But I must emphasize from the beginning that the fact that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic state is not unique to Nigeria or unique to Africa. It is not a negative phenomenon. Take a look at Europe: The interesting thing about this is that Europe which we all think of as a white undifferentiated continent, turns out to be a variegated continent with each country being a rainbow of nationalities.

The next issue to confront is what is often characterized as the artificial creation of Nigeria. This is in reference to the 1915 amalgamation of Nigeria by Lord Lugard. Underlying this negative perception of the amalgamation is the mistaken belief that before the colonial intrusion, groups in Nigeria lived in splendid isolation. It is mistaken because to use Lagos as an example, long before the British colonization, you had the Nupe settling in Oshodi, the Epe settlling in Epetedo and the Ijesas settling in Ijesatedo.

As regards the issue of the artificiality of the Nigerian nation, the 2014 National Conference, in a Report adopted without dissent paid tribute to the efforts of the colonial authorities in clubbing together the disparate nationalities into what is now called Nigeria when the Conference said that it was “persuaded that when the administrations of the Northern and the Southern Protectorates of Nigeria were amalgamated in 1914, the framework of a potentially great nation was laid”, and called on all Nigerians “to ensure that the amalgamation achieves its full intendment of building a fully integrated nation”. This was a Report adopted by 460 representatives of the Nigerian people. Again, the artificiality of Nigerian boundaries is not a Nigerian phenomenon. Apart from Islands such as New Zealand, Australia whose boundaries are natural, all boundaries in the world are artificial, being determined by wars, conquest and treaties. European boundaries have been determined by a series of conferences namely; the Peace of Westphalia, 1648, Congress of Vienna, 1815, Versailles Peace Conference, 1915, and the post-Second World War, not to mention the civil wars following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The frontiers of the United States were formed as a result of wars between the British and the French authorities over the Canadian/United States border, and wars between the United States and Mexico to define the southern frontier. The net effect of my submission is this: while admitting that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic state and that its boundaries are artificial, that should not pose existential threats to Nigeria. I am not saying that they could not because obviously, they can and have posed existential threats in Nigeria and in other places in the past. But it is like fire. It can cook, and it can burn.

This then leads me to ask a pertinent question: Should Nigeria have the free for all political system which we operate? During the First Republic, we had three major political parties: the NPC from the North, the NCNC from both the East and the West even though in public perception, it was regarded as an Eastern party and the Action Group was from the West. All the other parties were just ancillary parties. During the second Republic, the pattern was repeated. The NPN was basically a Northern party, the NPP was basically an Eastern party, and the UPN was basically a Western party. All the other parties were again ancillary parties. The putative Third Republic was the only exception. The military regime decreed a two-party system.

There was no Northern party, no Eastern party and no Western party. All of us had to find room in one party or the other rather than to keep setting up ethnic parties. Each African state shaped its own response to multi-ethnic politics. But I have attempted some sort of classification into four groups. The first group is made up of those states who adopted a One-party system as a solution. Examples are:  

