The Middle Belt

The Middle Belt
Author: Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2020-06-21
Genre:
ISBN:

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The phrase ''Middle Belt'', evokes contradictory emotions among Nigerians, especially those from the former Northern Protectorate. There are those who see it as affront on the sanctity of Northern Unity and of course, there are those who see it as a demonstration of the struggle of freedom from oppression.However, both those for the Middle Belt and those against it, always demonstrate some profound ignorance of it. There appears to be a general lack of clarity of what it means; which groups are part of it; whether it is a geographical entity or is just an ideology and concept. Even among its proponents, there have been very heated debate on who should be part of the Middle Belt and who should not.My Possibility and objective in this book, is to provide clarity to both the proponents and opponents to enable more useful engagement. It is obvious that most of the ethnic groups of Nigeria are in the area called the Middle Belt and, these groups are by no means homogenous.The first chapter, lifted from the first edition of Northern Nigerian In Perspective (NNIP) lists the ethnic groups. Of course, some of the languages have disappeared and many more are on the path of disappearance. The second chapter quotes the different and sometimes, contradictory definition of the Middle Belt.Excerpts from the Willink Commission report are reproduced here. The Commission was established by the British colonial authorities to investigate the fear of minority ethnic groups. The Interviews that follow, especially, those of Bello Ijumu., Jonah Asadugu further explain the frustration of the ethnic Nationalities during the Colonial era.There are people in the Middle Belt areas who do not agree with the concept of the Middle Belt. Alhaji Yahaya Kwande (Goemai) and Ahmadu Jalingo (Mumuye) belong to this group. Case Studies Atyap, (Harrison Bungun) Kilba (Free Nation Magazine) Sayawa (Dr Bukata) are also reproduced.

Understanding Modern Nigeria

Understanding Modern Nigeria
Author: Toyin Falola
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 691
Release: 2021-06-24
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1108944140

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Since its independence from Britain in 1960, Nigeria has emerged as Africa's second largest economy and one of the biggest producers of oil in the world. Despite its economic success, however, there are deep divisions among its two hundred and fifty ethnic groups. Centered around three of the dominant themes of Nigeria's post-colonial narrative - ethnicity, democracy and governance, this is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the history and events that have shaped these three areas. World-renowned expert in Nigerian history, Toyin Falola shows us how the British laid the foundations of modern Nigeria, with colonialism breading competition for resources and power and the widening cleavages between the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo ethnic groups that had been forced together under British rule, the choice of federalism as a political system, and the religious and political pluralism that have shaped its institutions and practices. Using an examination of the outcomes of this history, manifested in hunger, violence, poverty, human rights violations, threats of secession and corruption, where power and resources are used to reproduce underdevelopment, Falola offers insights and recommendations for the future of policy and the potential for intervention in the country.

Ken Saro-Wiwa’s Shadow (Expanded Edition)

Ken Saro-Wiwa’s Shadow (Expanded Edition)
Author: Sanya Osha
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2020-12-21
Genre:
ISBN: 1527564029

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The Ogoni crisis, which reached its peak in Nigeria in the 1990s, divided all the major stakeholders (namely, the Nigerian state, the multinational petroleum concerns, the Ogoni community, and the rest of the Nigerian populace) in the conflict. There were also undoubtedly other important ramifications within the Ogoni community, such as divisions along the lines of those who were pro-government and those who upheld an opposing stance. These divisions run deep and define the more subtle contours of the conflict amongst the Ogoni people who were once led by their indomitable leader, Ken Saro-Wiwa, until he was hanged by the General Sani Abacha regime in 1995. Ken Saro-Wiwa’s struggle exemplified certain core values and tenets, including democracy, minority rights, environmental awareness, non-violence and respect for human dignity. However, as he lived and worked in an antithetical political context governed by veniality, despotism and philistinism he was brutally cut down. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the Ogoni crisis and its unfolding aftermath.

The 'Middle Belt' Historiography of Resistance in Nigeria - Samaila Suleiman*.

The 'Middle Belt' Historiography of Resistance in Nigeria - Samaila Suleiman*.
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Total Pages: 0
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ISBN:

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The early part of the century saw the influx of Arabic and English books, and most importantly, the publication of colonial ethnographic and anthropological surveys, which set the phase for the incorporation of local histories into the universe of Western hegemonic knowledge production. [...] A number of research institutions in Europe and Africa as well as anthropologists were deployed to supervise the research.30 The result was the publication of monographs on ethnic minorities in the Middle Belt: Pagan Peoples of the Central Area of Northern Nigeria; People of the Middle Nigeria Region of Northern Nigeria; Peoples of the Plateau Area of Northern Nigeria, among others. [...] The methodological and conceptual approaches of each succeeding generation of observers, and their selection of certain types of subject material to the exclusion of others,33 had the cumulative effect of amplifying the view of the Middle Belt as 'marginalia' - the denigration of the minorities to the margins of Nigerian historiography.34 The intertextuality between the discourse of Muslim writers. [...] In the process of incorporation before 1940, British administration subordinated many Middle Belt groups into the Islamic society'.65 Logam asserts that the internal colonialism perpetuated by Islamic society under the supervision of the British was responsible for the activation of minorities' consciousness and the rise of the Middle Belt movement.66 This book represents the Magnum Opus of Middle. [...] Kukah, a Roman Catholic Priest, examines the methods used in the entrenchment of Hausa-Fulani hegemony and the manipulation of religion for political purposes in northern Nigeria.68 29Suleiman: The 'Middle Belt' Historiography of Resistance in Nigeria This work represents another case of the deployment of the narrative of internal colonialism from the vantage point of religion.