By Abubakar Sufyan Al-Sadique & Abubakar Ahmed
Today, amalgamated Nigeria is 61 years in independence. On the first of October, every year is being celebrated as the nation’s independence anniversary day because it was the day the country secured its independence from Britain after being colonized for forty-six years from the 1914 amalgamation. This makes the anniversary day is the most important date in the political diary of the country. Unlike other countries that had to shed blood securing their independence, Nigeria in 1960 became independent because European nations were convinced that colonialism had gone out of fashion and in fact, the European colonial interests could be served without necessarily having to be worried about being in direct control. No doubt, Nigeria became independent as a result of the efforts, doggedness and resilience of several Nigerians, both as individuals and also as groups, associations and nationalists’ movements. One of such important associations that worked for the nation’s independence, and which was not rightfully acknowledged is the famous Bauchi Discussion Circle, an association that was originally formed to provide a platform for debating on socio-religious issues, and periodically, political issues affecting the unity of Nigeria.
Although the Northern region of colonial Nigeria had the highest population, it was the last region to have direct contact with Western education – a major factor that made the region and its people to be the most backward and certainly the least represented in the nation’s politics and participation in running the colonial government. What is not known to many is that the Bauchi Discussion Circle was the political training ground for most of the political actors of post-independent Nigeria. A child of the necessity of some sort, the Bauchi Discussion Circle did not come about like other political associations of other parts of the country to simply fight the colonial Administration. So many writers claim that it came about as a result of the concerns expressed by the few Northern elites who were disturbed by the way and manner all issues affecting entire colonial Nigeria were entirely viewed in the nation’s newspapers from the eyes of Southerners. At the time of the emergence of the Bauchi Discussion Circle, almost all newspapers in colonial Nigeria were owned and published in the South. Newspapers were some of the most effective platforms for articulating government policies and their reportage and perspectives all reflected only the political and economic interests of their proprietors and region. The truth is that at the time of the founding of Bauchi Discussion Circle in 1943, there was a sizeable number of Western-educated Northerners in Bauchi and Sa’adu Zungur is central to the formation of the BDC, especially with the previous efforts he had made while working in Zaria.
While studying at the Katsina Teachers’ College, Sa’adu Zungur was found to have been more brilliant than his coursemates and was singled out from the entire Northern region and sent to Yaba Higher College, Lagos to complete his studies in Chemistry and Biology in 1934 on the recommendation of the authorities. But for Sa’adu’s father to allow the youngster to be sent to Lagos, the colonial education officials had to obtain the intervention of the Emir of Bauchi to prevail on the father of the 19-year-old Sa’adu. The experience Sa’adu acquired in Lagos opened his eyes as he saw the manner in which Southern elites were coming together to mobilize their people towards championing their collective social development and also in challenging the British Colonial Administration.
Overwhelmed by this development in Southern Nigeria which goes in line with his conviction, he felt that his own society needed to change as well, even if with some differences to suit their peculiarities. Thus, in 1939, an opportunity came along Sa’adu’s way after he returned to the North when he was posted to the School of Hygiene in Zaria. His posting to Zaria from School of Hygiene, Kano provided him with a fertile ground to mobilize the Northern elites begin to discuss issues of common concern to their people as well as to persuade the people to discountenance certain misunderstandings, traditional and cultural practices that had slowed down change and progress of the Northern region. It was in Zaria that Sa’adu founded the Northern Nigerian Youth Movement, which only two years later became Northern Provinces General Improvement Union, (NPGIU). On the platform of this Union, the Northern “Intelligentsia” working in Zaria was brought together to articulate matters affecting the region with the intent of providing solutions to them. However, the Colonial Administration had to ban the Union for failing to play a supportive role in the British Colonial rule. Down with sickness for about two years after founding the Northern Provinces General Improvement Union, (NPGIU), and obviously disturbed by his critical stance against British Colonial rule, Sa’adu Zungur was disengaged from service.
After he returned to Bauchi following his disengagement from service, the British Colonial administrators knew that Sa’adu Zungur could not be silenced as he was sure of coming up with something that would be used as a vehicle to ventilate his anger against colonial rule, and therefore, must not be allowed to have another opportunity to mobilize the people. For this reason, conscious that they cannot bottle up public opinion, the Colonial Administration, therefore, founded the Bauchi Discussion Circle in a way of officially sponsoring and officially managing the expression of opinion.
