Colonial masters altered 1932 census to favour North – Sagay

Itse Sagay

Renowned legal luminary, Professor Itse Sagay, on Friday said that the British colonial masters manipulated the first ever nationwide census in 1932 in favour of the Northern region, a situation he said led to what has become a national problem of identity and good governance.

Sagay was the guest lecturer at the investiture of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor of the State of Osun as the Independent Newspapers Limited (INL) Man-of-the-Year 2013 held at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
He spoke on the topic, “A Background Glance and the Next 100 Years”.

According to him, the colonial masters did not only stop at amalgamating the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914, “at every stage they ensured that the reins of power would remain in the hands of their beloved protégé.

“Thus in preparing the North for its future role as the rulers of Nigeria, the British manipulated the very first Nigerian-wide population census conducted in 1932 in favour of the North.
“Thus from the very beginning, a permanent majority in population which was intended to translate into a permanent majority in the future central legislature and consequently a permanent control of power was programmed for the Northern ruling class.”
Going down memory lane, Sagay said Nigeria was, before independence, a conglomeration of distinct nations and peoples who were brought within the same political territory and state by the force of arms of the colonial power, for its own convenience, rather than for reasons based on merit or for the benefit of the colonised.

He noted that Nigeria, since then, has been running round in circles, stressing that the recurrent problems confronting the nation arose from the failure of successive government to entrench the tenets of true federalism.

He also noted with regrets that the interruption by the military regimes threw the nation back into unitary system of government while the 1960 constitution which provided for true federalism died a natural death.

He said the ongoing power tussle between the North and South-South Nigeria has not been helped by the over-dependence on oil, saying; “Nigeria as a whole has been a tragic victim of dependence of oil proceeds; other exports have disappeared, all because of that dependence.”

Sagay in suggesting the way forward for Nigeria to make meaningful headway and economic development, said “all parts of Nigeria must be weaned off all Niger-Delta proceeds.
“There has to be a halt to this obsession and states must look inwards for their revenue – agriculture – solid mineral exploitation – resuscitation of collapsed industries.

“With immense cattle resources, it is time the North established cattle ranches in order to go into chilled beef, corned beef and dairy industries.  The era of the nomadic cattle rearer has been over for decades.  “Argentina, makes over $5 billion per annum from its chilled beef exports alone.  The North can do likewise in order to release itself from the ‘leading strings’ of the Niger Delta’s resources, attaining prosperity, development and independence in the process.  Fertile Mambilla Plateau alone can bring great agricultural prosperity,” he said.

He commended the move by the South West region to liberate itself from the oil proceeds mentality with its industrial development, aggressive taxation drive and good economic programmes.

“The East has the capacity because by their tremendous drive and adour in business and trading, they can generate excess funds to be ploughed back into profitable investments and services that can result in economic independence.  There is need to release their genius in commerce.  The East also has a record of industries and manufacturing.  The South-South has commenced the process of diversifying into the non-petroleum economic activities”, he added.
Above all, Sagay said Nigeria must be ready to entrench the tenets of true federalism, saying; “True political and fiscal federalism in Nigeria is now inevitable.  It will come whether the federal executive and legislative arms of government like it or not.  It is the only way forward for Nigeria as a united entity.

“True federalism must be substituted for the present suffocating unitary constitution.  Police affairs, railways, electricity, industrial relations/labour, mines, minerals, value added tax, local census should be moved to the concurrent list.
“We must now revert to our pre-independence pact which was embodied in the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions.  That is the only basis of an independent Nigeria with a long term future.  That is the only answer to the national question.”

A member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue, Mr. Tony Uranta, who was the lead discussant at the lecture, commended the guest lecturer for the exposé on Nigeria, saying that Nigeria is what it is today due to the ambition of the colonialists.

Uranta added that major issues affecting Nigeria as a nation are daily begin swept under the carpet on the altar of politics, ethnicity and religion, relegating Nigeria below the expectations of its founding fathers.

He, therefore, said that the proposed National Conference billed to kick off next month provides an avenue to restructure Nigeria , saying that participation by social/cultural and political groupings in the national conference will produce more results than basing participation on ethnic leanings.

“When the national conference starts, it will have a life of its own, even President Goodluck Jonathan will be surprised by the result of the conference. If Nigeria says they don’t want Nigeria, then that is what it would be, it is the decision of the people that will be entrenched because as rightly said, there is no room for no go area, all issues will be thrashed,” he said.