THE NORTH HAS ALMOST CONQUERED THE SOUTH CULTURALLY!

Ozodi Thomas Osuji

I just read Sunny Awhefeada's article: The Northernisation of Nigeria (Guardian Newspaper, 6/29/2009, Editorial Pages). I have to say that this is one of the best pieces that I have read in a long time.

The thesis of the article is that the Northerners of Nigeria, specifically Hausas, have an ambition to conquer and control Nigeria and, eventually, convert Southern Nigerians to Islam. It said that the process began with Othman Danfodio's Fulani conquest of Hausa states (1804) and was briefly halted by the advent of the British colonial masters and resumed with the independence of Nigeria.

The article traced the various governments that have cursed Nigeria, from Abubaka Tafawa Belewa to Aguiyi Ironsi to Yakubu Gowon to Murtella Mohammed to Olusegun Obasanjo to Shehu Shagari to Mohammad Buhari to Ibrahim Babangida to Shonikan to Abacha to Obasanjo, again, and now to Umaru Musa Yar Adua. This records show that eleven men have ruled post independent Nigeria, eight of whom are from the north, two from the west and one from the east.

Mr. Awhefeada uses this record to demonstrate his thesis that the North is out to conquer and northernize Nigeria. He also sited the current make up of Yar Adua's cabinet as evidence;in that cabinet Northerners, he said, hold the key ministries, and that would seem to bearhis theme that the men from the north have one and one goal in mind, to control Nigeria.

Whether the author is true or not is debatable but reflecting on his thesis brought a poignant point to my mind, a point I want to add to his thesis. The point is the apparent acculturation of Southern Nigerians to Northern ways.Let me just sight one instance, clothing culture.

These days just about all Nigerian politicos and, indeed, the who is who in Southern Nigeria wear Northern attire (agbada). Igbos, Yorubas, Edos etc now dress in Hausa attire but seldom is the reverse the case (I have not seen a Hausa man attired in what Igbos apparently consider their national attire, jumper over trousers).

Additionally, whereas the South is predominantly Christian, Islamic centers are increasingly sprouting up all over the place in the South.Mosques are now built even in South Eastern cities!

From this trend, one could surmise that it is only a matter of time before the Southerners are, in mass, converted to Islam.

Apparently, southerners feel that if they are attired in Hausa uniform that they are more likely to be liked by Hausas, the dominant political force in Nigeria, and given some jobs. If so it is only a matter of time before these same pragmatic southerners surmise that if they are Moslems that the Hausas would give them better jobs and proceed to convert to Islam.

Ultimately, pragmatic southerners could believe that if they spoke Hausa as their lingua franca that they would be perceived as good sport by Hausas and rewarded with even better jobs in Nigeria.

In short, it would seem that the south is being culturally conquered by the North and this is taking place before our very eyes and nobody is noticing it. This is amazing.

Apparently, Southerners pragmatism and its need to do what needs to be done to please the Hausa powers that be in Nigeria is now an unwitting instrument for converting Southerners to Northern culture.

The surprising aspect of this phenomenon is that whereas the Arabs who invented the robes Northerners wear are increasingly wearing Western suits (the President of Egypt wears suits), Nigerians take pride in wearing Arab clothes.

In a different paper I speculated on the origin of Agbada. I conjectured that with the inroad of Islam in West Africa in the ninth century of our common era that Muslim West Africans went on pilgrimage to Mecca and saw how Arabs were attired and imitated them hence dressed like Arabs. Pictures of early Muslim Arabs, such as Ibin Batuta, show them attired like contemporary Northern Nigerian Muslims, with head gears to boot.

The salient point is that Agbada seems derived from Arab culture. The additional point is that modernizing Arabs have discarded their version of Agbada while contemporary Nigerians embraced those same discarded Arab uniforms. What Arabs discard Africans embrace! This speaks volumes about Africans psychology (always imitating those perceived to be powerful but never being authentically African).

It should be noted that the industrial age does not seem to go well with Agbada. To work in a factory or office it is perhaps best if one is attired as Westerners are. In fact, contemporary Western attire seems a response to industrialization. Prior to industrialization in the eighteenth century, European nobles used to be attired in elaborate clothes that obviously were not compatible and amenable to working in factories.

Can you imagine a good technician in a laboratory in agbada?His robes would be dragging the test tubes and chemical mixtures in them down. It would seem that pants, shirts and jackets are more appropriate to modern work situations than agbada.

It would seem that agbada is best suited to a feudal society where feudal lords sat around doing nothing while their half naked servants did all the work for them.

Please note that as Asians become industrialized they embrace Western business attire (China just discarded Mao Tse Tung Chinese attire; the Japanese gave up their kimonos etc or kept them for ceremonial occasions while attiring in Western suits; Indian business men are increasingly attired in western business suits rather than the Nehru suits that they used to wear when they were unproductive Indians begging the rest of the world for good).

Common sense would seem to suggest that productive persons are attired in Western type clothes whereas unproductive Nigerians embrace the feudal age's Arabs uniforms! It figures.

To critiques who ask whether it is appropriate to imitate Westerners attire, as I seem to suggest that we should do, I say that we should imitate what is functional, what is correlated with high productivity regardless of where they come from? In the contemporary world Western business suits seem correlated with high economic performance than agbada. (I would love for you to prove me wrong if you may!)

It seems to me that the North is gradually conquering the south culturally and that the south does not even know it! This observation is a supplement and complement to Mr. Awhefeada's excellent thesis.

I must end by regrettably noting that despite the useful thrust of Mr. Awhefeada's essay he did not seem to rise above tribal sentiments. He said that he teaches English at Delta State University, Abraka. From that one speculates that he is from the Delta? More importantly, the examples of oppression he felt that southerners were subjected to by Northerners are persons from the Delta. He makes a case that folk from his neck of the woods are relegated to secondary positions in the Nigerian order of things. Whereas he is empirically correct, nevertheless, his argument would have been stronger if he had included the other members of the south, such as Igbos and Yorubas, in his membership of marginalized Nigerians.

This criticism is salient for if Mr. Awhefeada keeps identifying only with his Delta folk and ignore other Southern Nigerians how is he going to get the critical mass of support of Southern Nigerians in his struggles to emancipate his people from what he insinuates are Northern domination?

It seems to me that this English lecturer (his English is good) is lacking in big picture thinking and his problem is the problem of Southern Nigerians. Many Southern Nigerians are tribal irredentists who refuse to identify with the larger Southern situation and in so doing make it possible for Northern Nigerians to divide and conquer them. A united front achieves greater goals than the separated struggles of weak groups.

Mr. Awhefeada's problems notwithstanding, I believe that he is in the right direction. My contribution, the fact that the north appears to be culturally conquering Nigerians without firing a shot, I think, makes his argument stronger.

Ozodi Thomas Osuji

June 29, 2009

ozodiosuji@gmail.com