THE 1952-53 CENSUS: THE LAST AUTHENTIC HEADCOUNT IN NIGERIA
Kevin Ani
Eastern Region
Total population 7.2 million
Ibo 5 million in 30 Territorial Sections (69%)
Efik/Ibibio/Annang 1.08 million
Ijaw 0.27 million
Other: 0.86 million
Ogoja
Ogoni
Northern Region
Total population 17 million
Hausa 5.6 million
Fulani 3.1 million
Kanuri 1.3million
Tiv 0.3million
Yoruba 0.5 million
Nupe 0.35 million
Other 5 million
Western Region
Total Population 6.1 million
Yoruba 4.27 million in 9 Territorial Sections (70%)
Other 1.83 million:
Edo
Ijaw
Itsekiri
Ibo
* other census figures manufactured since 1952-53 are fictitious.
_______________________________________________________
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Ugo Anakwenze
Monday, February 21, 2000
Okadigbo promises equity, fairness to all ethnic groups
>From Sunny Igboanugo, Enugu
"JUSTICE, equity and fair play will henceforth determine the sharing of
the national cake and no ethnic group in Nigeria will be
allowed to dominate the other in the scheme of things from now on."
This was the solemn declaration of Senate President Chuba Okadigbo at
Nri Anaocha Council of Anambra State, where he was
given an Ofo the symbol of authority that would guide him in his
assignment as the head of the National Assembly.
Okadigbo received the instrument of authority from the Nri Monarch, Eze
Obidiegwu Onyesoh, Nrienwelani II, Ezenri at 4.10
p.m. on Saturday. The brief, but highly traditional ceremony took place
inside the main arena of the Eze's palace.
Holding the Ofo which also symbolises truth and fearlessness, justice,
equity and fair play, Okadigbo declared that Nigeria was
going to start experiencing a new lease of life where equality would
reign among its nationals.
The Senate president who first spoke in Igbo before switching to English
was particular about the alleged marginalisation of the
Igbo, saying he would no longer agree to such a treatment for his
people.
He, however, explained that fighting for the cause of Igbo does not mean
denying other ethnic groups of their own shares or
cheating them out of it.
We have come to the era of democracy, the time of peace. We shall use
this Ofo to bring peace, love and good things of life to
this country. We are now telling the people of Nigeria, those in the
executive and legislature and those in business, that if you treat
one person as you treat the other there will be no problem.
"Live and let live. Whatever we have, we must share very well in
Nigeria. You take this to the Hausa, take this to the Igbo, you
take this to the Yoruba, and you take this to the minorities. It must go
round. It will be good. But, if you share wrongly I will not
agree O!," he said.
Switching to English language, the Senate president explained that the
Ofo symbolised peace and justice. "It is to be used in the
pursuit of justice and not in the pursuit of bad objects. It is to be
used to promote equity and fair play, not to promote disunity and
disequilibrium, he added.
Lamenting the place of the Igbo in national affairs, he said the Ofo
would be used to get a secure place for them wherever they
might be in Nigeria.
"Whatever are their due in the polity in economy, in the scheme of
things in the federation, based on the principle of equality and
fair play, the principle of live and let live, the principles of natural
justice .... Our late father, the Owelle of Onitsha, Dr. Nnamdi
Azikiwe in building the University of Nigeria gave it a name, a motto:
To Restore the Dignity of Man. "Upon the moment which
he was being made the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria he
read a speech entitled: Respect for Human Dignity. That
dignity of man to man as opposed to indignity of man to man is what we
preach to the Igbo nation. He ask other Nigerians
wherever they may be to confer and oblige us with these elemental
principles of equity and natural justice," he said.
Preaching peace for Nigerians and praying for the will of God to be done
in the country, the Senate president, still lamenting the
lot of the Igbo gave what he said was his message to the other parts of
the country.
He said: "The war ended in 1970, why are they still fighting the war
that ended? We the Igbo have accepted the end of the war
and gone into all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, showing good faith,
building houses, marrying across the land, trading and
working. Why are they still fighting the war that has ended. Stop this
war. That is my plea."
Besieged by reporters to explain his comments, Okadigbo said:
"Marginalisation is a continuation of the war that ended over 30
years ago. Destruction of properties of strangers wherever it may be in
Nigeria, be it in Kano, Lagos or anywhere is a
continuation of that war that ended violence of Nigerians against fellow
Nigerians, based on their ethnic considerations, is a
continuation of that war. Burning down of markets, just because a set of
people from other places are making some profit, that is
war.
"Failure to promote people from Igboland for jobs which they are
qualified and removing them from their jobs just because they
are Igbo, that is continuing the war. Failure to give Igbo a place in
Nigerian military in proportion to their population and ability,
that is part of the war.
