Okura State And Tyranny Of The Majority

Nigeria’s democracy often feels like a surreal theatre where the unimaginable becomes reality. This political arena, filled with both the extraordinary and the absurd, is a quagmire navigable only by those skilled in political mudslinging and survival.

A recent article (in Leadership News, July 19th, 2024) titled “Bill To Create Okura State Out Of Kogi Passes Second Reading” highlights the struggle for power and dominance by the majority ethnic group in Kogi State. The bill, sponsored by Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims and others, proposes the creation of Okura State with Egume as its capital, arguing that it would engender “balance, more representation, and equitable distribution of the nation’s resources, more development and wellbeing of the people of Igala”.

However, the bill has faced significant opposition. Hon. Sanni Egidi Abdulraheem, representing Ajaokuta Federal Constituency, objected to the bill, claiming that his constituency was not consulted. Additionally, the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, pointed out that the bill failed to follow constitutional procedures for state creation, as outlined in Section 8 of the Constitution.

Since Kogi State was created in 1991, whenever the Igala demand Okura State, they include Bassa, a non-Igala-speaking local government. Their previous attempts, including a similar bill in 2009, have consistently included Bassa, despite objections from the Bassa Nge people. As if repeating falsity ever makes it a truth. The Bassa Nge have always preferred their current political configuration (in Kogi State) and have no interest in being part of Okura State.

The campaign for the creation of Okura State, ironically, highlights the Igala’s discomfort with their majority status in Kogi State. The Igala have held significant political power, with four of the state’s twelve governors coming from the Igala ethnic group. Despite this dominance, they have shockingly been unable to achieve their dreams within the current state structure, leading them to seek a new state where they can ‘maintain control’.

This pursuit of power by the Igala raises concerns about the “tyranny of the majority,” a concept first coined by Alexis de Tocqueville in his work “Democracy in America.” Tocqueville warned that even in a democratic system, the majority has the potential to oppress minority groups. In the case of Kogi State, the Igala majority’s push for Okura State threatens the rights and interests of the minority groups, particularly the Bassa Nge.

The history of state creation in Nigeria has often been fraught with tensions between ethnic groups. The Bassa Nge, for example, have been moved between different states over the years, from Kwara to Benue and finally to Kogi. Throughout these changes, they have consistently expressed a desire to remain in their current political configuration rather than being subsumed into a new state dominated by the Igala.

The Igala’s latest move for Okura State, despite the objections of other ethnic groups, mirrors the actions of a group that serves itself first at a banquet, leaving only scraps for others yet remaining hungry. Without the consent of others, it can only amount to political rape, which is immoral in every sense.

The National Assembly must resist this bill and protect the rights of minority groups in Nigeria. The sponsor of the bill has openly stated that the proposed “state will be inhabited by the Igala people, who are the ninth largest ethnic group in Nigeria.” This is a state for the Igala. Period.

Political theorists like John Stuart Mill and Friedrich Nietzsche have long warned against the dangers of majority rule without safeguards for minority rights. Mill emphasised the importance of protecting minority rights in a representative government, while Nietzsche spoke of the “will to power,” where groups continuously seek to expand their influence at the expense of others. The Igala’s effort for Okura State reflects this will to power, as they seek to create a state where they can maintain control and influence.

However, it is unlikely that the Igala will achieve in Okura State what they could not achieve in Kogi State. The claim that Okura State would ‘promote balance, representation, and equitable distribution of resources’ is laughable. Despite being in the majority and governing Kogi State for most of its history (approximately 62.5% of the democratically elected governors of Kogi State have been from the Igala), the Igala have not been able to achieve these goals.

The drive for Okura State highlights the need for a political system that ensures equitable representation and protection for all ethnic groups, preventing any single group from monopolising power and resources. Only then will minority groups have a sense of belonging and be free from the tyranny of the majority.

The Bassa Nge have made it clear that they want nothing to do with Okura State, and this discussion should end here. We hope the National Assembly will protect the rights of the minority, and when the final gavel drops, the proposed fraud will be nullified.

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