This article is about war. It is also about political situation and relationships in Kwara State. But since Kwara State is a sub-national of Nigeria Federal structure and also a multi-ethnic, lingua and religious state; this article is also germane to States of the same features or even the nation of Nigeria. There is the war situation where nations or units within the nation are at war. This situation of war is like the one we were during the Nigeria/Biafra civil war or it could even be ethnic conflicts within a State. Battle depicts conflicts, fights and armed combat. Battle therefore is an expression of war. But a nation may be at the state of war, which can be said to be the state of hostilities which may not necessarily be being at battle field. The state of war is the crux of this discussion. The battle ceased, but in Kwara State, I can hear the echoes of war.
Establishment of nations, empires, caliphate, towns or villages could be through the acts or art of war, which is the use of force or it could be through diplomacy, merger and acquisition using, dialogue, spiritual and mystical powers. Nigeria for example was clubbed together by some acts or threat of war, diplomacy or dialogue. Before 1914, there was no Nigeria, there were Bini Empire, Sokoto Caliphate, Oyo Empire, etc. In 1914, British principally in their own colonial and imperial interests, brought together warring autonomous Empires and Caliphate to establish what is now known as Nigeria.
What is known as Kwara State whether at the creation of the States in 1967 and now that it has plummeted to its present size had passed through many phases of history. What is now known as Kwara was largely until 1823 a geographical space over which the Alafin of Oyo held suzerainty. It was part of Oyo Empire. From 1823 until 1897 it was part of the Sokoto Caliphate, from 1897 to 1966, it was part of Northern Region of Nigeria and from 1967 to 1976 Kwara was an expansive State that included the present Idah and Dekina in the present Benue State. From 1976 to 1991, a big chunk of the present Kogi State including Okuns and the Ebiras and the Borgus in Niger State were part of Kwara State. And from 1991 to date, it maintains the present structure. All that can be said of Kwara State at various stages of its existence is that it has always been a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious people of diverse history and background. It is what the Yoruba calls “apa alapa, ese elese”: a monster with different difficult to reconcile body parts.
Before the waves of 19th century Jihad of Uthman Dan Fodio, the Yoruba of the present Kwara State, were part of the expansive Yoruba Oyo Empire. The chunk of their kit and kin are still in the South-Western Nigeria. The Nupes of Kwara State had their own Kingdom across River Niger where they still have the chunk of their kit and kin. The Barubas have their own people in Benin Republic. After the death of Afonja and the installation of the first Emir of Ilorin in 1823, there were several wars to expand the frontiers of Islam and the political power and influence of Ilorin as one of the Caliphate’s Emirates. A major part of the Oyo Empire was the theater of war of the Fulanis to achieve the above purpose. There were the Pamo war, Ogele war, Gbogun war, Oshogbo war, Ijaiye war, Mugba-mugba war, etc. But with the death of Sultan Attahiru in the battle of Burmi by the British army, in 1903, which made the Caliphate to be defunct, the conquerors of the above wars were also conquered. And with the independence in 1960, the British colonial power over Nigeria was dismantled. With the subsequent creations and re-creations of Kwara State since 1967, the government and the people of Kwara State are in the hands of the people of Kwara State whether as military or civilian rulers. There is therefore no more battles or armed combats. But why do we still have these echoes of wars after the cessation of battles?
I admire, respect and indeed venerate Emir Adulsalam, the first Emir of Ilorin. After the death of Afonja, he, with rare administrative skills and unusual political engineering; created what will make Ilorin, the new and only Emirate in Yoruba land, a sprawling and flourishing city of commerce; a political melting-pot at the southern tip of the Sokoto Caliphate. The Emir recognizing the major ethnic composition of the town, created what can make for the thriving and the survival of the Emirate. He created the positions of the Baloguns: Balogun Alanamu and Ajikobi for the Yorubas and Balogun Fulani and Gambari to represent both the Fulanis and the Hausas respectively. The Afonjas were even pacified with the title of Mogaji Are. Emir Abdulsalam did not call the titles above Maiyaki, as it was in virtually all other Emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate. This political architecture which is difficult to find in any other Emirate of the Caliphate was created after the war as a form of pacification and reconciliation after the battle. When I wrote my book: LETTERS TO THE EMIR it was to acknowledge the journey of the present Kwara State from the Caliphate to Emirate, to Northern Region and now to Kwara State. It has been a journey of two hundred years. The Emir may no more be the ultimate political authority of Kwara today, but history has a way of providing strength for the men of the moment. What has the history of the journey so far taught us? That book is to create a vision of re-definition of relationships for the people of Kwara. But what are these echoes of the war that I hear today?
My concern for which this article is written is that since the creation of this State in 1967, and more specifically since 1999, I cannot see any form of socio/political engineering that brings us together as a people to confront our common challenges. There ought to have emerged political leaders that would not be sectional, parochial and selfish. We have not been able to develop leaders with enlightened self-interest that inspire our diverse set of people, bind them together, focusing not on our differences but on our commonalities. Our common challenges that are religious, ethnic and sectional blind are poverty, mass unemployment, security, creating a pride for our state through economic prosperity, quality mass education, food security, unity, etc. What we need is to focus on shared values, dreams, histories and experiences. But what I hear since I grew to be politically conscious are the echoes of war and hatred among our people in the State. Just let a Kwaran tell you where he comes from, you can read what is in his mind on critical issues in the State. I can hear the echoes of war long after the dagger was withdrawn, the spears of battle became blunt and the poisonous arrow put in the sheath.
Echoes of war are in how we perceive ourselves, our opinions about one another or what we believe we are as groups of people occupying the territory of Kwara State. Ilorin of the first Emir may be a cultural melting pot for various people that came to take residency in town and later made the community their homes. What we need now is a Kwara where there will be cultural mix that provides for unity in diversity. That is the lesson our political elites ought to learn from the socio/political engineering skills of Emir Abdulsalam.
