From: L' Ermit (lhermit@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat Feb 02 2002 - 17:34:40 MST
[athe nonrex] 1) the reason that islamic people are doing this is because
they are in islamic countries. if they were christian contries, we would
blame the christians.
[Joe Dees] But in fact Christians are NOT doing this in the contemporary
world; Muslims are.
[Hermit] But in fact the US has been doing this in Iraq for a decade. The US
is largely Christian and Iraq is largely if not entirely muslim. Does that
mean that Christians are murdering Muslims? I would argue that athe nonrex
is quite correct. Try to look at the assertions about religious war in
Nigeria in "African" terms rather than through "American" eyes.
[Hermit] Nigeria has 115 million people, living in an area that can support
perhaps one third that number comfortably - when there is no drought.
Perpetual war and poverty means that nothing is stored to get through the
rough times - even though they are predictable.
[Hermit] Nigeria is divided into at least 371 identifiable tribes
[url]http://www.onlinenigeria.com/tribes/[/url], and these are spread out
into 36 regional areas. However, four ethnic groups together account for
over 60% of the country’s total population: the FULANI and HAUSA live mainly
in the north; the IBO predominate in the southeast and the YORUBA in the
southwest. These hate one another with an historical passion and if they
didn't have religious differences, those denying the UTic power of tribalism
would have to invent other reasons...
[Hermit] Do you remember the "other war" while Vietnam was happening? Or was
America so occupied with Asia that they didn't learn about Africa. Try doing
a search on Biafra. Then explain what religion had to do with that conflict.
[Hermit] The people of Nigeria have fought continuously with one another,
with short breaks only when they were occupied by others. As with almost any
fighting in Africa, the fundamental driver is tribal, not religious, not
political, not even economic. It is only when looking at African warfare (or
politics) through ignorant eyes, eyes that have been taught that tribalism
is so non-PC that it should be ignored, that the fundamental tribal hatreds
are fudged into religion, nationalism, politics, economics, soccer teams
etc. Which is why people engaging in this level of self-delusion still find
the wars of Africa "inexplicable" when the grounds change or it appears to
benefit nobody (as is the case with most of Africa's wars).
[Hermit] Meanwhile, the supposed "religious" and "political" motivations
both "explain" and "lure" credulous adventurers to align with those with
whom they sympathize and supply them with funding and weapons to aggravate
the fight. Which means that these days the weapons are better so the wars
kill more people. Yet if you took away the mortars and machine guns, as well
as the supposed "religious" reasons for fighting, the wars would continue -
with machetes and assegai as were used in Rwanda if necessary. I do not see
this being resolved in any easy fashion although the Virian Vision posts
suggested some medium and long term solutions. But a religious war? Don't be
silly.
Regards
Hermit
[Hermit] Nigerian Timeline, Independence to the Millennium
[url=http://www.onlinenigeria.com/history.asp]Registration required[/url]:
1960 (October 1): Independence. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe became Nigeria’s first
indigenous Governor General.
1960-1966: First Republic of Nigeria under a British parliamentary system.
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was elected Prime Minister.
1960: Nigeria's joined with Liberia and Togo in the "Monrovia Group",
seeking some form of a confederation of African states.
1961 (February 11 and 12): After a plebiscite, the Northern Cameroon, which
before then was administered separately within Nigeria, voted to join
Nigeria. But Southern Cameroon became part of francophone Cameroon.
1961 (June 1): Northern Cameroon became Sardauna Province of Nigeria, the
thirteenth province of Northern Nigeria as the country’s map assumed a new
shape.
1961 (October 1): Southern Cameroon ceased to be a part of Nigeria.
1962:Following a split in the leadership of the AG that led to a crisis in
the Western Region, a state of emergency was declared in the region, and the
federal government invoked its emergency powers to administer the region
directly. Consequently the AG was toppled as regional power. Awolowo, its
leader, and other AG leaders, were convicted of treasonable felony.
Awolowo's former deputy and premier of the Western Region formed a new
party--the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP)--that took over the
government. Meanwhile, the federal coalition government acted on the
agitation of minority non-Yoruba groups for a separate state to be excised
from the Western Region
1963: Nigeria shed the bulk of its political affinity with the British
colonial power to become a Republic. Nnamdi Azikiwe became the first
President. Obafemi Awolowo leader of the Action Group (AG) became leader of
the opposition. The regional premiers were Ahmadu Bello (Northern Region,
NPC), Samuel Akintola (Western Region, AG), Michael Okpara (Eastern Region,
NCNC). Dennis Osadebey (NCNC) became premier of the Midwestern Region just
created out of the old Western region.
1964: Prime Minister Balewa’s Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) aligned with a
faction of the Action Group (AG) led by Chief Ladoke Akintola, the Nigerian
National Democratic Party (NNDP), to form the Nigerian National Alliance
(NNA) in readiness for the elections. At the same time, the main Action
Group led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo formed an alliance with the United
Middle-Belt Congress (UMBC) and Alhaji Aminu Kano's Northern Elements
Progressive Union (NEPU) and Borno Youth Movement to form the United
Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA).
1965 (November): Violence erupted in the western region, and criticism of
the political ruling class created unease in the new republic.
1966 (January 15): Junior officers of the Nigerian army, mostly majors
overthrew the government in a coup d’etat. The officers, most of whom were
Igbo, assassinated Balewa in Lagos, Akintola in Ibadan, and Bello in Kaduna,
as well as some senior northern officers. The coup leaders pledged to
establish a strong and efficient government committed to a progressive
program and eventually to new elections. They vowed to stop the
post-electoral violence and stamp out corruption that they said was rife in
the civilian administration. General Johnson T. Aguiyi-Ironsi, the most
senior military officer, and incidentally an easterner (Igbo), who stepped
in to restore order, became the head of state.
