Would British conquest and occupation administrator Hugh Clifford repeat these 29 December 1920 comments on Nigeria today, 99 years on, Thursday 10 October 2019, “Nigeria is a collection of independent states”?

Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe

ON 29 DECEMBER 1920, Hugh Clifford, the British conquest and occupation administrator in Nigeria, makes the following contribution to a “Legislative Council Debate”, Lagos:

[Nigeria is a] collection of Independent … States, separated from one another by great distances, by differences of history and traditions and by … racial … political, social and religious barrier. (1)

(Hugh Clifford)

TODAY,  Thursday 10 October 2019, 99 years on, would Hugh Clifford conceivably make these same assertions? If so, why? If not, why not?

(Sonny Rollins Trio, “The freedom suite” [personnel: Rollins, tenor saxophone; Oscar Pettiford, bass; Max Roach, drums; recorded: Riverside Records, New York, US, 7 March 1958])

*****Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe is the author The longest genocide – since 29 May 1966 (2019) and co-author, with Lakeson Okwuonicha, Why #DonaldTrump is #great for #Africa (2018)

Twitter @HerbertEkweEkwe

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(1)Quoted in George CE Enyoazu, “Sovereign National Conference – Will the people have their say at last?”,  African Democrat, 30 October 2013.