He continued: "Failure to include them in the security arrangement of
this country, intelligence arrangement of this country inspite
of their qualifications and ability, that is a continuation of the war.
All these, we want discontinued. The war has ended."
Okadigbo had arrived at the arena at about 2 p.m. boosting the already
charged atmosphere and quickly went into the main Obi
from where he emerged five minutes later with the Nri monarch whom he
saw to his seat at a specially decorated part of the
square.
Shortly after the welcome address from the traditional ruler read by Mr.
Emeka Onyesoh, Okpala Ezenri, yams seedlings
decorated with traditional white chalks, Nzu were consecrated and
distributed to the dignitaries after Okadigbo had been
presented with one.
The yams were meant for planting, a major part of the Iguaro ceremony
(Proclamation) of the Igbo calendar.
The Nri had after listing the importance of the ceremony urged the
Federal Government through the Senate president to take over
the Nri Odinani Museum established by University of Ibadan and list the
town as one of the tourist centres in the country.
Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Minister of Culture and Tourism acknowledged the Nri
Kingdom as one of the oldest throne and one of
the most revered in Africa, through its mystical and temporal powers,
shrines in Igboland and the proclamation of Igbo calendar.
Assuring that the people and their culture would be included whenever a
national cultural and tourism map was produced, he
urged Nri people to always preserve their traditions by promoting
brotherliness, oneness and unity.
Among those who accompanied Okadigbo to the occasion were: Senators
Victor Oyofoh, Mike Ajegbo, Bala Adamu, John
Nwannunu, Dabu Zang and Wahab Dosunmu. There were also Chiefs Okey Ude
and Obi Anosike from the House of
Representatives as well as former Information and Culture Minister,
Chief John Nwodo.
Ebube
Umuibe,
Do not forget that even in those days, there were at least, twenty times
as many Ndiigbo resident (and counted in the Northern population) as
there were Hausa/Fulani/Tivi resident in the East and NOT counted as
Easterners.
There were at least, ten times as many Ndiigbo/Easterners resident in
the West and counted as Westerners, than there were Yoruba resident in
the East.
Unlike the pivotal census in Bethlehem of Judea, no one was required to
go home to their place of origin in order to be counted with their kith
and kin, in any Nigerian census.They,therefore, did not..
It is not only historical, but common knowledge and current practice,
that Ndiigbo are the most travelled and most integrated ethnic group in
Nigeria.
There was a more recent census in the nineties, which was based on place
of origin and not place of residence. Being conducted under the
Hausa/Fulani hegemony, the results of that TRUE CENSUS never saw the
light of day. It would have blown their false grip to power by the
theory of numbers , to smithreens.
We just read a Reuters report about Saudi Arabia wanting to solve the
alleged problem on Nigerian ladies of the night in their kingdom. I
think the real purpose of that story is to subtly reinforce the false
notion that Muslims are fifty-percent of the Nigerian population. NA
LIE?
When one of those Arab countreis (Saudi?), wanted to chop off some
Nigeian head for drug dealing, did they bother to consult Nigeria? Now,
after issuing visas and immigration papers to many young Nigerian female
"pilgrims", as they now tell us, they ( and their Nigerian planners)
want to tell the world (again) that Nigeria is half Moslem.
Soon, the number will go up to some definite majority. Next, Sharia law
will be openly suppoprted by Libya, Saudi Arabia and the whole Moslem
world.
"A na-ekwu no oke tagburu nwa mmadu, ogini a na-api eze ya."
I am glad Mazi Ani posted this census thing at the appropriate time.
Ndewo nu.
Ebube
Amaelemuwa ****
This type of information is relevant for the mere reason that many
"educated" Ndigbo believe and parrot the misinformation that Yoruba is the
largest this or that in nigeria. When reminded about Ndigbo whose homeland
is located on the west of the niger river, such individuals quickly remind
one that the people west of the niger do not consider themselves as Ndiigbo.
Well, my response is that in as much as a person can choose what others may
call him/her, but when the chosen identity conflicts anthropological and
linguistic evidence, we may bow to the more universally accepted findings.
Such evidence strongly supports the theory of the Igboness of our kins
across the niger. Else, Bende (Ohafia, Abam, Item, Igbere etc) is another
ethnic group, just like Ezza, Umuahia, Owerri, Onitsha people could claim as
belonging to their own ethnic group based on their own form of Igbo dialect.
If nigeria remains as "one nigeria" come 2001 or 2003 [or whenever the new
census is slated], we need to clamour for ethnic identity to be included as
part of the census statistics.
Amaelemuwa