1966 (May 29): Massive rioting started in the major towns of Northern
Nigeria and attack the Igbos and other easterners to avenge the death of
many senior northerners in the coup.
1966 (July 29): A group of Northern officers and men stormed the Western
Region’s governor’s residence in Ibadan where General Aguiyi Ironsi was
staying with his host, Lt. Col Adekunle Fajuyi. Both the head of state and
governor are killed.
1966 (August 1): Lt. Col Yakubu Gowon a fairly junior officer from the north
became the new head of state.
1967 (January 4): Nigeria's military leaders travelled to Aburi in Ghana to
find a solution to problems facing the country and to avert an imminent
military clash between the north and the east.
1967 (May 30): Lt Col Ojukwu, governor of the east, declared his region the
Republic of Biafra.
1967 (July 6): First shots were fired heralding a 30-month war between the
Federal government and the rebel Republic of Biafra.
1970 (January 15): The civil war ended and reconstruction and rehabilitation
begin.
1971 (April 2): Nigeria switches with amazing smoothness from driving on the
left hand side (like Britain) to the left, like all its neighbouring
countries.
1973 (May): Gowon establishes the National Youth Service Corps Scheme and
introduces compulsory one-year service for all university graduates, to
promote integration and peace after the war.
1974: General Gowon said he could not keep his earlier promise to return
power to a democratically elected government in 1976. He announced an
indefinite postponement of a programme of transition to civil rule.
1975 (October): Gowon was overthrown in a coup, on the anniversary of his
ninth year in office. Brigadier (later General) Murtala Mohammed, the new
head of state promised a 1979 restoration of democracy.
1976: The federal government adhering to the recommendations of a panel
earlier set up to advise it, approves the creation of a new Federal Capital
Territory, Abuja, away from Lagos.
1976 (February 13): Murtala Mohammed was killed in the traffic on his way to
work. But the coup executed by an easy-going physical education corps Lt
colonel, and heralded by a quixotic announcement on the radio, was botched.
1976 (February 14): General Mohammed is succeeded by General Olusegun
Obasanjo who pledged to pursue his predecessor’s transition programme.
1976 (September 2): The Universal Primary Education Scheme (UPE) was
introduced, making education free and compulsory in the country.
1977: Nigeria hosted FESTAC the festival of arts and culture drawing black
talent and civilization from around the world.
1979: Nigeria got a new constitution.
1979 (October 1): General Obasanjo handed over to Alhaji Shehu Shagari as
first elected executive President and the first politician to govern Nigeria
since 1966. Five parties had competed for the presidency, and Shagari of the
National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was declared the winner. The other parties
were: Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), National People’s Party (UPN), Great
Nigeria People’s Party (GNPP), People’s Redemption Party (PRP)
1983: The conduct of the general elections was criticised by opposing
parties and the media. Violent erupted in some parts of the west.
1983(September): Shagari was re-elected president of Nigeria in
August-September 1983.
1983(December 31): Following a coup d’etat, the military returned to power.
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was named head of state.
1985 (August 27): Following accusations of callousness and overzealousness,
Buhari was overthrown in a palace coup. The army chief, General Ibrahim
Babangida took over power.
1986: The seat of government was officially moved from Lagos to Abuja
1993 (June 12): After several postponements by the military administration,
presidential elections were held. Businessman and newspaper publisher
Moshood Abiola of the SDP took unexpected lead in early returns.
1993 (June 23): Babangida on national television offered his reasons for
annulling the results of the Presidential election. At least 100 people were
killed in riots in the southwest, Abiola's home area.
1993 (August 26): Under severe opposition and pressure, Babangida resigned
as military president and appointed an interim government headed by Chief
Ernest A. Shonekan.
1993 (October): A ragtag group of young people under the name of Movement
for the Advancement of Democracy (MAD) hijacked a Nigerian airliner to
neighbouring Niger in order to protest official corruption. Nigerian troops
stormed liberated the plane at the N’djamena airport, Republic of Niger.
1993 (November 17): General Sani Abacha, defence minister in the interim
government and most senior officer, seized power from Shonekan, abolishes
the constitution.
1994: Abiola, who had escaped abroad after the annulment, returned and
proclaimed himself president. He was arrested and charged with treason.
1995 (July): Former head of state, Obasanjo was sentenced to 25 years in
prison by a secret military tribunal for alleged participation in an attempt
(widely believed to have been fictional) to overthrow the government.
1996 (May): Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria's first president, died.
1998 (June 8): General Abacha died suddenly and mysteriously. The official
cause of death: heart attack. Nigerians swarmed the streets rejoicing.
1998 (June 9): Gen. Abdulsalaam Abubakar was named Nigeria's eighth military
ruler. He promised to restore civilian rule promptly.
1998: A month after General Abacha's death the United Nations
General-Secretary Kofi Annan arrived in Nigeria to conclude deals for the
release of Chief Abiola.
1998 (July 7): Abiola died in detention of a heart disease, a week after
Annan’s visit, before he could be released in a general amnesty for
political prisoners. Rioting in Lagos led to over 60 deaths.
1998 (July 20): Abubakar promised to relinquish power on May 29, 1999.
1999 (February 15): Former military ruler Obasanjo won the presidential
nomination of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
1999 (May): A new Constitution was adopted. It was based on the 1979
Constitution.
1999 (May 29): Former Military Head of State, Olusegun Obasanjo, was sworn
in as Nigeria's democratically elected civilian President.
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