But Who Added The Last Straw?

The reverberations of which we are still praying it fades off till date.
It was the last straw that broke camel's back after the load of 1914 amalgamation. What was that last straw, you may ask? It was the introduction of Unitary System of Government to Nigeria in January 1966, changing a hitherto Regional System of Government.
Who added this last straw?
Or rather who started it all?
What was his intention?
What was his motive?
Who advised him to do so?
What was their mission to Nigeria and to Nigerians, both the adviser and "advisee"?

In as much as this is a blog, we will still be careful to treat matters as men on the sidelines: Not on the side of agitators on both sides.
Having listened to both parties, I have decided to go into the genesis. All kept condemning the amalgamation of 1914. But after the amalgamation, Nigeria runs a regional autonomy system of governance hitherto.
The question is who introduced a UNITARY system of governance that added what I would rather call the LAST STRAW, that Nigeria is yet to recover from till date?
Who rather created this problem?

What was his intention before it blew on his face within six months of creating it?
It is not an issue of debate but of facts we must face, and not wish away.
This was among my questions on a commment I made on a piece in one of our social medias.
Please let him that readeth understandeth, and let him that understandeth readeth.
"If we can pick a point from this piece, in one of the pre - independence constitutional conferences, it  was unanimously agreed that a UNITARY SYSTEM of government is not advisable for Nigeria.
The question we now want all to answer is, who introduced the Unitary system of government to Nigeria, that hitherto runs a Regional system of government? And what are his intention and motives? Could it be a winner takes it all greed and lust for power, having consulted with a fellow tribesman who was the then senate president?

A sincere answer to these questions and the reasons for this irreparable admistrative blunder that the entire nation is reeling under, may show us a way forward. Until the motive and intention of turning a hitherto Regional System of governance to a Unitary system is EXPLAINED, the struggle continues. God is not mumu, o; even if any take others as mumu...."
Our take on this blog?
Amalgamation or no amalgamation, if Nigerian has been allowed to maintain the status quo of regional autonomy/regional system of government, hitherto practised until January 1966, we won't find ourselves in the troubles and the mess we are in today. The North would have been using their their resources like precious stones and agro ventures to earn foreign exchange. We all know the worth of precious stones in the world market.
Of course the East would have been using their oil without the troubles we are facing now in Niger Delta. Midwestern region too would have been untilising  their oil resources because it covers the present day Edo and Delta States.
Western region too would have gotten cocoa resources which is even the mainstay of a whole nation - Cote D'voire.
So why introduce Unitary System of governance in January 1966?
Hitherto every region under the regional system of government use their resources to develop their regions. For example, cocoa money was used to build Cocoa House, Liberty Stadium

and the first Television Station in Africa. Unitary government came, even these structures were taken over under the guise of a paralytic federal system, years later.
The question again is: Who introduced Unitary System of government! What was his motive, intention and mission?
Could it be lust and greed for power, which backfired within 6 months? Because God cannot be mocked nor fooled.
We can't sweep this issue under carpet, no matter the noise any is making now to cover things up?
If there was no unitary system of government, there may not have been been any Aburi Accord, talk less of it leading to a civil war.
It was true Gowon backed out of the accord, part of which was the scrapping of the Unitary government and reversal to regional system, possibly a confederation. But when Gowon got back to Lagos, the questions the civil servants asked was:- Who introduced a Unitary System and scrapped the Regional System in the first place? Now that he is dead and out of power, the Unitary System he introduced should be scrapped? Then if another of his tribal man comes into power again in the future, he reintroduce it again so he can weild absolute powers like the one recently killed?
So the civil servants advised Gowon to back out of the accord. Nobody can take anybody for a ride.
Our question on this blog is:-
Why must he even seize power at all by taking advantage of a failed coup?

If he gives the excuse of the need to stabilise the polity, T.Y. Danjuma too would have given a similar excuse and taken over power in 1976 after a failed coup attempt, as the head of the army. Just as he was also the head of the army then.

Murtala has been killed. Obasanjo has gone into hiding at S.B. Bakare's house in Ikoyi. Joe Garba too ran for dear life. But Danjuma braved the odds. In the midst of the gunshots, he headed for his office. Got there and grabbed the telephone and put calls through the G.O.Cs of all the Nigeria Army Divisions across the nation. All the G.O.Cs, Danjuma won their loyalty on phone. Then sent he Babangida after Dimka at the NBC. Within minutes Dimka's vain babbling on Nigeria airwaves stopped, and Dimka himself have to scale a fence to escape, until he was captured weeks later.

And that was the end of the coup. All Danjuma need do is to round up Obasanjo and co, kill or detain them and take over power. And trust Babangida for that kind of job now, he would have tidied up things neatly and nicely for his boss.

 Yet Danjuma did not grab power under such pretext. Rather he followed due process. Called out Obasanjo and co, from hiding and handed over power. Thereby allowing continuity of the government. According to Chief Richard Akinjide, Alhaji Dipcharima has been nominated to be sworn as substantive P.M. when Balewa's whereabout was unkown, for continuity of government. But for reasons best known to him, the then Senate President refused to swear Dipcharima in, but rather handed over power to his "contiri man" who in an attempt to grab absolute power introduced Unitary System.
Both power grabbing and the "long throat" of wanting it absolutely, a la Unitary System, later turned to be a misadventure, six months later. According to Wale Ademoyega in his book: "Why We Struck"
Am not surprised that this man - Danjuma is still alive today, in sound health and stupendous riches, that he does not even know what to do with.

God's knows how to reward selfless loyalty to one's nation and moral sanctity. And He also rewards............power "long throat" to put it bluntly.
As we rest our case, we are not careful to state our strong belief that has Nigeria maintained that status quo of a regional system of government and autonomy, things wouldn't has gotten this bad and gotten to this stage.
We rest our case here.
Goodluck to agitators on both sides.
                            Soji Omole