According to Alhaji Mahmood Yakubu, the formation of Bauchi Discussion Circle was a preemptive decision to stop Sa’adu Zungur from coming up with another group like the Northern Provinces General Improvement Union he had earlier founded in Zaria. On the prompting of the colonial Administration, the Emir of Bauchi’s Council approved the formation of Bauchi Discussion Circle which was principally concerned with deliberating on “domestic issues and international”, as against stories coming from the Second World War frontlines. Thus, from February 1944 every Friday, the Emir of Bauchi, the Senior Divisional Officer in Bauchi, A J Knott, the Colonial Administrators, Native Authority officials and the general public gathered for the sessions in English and Hausa at the Bauchi Middle School. That was how the Bauchi Discussion Circle was birthed. Because the North had no such important voice as newspapers, this platform became popular and debates were held on such topical issues. Incidentally, the educated Northerners, mostly teachers in Bauchi were not so interested in politics, and they found this ugly of using newspapers to shape the way of running the nation’s affairs, disturbing and unacceptable.
The Circle debated mostly on issues revolving around socio-religious matters especially as they affect Northern Muslims as well as political issues relating to the nation’s unity and was so much interested in bringing about political reforms, not only at the centre in Lagos but also in Northern Nigeria where they felt certain things were to be treated differently from the way, they were in the South because of their peculiarities. Some of the arrowheads of the Bauchi Discussion Circle that played major roles in the political history of Nigeria as future politicians and administrators, according to Alhaji Mahmood Yakubu, was Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the future prime minister of Nigeria, Malam Yahaya Gusau and Malam Aminu Kano who were teachers at the Bauchi Middle School, and Muhammadu Baba-Halla who worked at the Bauchi Native Authority Veterinary department, along with many employees of the Native Authority as well as Railways and Post and Telegraph departments, with Sa’adu Zungur being a regular contributor to the weekly debates.
Thus, by 1943, this group of young Nigerians had become interested in the political activities of not only colonial Nigeria, but the entire world from the period of World War II to the extent that they became interested in the independence of the nation and what will shape the future of post-independent Nigeria. As teachers and civil servants, founders of the Bauchi Discussion Circle were not only imparting knowledge but were also mentoring others as well as articulating Northern positions on national affairs in addition to becoming a major rallying point for talent hunt and preparing future politicians and administrators for both the pre and post-independence Nigeria. At the time of forming the Bauchi Discussion Circle in 1943, that was about twenty years after the first political party in the country was formed in 1923, there had been many political parties, even if they were not national in outlook, but there was not even one in the entire Northern region.
Although, the Bauchi Discussion Circle lasted only for about two years before its termination, it produced some of the key players in the nation’s history. The Bauchi Discussion Circle had succeeded in provoking political interests amongst Northerners of the time and future leaders of the country particularly those that were part of the formation of political parties particularly in the first and second republics, in addition to its success in articulating what years later became the Northern position on the ‘National Question.’ The crop of people produced by the Bauchi Discussion Circle obviously came before their times, they looked into the future and eighty-two years ago, most of them held the position that the North had no business remaining in an independent Nigeria, a position they threw away after getting a better perspective of multiculturalism and pluralism in nation-building. For instance, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was an active member of the Circle and had reservations on Nigerian unification and, in fact, had the fear of domination of the Northern Region by the more educated and dynamic Southerners. He was reported to have said that “the Southern tribes who are now pouring into the North in ever-increasing number do not mix with the Northern people in social matters and we look upon them as invaders. Since 1914, the British government has been trying to make Nigeria into one country, but the Nigerian people themselves are historically different in their backgrounds, in their religious beliefs and customs, and do not show themselves any sign of willingness to unite. So what it comes to is that Nigerian unity is only a British intention in the country.” After a visit to America in 1955, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa later change this ideology and adopt a federal outlook, and recounted that, “in less than 200 years, this great country [America] was welded together by people of so many different backgrounds. They built a mighty nation and had forgotten where they came from and who their ancestors were. They had pride in only one thing — their American citizenship… I am a changed man from today. Until now I never really believed Nigeria could be one united country. But if the Americans could do it, so can we.” If Balewa had fears of the North remaining in a united Nigeria up to the time of his visit to the United States in 1955, it meant that similar views were shared by other members of the Circle.
