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By Bologi M. Maikudi
The question of national identity and the definition of a Nigerian citizen are currently taking an interest turn. This interest would have portrayed a sense of nationalism if it hadn’t been politically motivated. I took my time to understand the person of Atiku Abubakar and I think this information may help;
He was born in Jada in the year 1946 which was earlier controlled by Cameroon. He happened to be an only child. The Jada region where Atiku is from became a part of Nigeria in the year 1961.
The invocation of the identity question challenges the eligibility of Atiku’s participation in the presidential election due to the constitutional provision which states that for anyone to seek the highest office in the land, he or she must be a citizen by birth. The explanation of this section suggests that either his parents must be born in Nigeria on or before independence or he himself must be born in Nigeria before 1960.
Sure even if we cannot confirm the birth of any of his parent in Nigeria before independence, we have sufficient information that he was born in Jada before independence. By this explanation we may think the crisis is settled. Far from that; the problem now becomes more complicated to know that Jada was not a part of Nigeria before independence which suggests that Atiku was not born in Nigeria but Cameroon following the unionization of the northern Cameroon (Adamawa) with Nigeria in 1961 that is a year after independence.
So by this definition Atiku was born in Cameroon in the year 1946 before his place of birth was unionized with Nigeria in the year 1961 which suggests an expiration of 1960 provision of the law.
Many have argued using this phrase that; “Atiku is a Nigerian but not a Nigerian by Birth.” The question that then should be asked is, if Atiku is not a citizen by birth, by what constitutional provision would his citizenship rest on?
I want to believe this is an act of xenophobia which is being triggered by the lawyers of the APC in seeking desperate ways to delegitimize Atiku’s participation in the February 23 poll. Why have I said this you may ask? I will love to use a simple analogy of how to acquire a business entity to put forward my point of view.
Take for instance the acquisition of Diamond Bank by Access Bank. Have you thought of that? Once you acquire a business entity like in the case of Diamond and Access Banks, Diamond bank loses its name on the stock exchange as a business entity becoming an access bank in totality both on the stock market and in operation. The history of access bank now becomes the history of diamond bank, it’s loyalty, privileges, assets, debts, customers, services and staff members now belong to Access Bank.
Now let’s place the then northern Cameroon region (Adamawa) which was earlier controlled by Cameroon where both Atiku Abubakar comes from to represent Diamond Bank earlier managed by the board of diamond bank (Cameroon) and access bank (Nigeria) now acquiring diamond bank (Adamawa). The questions that may be raised from this analogy will suggest the following:
Is diamond bank now access bank?
Does the acquisition change the status of all diamond bank assets and liabilities?
What do we call an earlier diamond bank staff now acquired by access bank?
Still a diamond bank staff or an access bank staff?
Would it be true that the privileges enjoyed by earlier access bank staff members will also be enjoyed by the new ones?
Atiku Abubakar and all the citizens of the old northern Cameroon region (Adamawa) will now enjoy all the privileges enjoyed by those earlier unionized with Nigeria even before independence. Been unionized does not remove their legitimacy of being Nigerian citizens by birth if Nigeria still claims to be in control of that same region. This issue is capable of causing political crisis within this region and a sense of foreign status not just to Atiku Abubakar but to the whole of Adamawa people, especially the ones born before 1961.
Desperate politicians and their accomplices in the legal profession may push this country to the edge if they continue to bring up issues that will further divide us just to score cheap political points at the tribunal. In fact, I’m shocked to realize that the lawyers representing the Nigerian President are the ones responsible for bringing this identity issue up just to divert attention from the substance of Atiku’s petition.
I want to assure all the SANs on the President’s team that they will fail completely on this issue in the court of law and in the court of public opinion.
