle Fajuyi, comes from this group. Buka Suka Dimka who gunned down, Murtala Mohammed came from this stock. Gideon Orkar, the visionary, revolutionist-soldier who if he was Igbo or from any of the majority tribes in Nigeria would have been transformed into a folk-hero, came from thence. He would have been eulogized in folklores and poetry and dramatized to no end, had he come from the Yoruba nation of Nigeria.

Come to think of it, why can’t the guy, Gideon Orkar, be likened to Odumegwu Ojukwu, as a visionary who came before his time? Is it because he is not Igbo or Yoruba? Didn’t he once upon a time, properly, redraw the map of Nigeria to the secret applause of many? General Malu, who distinguished himself as ECOMOG Commander and later had the inglorious reputation of leveling Odi, came from this tribe. David Mark, who right from when he was a Major in the Nigerian Army, supervised the further abandoning of the abandoned property of the Igbo in Port Harcourt, had held responsible and reputable positions in the land. He too comes from this region. I mean David Mark; the current Senate President (was he at Ojukwu’s funeral?). What of Generals Shelleng, Domkat Bali, John Shagaya, Jerry Useni, Joe Garba, Audu Ogbe et al. At a point in time, these people formed the nucleus population of the dreaded Langtang Mafia.

The Langtang Mafia was essentially of the soldiering class which later metamorphosed into a lose confederate of the movers and shakers of policies in Nigeria. More than half of the population of the G34 Group belonged to the mafia. They grandfathered the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). All these men, if they had belonged to a distinct country, collectively would have possessed a cumulative knowledge, education, wealth and experience enough to put that country in the top bracket of the world’s most performing economies. This region was so important and predominant in the makeup of the Nigerian armed forces that when the mantle of leadership hovered during the uncertain days that preceded the murder of Aguiyi Ironsi, it fell on the hands of one of them - Yakubu Gowon. I hate to push General IBB into this column. Strictly speaking, that is where he should belong. But, he is Muslim.

Now, if the aforementioned people all come from Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, and have been at the corridors of power (following Hausa-Fulani up and down like mumu) for as long as God knows, why is it that their area has been some of the least developed in Nigeria second only to the Niger Delta? Why are there no good roads in the Middle Belt area of Nigeria? Why is the road from Keffi in Nasarawa through Makurdi in Benue, a living hell? Why has that road not at least been dualized? Why are there not (except Dangote Cement) any industries of repute in the region? Why are the people’s brands of agriculture not being revolutionized? Why is there runaway unemployment in the Middle Belt zone? Why didn’t the leaders, earlier produced from this region do enough to uplift the quality of lives of its people?

Why are the political wishes and destinies of the people of the Middle Belt (who arguably make at least a quarter of the Nigerian population) still tied to the apron strings of the Hausa/Fulani oligarchs? Why? Why is it that every important political appointment meant for the north always ended up in the kitty of the Hausa/Fulani? Why is it that any important federal investment meant for the north ends up in the belly of the Hausa-Fulani geographical area? And why is it so, that the area belonged to the north only in name? Why doesn’t the Middle Belt area of Nigeria have anything to show for the political support it had shown to the core north? When will the Middle Belt region be liberated? Why is it that the people from the area do not have a voice of their own? Why are there not visible coherent political pressure groups like the Ohaneze, Afenifere, South-South Elders Forum, and or the MASSOB, the OPC, and the BOKO HARAM in the Middle Belt region in spite of the areas’ strategic importance?