• Angola (MPLA) 1975–1991
• Benin (People’s Revolutionary Party of Benin) 1975–1990
• Republic of Upper Volta Upper Volta (African Democratic Rally) 1960– 1966
• Burundi (Union for National Progress) 1966–1992
• Cameroon (Cameroon National Union) 1966–1985, (Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement) 1985–1990
• Cape Verde (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde) 1975–1981, (African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde) 1981–1990
• Central African Republic (Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa) 1962–1980, (Central African Democratic Union) 1980-1981, (Central African Democratic Rally) 1987–1991
• Chad (Chadian Progressive Party) 1962–1973, (National Movement for the Cultural and Social Revolution) 1973–1975, (National Union for Independence and Revolution) 1984–1990
• Comoros (Comorian Union for Progress) 1982–1990
• Congo-Brazzaville (Congolese Party of Labour) 1969–1990
• Zaire (Popular Movement of the Revolution) 1970–1990
• Djibouti (People’s Rally for Progress) 1977–1992
• Equatorial Guinea (Worker’s National United Party) 1970–1979, (Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea) 1987–1991
• Ethiopia (Workers’ Party of Ethiopia) 1984–1991
• Gabon (Gabonese Democratic Party) 1968–1990
• Ghana (Convention People’s Party) 1964–1966
• Guinea (Democratic Party of Guinea – African Democratic Rally) 1958–1984
• Guinea-Bissau (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde) 1974–1991 Ivory Coast (Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire – African Democratic Rally) 1960–1990
• Kenya (Kenya African National Union) 1982–1991
• Liberia (True Whig Party) 1878–1980
• Madagascar (National Front for the Defense of the Revolution) 1976–1989
• Malawi (Malawi Congress Party) 1964–1993
• Mali (Sudanese Union – African Democratic Rally) 1960–1968, (Democratic Union of the Malian People) 1976–1991
• Mauritania (Mauritanian People’s Party) 1961–1978 Mozambique (FRELIMO) 1975–1990
• Niger (Nigerien Progressive Party – African Democratic Rally) 1960–1974, (National Movement for the Development of Society) 1989–1991
• Rwanda (Parmehutu) 1965–1973, (National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development) 1975-1991
• São Tomé and Príncipe (Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe/Social Democratic Party) 1975–1990
• Senegal (Socialist Party of Senegal) 1966–1974
• Seychelles (Seychelles People’s Progressive Front) 1977–1991
• Sierra Leone (All People’s Congress) 1978–1991
• Somalia (Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party) 1976–1991
• Sudan (Sudanese Socialist Union) 1971–1985, (National Congress Party) 1989–2005
• Tanzania (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) 1977–1992
• Tanganyika (Tanganyika African National Union) 1961–1977
• Zanzibar (Afro-Shirazi Party) 1964–1977
• Togo (Party of Togolese Unity) 1962–1963, (Rally of the Togolese People) 1969–1991
• Uganda (Uganda People’s Congress) 1969–1971
• Zambia (United National Independence Party) 1972–1990
• Some Middle Eastern and North African states;
• Algeria (National Liberation Front) 1962–1989
• Egypt (National Union) 1956–1958 and 1961–1962, (Arab Socialist Union) 1962–1976
• Libya (Arab Socialist Union) 1971–1977
• North Yemen (General People’s Congress) 1982–1988
• South Yemen (Yemeni Socialist Party) 1978–1990
• Tunisia (Neo Destour) 1963–1964, (Socialist Destourian Party) 1964–1981
• United Arab Republic (National Union) 1958–1961.

Theoretically, a one-party system did not recognize the rainbow variety of the state. But in actual fact, in the allocation of offices, both elective and appointive, it practiced affirmative action.

But by the 1990s, Africa enjoyed its democratic spring when hundreds of new political parties sprung up especially in those one-party states.

The second group can be classified into those states that run a fully functional open space system with an open multi-party system. Nigeria between 1954 and 1966, 1979-1984 will be an example of this. Between 1954 and 1966, there were three major parties in Nigeria, namely the Northern Peoples’ Congress,(representing the North), the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (with a national spread, but with the catchment area being in Eastern Nigeria) and the Action Group (representing the West). But there were also several mini parties. Between 1979 and 1984, there were the: –

• Greater Nigerian People’s Party (GNPP)
• National Party of Nigeria (NPN)
• Nigeria Advance Party (NAP)
• Nigerian People’s Party (NPP)
• People’s Redemption Party (PRP)
• Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN)
• Movement of the People Party (MPP),

Of which the GNPP, NPN, NPP and UPN were the major parties, while the others were marginal

The third group will be those who run an open space system with a restricted multiparty system. States which typified this system are states which originally ran a one party-system but on opening up the system, used their original position to maintain a dominance of a contrived system. Examples are the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, the Parti Démocratique Gabonais or the Rassemblement Démocratique du Peuple Camerounais)  

Prof. A. Bolaji Akinyemi, CFR, delivered this lecture at the Maiden Edition of Engr. (Rev) Et Ikpong Ikpong Etteh (OFR) Annual Distinguished Lecture held, at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, on Wednesday, December 16, 2015.

Source:Vanguard