By Uduma Kalu
In a small archive in Pennsylvania lies the blueprint for 8 Nigerias. In Lagos, he built one prison.
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PENNSYLVANIA — 1930
In Langston Hughes Memorial Library, there are three boxes filed under "Azikiwe, Nnamdi, 1904-1996."
Not much to a tourist. A syllabus typed on manual typewriter: "Syllabus for African History." A student essay: "Liberia in World Politics" 1934. A payroll slip: Graduate Instructor, History and Political Science, $30 a month. A list: 8 names — the Argonauts — Igbo students he sponsored on tuition-free scholarships to Lincoln, including Nwafor Orizu and his own son.
But that syllabus is Nigeria's first constitution draft.
Nnamdi Azikiwe arrived Lincoln in 1925 from Methodist Boys High School Lagos. He left in 1934 with BA magna cum laude Political Science 1930, MA Religion 1932, MA Anthropology, MSc Political Science from Penn 1933. He was influenced by three men: Marcus Garvey — "Africa for Africans"; W.E.B Du Bois — "Pan-African unity needs strong states"; and his advisor at Lincoln who taught him British Commonwealth system.
He wrote for Baltimore Afro-American, Philadelphia Tribune, Associated Negro Press — 508 articles supplied by George Padmore later published in his West African Pilot. He was radical.
In that syllabus and in Liberia book, he argued: Colonialism is wrong because it welds together unwilling ethnic groups by force, like British West Africa settlements governed by one Governor from 1826-1886, and French West Africa federation. Solution is not to keep welding, but to allow ethnic self-determination within a federated commonwealth — like British Commonwealth where Canada, Australia are independent but share king.
He translated that to Nigeria in 1943 in his book _Political Blueprint of Nigeria_:
- 8 protectorates, not 3 regions. Equal fingers. No region bigger than others.
- Weak center — only defense, currency, foreign affairs.
- Residency citizenship — if you live in Kano 10 years, you are Kano citizen, no matter Igbo or Yoruba. That would protect Igbos in North without needing strong center.
- Right to self-determination.
That is house, not prison.
*WHAT HE BURIED*
Return to Nigeria 1934, enter politics, reality hits.
Two rivals:
Ahmadu Bello — North is 55% land, 79% of country, but has one secondary school vs 30 in South. If center is strong with merit, South will dominate civil service. So North wants near-confederation: each region own police, education, Sharia courts, no Southern clerks in North. If not, "let each region go separately." He called 1914 amalgamation "mistake of 1914."
Obafemi Awolowo — West wants weak center, strong regions, resource control — cocoa money stays in West, police in West.
Zik wants one big Nigeria for two reasons:
1. He is Igbo — Igbos are everywhere — 15% of Lagos, 20% of Kano Sabon Gari in 1952 census. If regions become too strong with regional citizenship, Igbos become foreigners and expelled.
2. He wants to be national leader, not regional leader like Awolowo and Bello.
So in 1953, Enahoro moves exit clause: any region can leave by referendum. Awolowo supports. Bello silently supports — gives North exit threat.
Zik kills it. Says "indivisibility and perpetuity of Federation." Britain's Colonial Secretary Oliver Lyttelton sides with Zik.
British internal memo from 1953 London conference, now in Kew: "Azikiwe's insistence on indivisibility is useful to counter Awolowo's federalism which would weaken central revenue control."
Britain wants one big market for Shell-BP which just found oil hints in Oloibiri 1956, and for UAC, John Holt to buy groundnuts, cocoa, palm oil cheap. Small Nigerias are small markets.
Zik gives Britain moral cover: "We must keep Nigeria one to stop tribalism and protect Igbos."
Britain gives Zik political cover: Backs him against Awolowo and Bello.
No signed deal saying "Use Igbos as excuse." But functional deal: Britain wants strong center for money, Zik wants strong center for protection and national leadership. Igbos used as shield.
That is Contradiction 1: Lincoln papers say 8 equal protectorates. Lagos politics says accept 3 unequal regions with North bigger than East + West for quick independence 1960.