Failure to learn that lesson and reach the level of unity that makes us our brothers’ keepers make people outside Ilorin to regard the people of Ilorin as metsu jamba. Jamba in Hausa is wickedness. How have we run a relationship of two hundred years that could not provide for unity, love and considerations for all sections of Kwara State? When there is no more battle what is the meaning of this jamba thing? That is what I call echoes of war after the battle. Those that are not also from Ilorin are categorized as “ero”, “alejo”. When we are not indigenes of Katsina, Oyo or Anambra states resident in Kwara, probably here on a visit or job opportunities, why should Kwarans be referred to in his State of origin as ero? It is part of the echo of war after the battle. When the Igbomina, ibolo and Ekiti prefer to trust their kits and kins of the South West over and above the people of Ilorin, Nupes and the Batonu, it is the evidence of the echo of war after the battle. When the Nupes regret their citizenship of Kwara State, prefers citizenship of Niger State or creation of Ndaduma State, it is evidence of echo of war after the battle. When the Barubas of both the Baruten and Kaima Local Government Areas are nostalgic about joining their kits and kins in the Benin Republic or that they are made a part of Kebbi State in Nigeria, we need not look further for the evidence of the echo of war after the cessation of the battle. I want to believe that if there is a national dialogue for self-determination for each group in Kwara to choose their political destination in a re-structured Nigeria; there certainly will no more be Kwara State as presently constituted. Why have we not cemented relationships after two hundred years of living together under one roof?
What the echoes of war have created is mistrust, crisis of confidence and hatred among all of us in Kwara State. It has also encouraged ethnicity, parochialism, nepotism, mediocracy in all facets of the governance of the people of Kwara State. Thus, in appointments, leadership recruitment, promotion in government service, location of government projects, jobs for the contractors and indeed all other benefits, that could accrue from government to the citizens; the consideration of where the leaders or intended beneficiaries of opportunities come from is germane. Such things like these could happen where there is the echo of war after the battle.
History is good in the life of a people. It tells and informs about the beginning and how far the journey has been. It also makes us draw inspirations and lessons from the past. But history could put us in jail and in chains of the past. It blindfolds by making us glorify the past that is no more relevant or tenable. In Kwara State, the story of multiple arrows shot to kill Afonja that made him stood erect for more than twenty-four hours is told with relish by the descendants of the shooters of the arrow. It showed the superior fire power of calvary men on horses, probably the most effective and efficient weapon of war of the day. Those whose father’s body can harbor several arrows for many hours without falling, also still narrate with pride the prowess of their father in the face of such terrible onslaught. But all these were for then, not now. The heroism of the calvary army of Ilorin that created an expansive Emirate was for a time past, the Emirate after the defeat by the British have been decimated by subsequent political developments. We need not be locked up by our heroic past, but rather allow our hearts to be regenerated to face the present challenges. The Emirate has plummeted, erstwhile slaves have regained freedom and a new set of people are now in power and authority. In short, we are now under a constitutional government, not monarchy or theocracy. Times have changed and many people have started questioning the past under a new wave of bundles of rights guaranteed by the constitution. If things are fast changing this way, we cannot in our thought and actions, remain unchanged.
The weapons of war of the 18th century are no more useful today. There was a time of bow, arrows, spear, axe, sword, whip and horses. These had given way to nuclear weapons of the Army, Navy and the Airforce. The modern weapon of mass destruction commands the most profound respect from weak nations of the world. The modern war is by science and technology not by any calvary army. Knowledge is now power, not even population. Singapore is a city state and it commands greater respect than Nigeria among the committee of developed nations of the world. A society that solely depends on its population without more, can only have its way in a rent economy. When the economy is driven by knowledge, skills and technology, government is manipulated at the peril of development. The clans of appropriate knowledge even when in minorities will upstage the majority. Our perception must change.
So, society that will cancel echoes of war will have as its vision and mission, equity, fairness and justice. Our government must be fair, compassionate and should tear down obstacles so as to forge unity. And this is not difficult if what govern the minds of our leaders are the tenets of our religions and the humanness of humanity in spite of our differences. We need to acknowledge that though we may be of many parts, our aspiration should be that we can truly be one. In this, we have a great lesson to learn from the founding document of the United States of America: The Declaration of Independence. The summary of the document is that God made all men equal and gave them the rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. The main business of government according to the Declaration, is to advance these rights. A government that withholds these rights ought to be impeached.
Nigeria also has in the Chapter two of the 1999 constitution a similar provision contained in the American Declaration of Independence; which is called the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy. In section 16(1) (a) and(b) the constitution says: “The State shall within the context of the ideals and objectives for which provisions are made in this constitution:
(a) Harness the resources of the nation and promote national prosperity and an efficient, a dynamic and self-reliant economy
(b) Control the national economy in such a manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity”
If the provisions in the chapter two of our constitution is not justiciable, it ought to serve as a serious guide to men and women of integrity that should be in the domain of leadership in this State.
Let me coast home on this write-up on what are expected on those aspiring to govern this state as from May, 29th 2027. They must be people that have sufficient knowledge and skills on how to manage people with ethnic, social, religious and economic diversity. They need to address the issue of equity, fairness and justice in a heterogeneous society. They must show that they have enough skill and knowledge to be leaders for all and not for a section of their electoral constituencies. We need a politics that can execute and build upon our shared understandings that pull us together as Kwarans. And I now close with these germane questions from those that had governed or governing us especially at the gubernatorial level since 1999: if what you did to other people outside your place of birth with our common patrimony is done to you or your people by others, would you be happy? 2027 election should be about our past versus the future.