How It BEGAN

The very nature of Nigeria, Inevitably gave rise to political
power groups since the 1914 Amalgamation of some
groups in western Africa, the Nation has struggled to be
united! Nigeria never was a united country. Goaded by
sectional rather than national interests, these groups
were clearly defined and perpetuated by the constitution
itself. The veneer of unity generated and maintained by
the veiled threat implicit in an imperial presence became
exposed with the coming of independence, and left
Nigeria a disjointed mass. Her only claim to form and
sense was to be found in the nostalgic ruminations of the
withered minds of ex-colonial office wallahs. Nigeria was not united—the Nigerians knew it. From the moment of independence, all forms of corruption in public life found a

good thriving ground in Nigeria, as also the different forms
of injustices, oppression, discrimination, rivalry, suspicion,
and hate. The country creaked and groaned; her
institutions, structures, and organizations began to crack
and cracked fast. Chaos was growing. Civil strife was
evident. Lives And properties were destroyed. All to -
satisfy political ambitions and fulfill sectional interests.
The Nigerian colossus showed its feet of clay, and it
became a question of time when the grandiose edifice
would disintegrate and crumble to dust. The 1965 general
elections in Western Nigeria brought all these acts and
manifestations to their heights, and the inevitable
consequence was a civil war.