Contradiction 2: Lincoln papers say weak center, residency citizenship protects minorities. Lagos politics says strong center, because he lost trust residency would be implemented by North.
Contradiction 3: Lincoln papers say federated commonwealth allows self-determination. 1953 law says no exit. 1964 quote after Western rigging collapses says "better disintegrate in peace and not in pieces." In 11 years he moved from no-exit to negotiated exit, but constitution never moved.
*THE BREAKOUTS ARE ATTEMPTS TO RECOVER LINCOLN BLUEPRINT*
Every violent event since is attempt to recover what he taught in Lincoln and buried in Lagos.
Tiv Riots 1960-64 — Tiv 2.5m inside Northern cell demanded Middle Belt — that is one of Zik's 8 protectorates.
Isaac Boro Feb 23, 1966 — 159 volunteers at Taylor Creek, Bayelsa, hoisted half black half green flag, declared Niger Delta Republic for 12 days. Demanded resource control, Rivers State. That is one of Zik's 8 protectorates. Crushed by federal troops, sentenced to death, later killed 1968. Gowon created Rivers State 1967 after his death — granted Lincoln blueprint after killing man.
Biafra 1967-70 — 3m dead because no legal exit.
Niger Delta 1990-2009 — Saro-Wiwa hanged 1995, Kaiama 1998, MEND 2006 — same demand as Boro.
Sharia 2000 — 12 states impose Sharia — attempt to get near-confederation law Bello wanted in 1953.
Boko Haram 2009-present — extreme breakout: destroy prison if cannot leave.
*LINCOLN PAPERS SOLUTION: REFERENDUM A, B, C*
Zik's 1964 correction — disintegrate in peace — must be put into law. The syllabus from Lincoln becomes Article 2.
*Article 2: Right to Self-Determination Referendum*
Who: Any contiguous ethnic nationality with at least 5 LGAs or one state population — about 2m.
How: 60% of registered voters sign petition, BVAS verified.
Vote: Referendum 1, INEC conducts only in that territory. Three choices:
*A) REMAIN* — Remain as is, current states, 13% derivation, no police.
*B) AUTONOMOUS REGION WITHIN NIGERIA* — Become Autonomous Region within Nigeria with own constitution, own state police, own High Court and Sharia/Customary Court of Appeal, 50% resource control for 20 years, own education, land, VAT. Federal keeps only army, currency, foreign affairs, citizenship protection. Needs 60% to win. This is Zik's 1943 8 protectorates finally.
*C) INDEPENDENT NATION* — Become independent after negotiated treaty. Needs 75% to win.
What happens:
- If A wins: No referendum for 10 years.
- If B wins: National Assembly must create Autonomous Region in 12 months. Tiv get Middle Belt, Ijaw get Niger Delta Autonomous — what Boro declared — Kanuri get Borno Autonomous with Sharia civil but Nigerian passport, like Scotland in UK.
- If C wins: 5-year cooling as B, joint committee negotiates debt, assets, citizenship, oil. After 5 years, Referendum 2 needs 75% again. If yes, Peaceful Exit Treaty like Czechoslovakia 1993. If no, remains B.
Safeguards: Contiguous only, police only no army, minority within can opt out — Jukun can opt out of Middle Belt — no referendum within 10 years of new region, federal cannot veto B.
Why A, B, C fixes Lincoln contradictions:
- Fixes 8 protectorates vs 3 regions — B creates equal fingers.
- Fixes weak center theory vs strong center practice — B gives weak center Zik taught at Lincoln — residency citizenship plus police protects Igbos better than strong center that failed 1966.
- Fixes no exit in law vs peaceful exit in quote — C gives peaceful exit after two votes and 5 years talk — disintegrate system in peace, not people in pieces.
In Langston Hughes Library, there is letter 1991 from Zik to Lincoln president thanking for kindness to his son Molokwu. He never returned to teach. But he left blueprint in syllabus.
Prison was built by Britain for profit, locked by Zik in Lagos using Igbo as excuse for protection. Key to open is in Lincoln, Pennsylvania — in syllabus he wrote as graduate instructor earning $30 a month: equal protectorates, weak center, right to leave.
A, B, C is that key.
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