It must be added that many Nigerians still hold the belief that those members of the Bauchi Discussion Circle that pioneered Northern politicians have remained politically active decades after their demise as even the present crop of political actors have continued to work on some of the vision and ideals of these pre-independence politicians. Under the Clifford Constitution of 1922, the first political party to be formed in Nigeria was the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) in 1923, which came into being following the establishment of the Nigerian Legislative Council that extended franchise to Lagos and Calabar, followed by the Nigeria Youth Movement (NYM) was formed in 1936. At the time, the institution of the political party in Nigeria has been and still remains a weak institution. Other political parties were soon formed. The parties that were formed in pre-independent Nigeria was provincial, as they were all created from regional and ethnic organizations, meaning that they lacked national outlook, except for the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), which started out as a national party but with time appeared to have taken Eastern region. The Action Group (AG) stood for the Western region and while the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) (that was formed from Jam’iyyar Mutanen Arewa {the Association of People from the North}, founded in June 1949) became a platform for the people of the Northern region. There were also smaller parties like the United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC) and the Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU) with some radical Northern intellectuals such as Magaji Dambatta, Abba Maikwaru and Bello Ijumu. These were minority parties that came out to champion the causes of the voiceless or minorities, most of which had their roots either directly from the members of the Bauchi Discussion Circle or from parties formed by founders of the Bauchi Discussion Circle.
Just after Nigeria secured independence, difference began to manifest as some strange bedfellows began to realign their political platform interests. Opposition parties formed alliances under the United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA) comprised of the Action Group party (AG), the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) and the United Middle Belt Congress(UMBC), while the ruling party, the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) entered into an alliance with the faction of the Action Group that had earlier got into a merger with the Western wing of the (NCNC) to form the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), leading to the formation of the Nigeria National Alliance (NNA). Among other things, the political crisis that resulted from these realignments as well as the elections and census that preceded them and the ethnic and regional rivalries of the political actors ultimately culminated in the truncation of democratic rule in 1966, mainly seen as having been precipitated by the attempts of the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) to infiltrate into the stronghold of the opposition Action Group party through the aforementioned alliance with the group of disaffected AG members led by Chief Akintola in the Western region.
Even the five-second republic politics were considered sort of reincarnation of those found in the first republic. The Azikiwe-led Nigerian People’s Party was an up-shoot of the NCNC. Awolowo’s Action Group gave birth to the Unity Party of Nigeria, while the Balewa/Sardauna’s Northern People’s Congress birthed the National Party of Nigeria. The Aminu Kano-led Northern Elements Progressives Union produced the People’s Redemption Party with the likes of Michael Imoudu, S.G. Ikoku, Edward Ikem Okeke, and other party members that included Abubakar Rimi, Sabo Bakin Zuwo, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila, Umaru Musa Yar’adua and Sule Lamido. Thus through the experience acquired as members of the Bauchi Discussion Circle, the future leaders got the opportunity to have a better understanding of the dynamics of Nigerian politics and an equal opportunity to deal directly with the challenges from of the Southern press, elites and politicians.
Founded in 1922 by the late Herbert Macaulay and supported by leading nationalists of which John Payne Jackson was one, the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) the oldest, but short-lived established political party in Nigeria. The party’s main function was to elect Lagos members to the legislature. The National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) party was founded in 1945. It grew out of the Nigerian Union of Students (NUS) that comprised the National Reconstruction Group (NRG), the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM), the Nigerian Union of Students (NUS), the most influential members in the NCNC included Rotimi Williams, H. O. Davis, Herbert Macaulay and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. The Northern People’s Congress (NPC), which was conceived as a cultural organization but by 1951 proclaimed a political party. The Northern People’s Congress (NPC) took its root from Northern Teachers’ Welfare Association organized in London by Northern students between 1945 and 1946. The Action Group (AG) party of the Western region emerged from the old Pan-Yoruba Cultural Organization established in London with the title, “lgbe Omo Oduduwa.” In 1951 the Action Group announced itself to the nation as a Western regional political organisation. It was these ethnic and regional colourations which the post-independence Nigeria that provided the impetus for military take-over six years after the independence.
The serial coups and counter-coups that greeted independent Nigeria and the silence or apparent nonchalance of the British authorities is indicative of the fact that neocolonialism may necessarily serve British or European interests as did colonialism. The reason is that the immediate leaders of post-colonial Nigeria and their successors were mostly people that had the interests of Nigeria at heart, over and above any foreign interest – the very first major interest of the Bauchi Discussion Circlers. If the British Colonial Administrators can create a platform for the expression of public opinion like the Bauchi Discussion Circle in 1939, eighty-two years after our self-styled elected representatives have no reason to deny us the freedom said to have been guaranteed by our own constitution and other universal declarations. If not this, what other difference is there between democracy and hypocrisy? Sixty-one years after independence, we still talk of ethnicity, regionalism and other parochial considerations in leadership recruitment exercise? Nigeria of the dream of our forefathers can only be attained with the efforts of our selfless leaders and the patriotism of the followers. As we celebrate our nation’s 61st independence anniversary, we pray that God have mercy upon the souls of those Bauchi Discussion Circlers and indeed all other patriotic fallen heroes.
Abubakar Sufyan Al – Sadique & Abubakar Ahmed are Political Journalists, contributed this piece from Bauchi
