Did Abubakar Tafawa Balewa know of oil deposits in the North of Nigeria?

Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (1912 - 1966)

As per Punch in their online publication of 26th October 2019, a former Minister of Education Amb. Yerima Abdullahi was reported to have said that the first Prime Minister of Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa new about the deposits of oil in the North but did not explore it.

https://punchng.com/tafawa-balewa-knew-north-had-oil-but-left-exploration-for-younger-generation-ex-envoy/

So many books and articles have been written about the man, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa by many notable persons across the globe. The history of Nigeria cannot be complete without the mention of this Statesman. Some of his speeches are well documented and can easily be found on the world wide web. None has shown or contains so far, anything to suggest that the first Prime Minister had any such knowledge or discussed the matter of crude oil in the North at any fora.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/1957-abubakar-tafawa-balewa-first-speech-prime-minister/&ved=2ahUKEwiA5KaBjLrlAhUYBWMBHU0oDIwQFjABegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw3V4vTNxXHQGHDyEgow2h9Q

It is being conservative with the truth for one to  claim therefore that the eminent leader (of blessed memory) had such knowledge. What then is the intention of the speaker?

If I may digress a bit, from history, we know that the geographical territory called Nigeria is a creation of the British colonialists. The agitation for independence began over a decade earlier with leaders such as Sir Herbert Macaulay. History also has it that Nigeria would have gained independence from Britain earlier than 1960. As per a Commonwealth publication, in 1954, Nigeria became a Federation; in 1957, Eastern and western regions gained internal self rule government and Northern Nigeria, two years later. 


https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/nigeria/history&ved=2ahUKEwinpIPnjrrlAhV1DWMBHU9cBfEQFjAMegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw3dGJTCl7hPkzJ67ml1UyEn&cshid=1572099865745

History also has it that the original date for independence was shifted to accommodate the then northern Region who at the time (and unfortunately so presently) were regarded as educationally disadvantaged and required a bit more time to level up with their southern compatriots.

Why would an a former Ambassador of Nigeria therefore make such a statement?

Let us hazard a guess here as it is only God that knows the mind of man. Reading the report further, the Ambassador said that the discovery of oil in the North, particularly the recent one in Gongola Basin, had shamed those who tag the region as a parasite on Nigeria.

Is the North a parasite to Nigeria? It is neither here nor there. Your answer depends on several factors including but not limited to your ancestral region, religion, exposure and above all knowledge. Do Nigerians regard the North as a parasite? No and Yes. In the 50s and 60s one would say an emphatic NO. They contributed their quota from the groundnut and cotton trade. They had their hides and skins and other grains to contribute against the South's palm oil, cocoa, cassava and so on. But upon the discovery of crude oil, both the North and the South abandoned agriculture as it were. The economy which before then was run on agriculture turned to the exploitation and sale of crude oil.

The 1966 military coup resulted in a civil was that lasted from 1967 to 1970. The war was fought only in the then Eastern Region as the area was then known. At the end of the war, the military junta thought it wise to move away from the Regional Structure to the State Structure; from a weaker centre system of government to the stronger centre system of government. This led to the concentration of more power to the Central Government. The revenue sharing formula also begam to change in favour of the Central Government. This made the centre more attractive and powerful.

National Bureau of Statistics data indicates that apart from States such as Zamfara and Yobe, most Northern States contribute their widow's might to the Central Purse. That notwithstanding, the economic viability of some of the Northern States of Nigeria remains questionable. Most of the States that received the bailout from the Federal Government are from the North. In fact ten out of the nineteen Northern States received bailout funds from the Centre in 2015. More out of school children are statistically from the North. Most cases of VVF are reported from the North. Terrorism in Nigeria is associated with the North.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/190299-nigeria-cbn-releases-names-of-19-states-given-bailout.html&ved=2ahUKEwizm9LXqbrlAhUOrxoKHY1oCu4QFjACegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw0yPGqj9glv5Zs8CzIPrQcp&cshid=1572107411047

The Role of Perception

The online dictionary defines perception as the way in which something is regarded, understood or interpreted. It is generally subjective, varying from person to person. So, why is the North being regarded as a parasite by some as suggested by the Ambassador? Which sections of Nigeria believes or regards  the North as parasites? Why would such persons regard the North as a parasite? What has the North done to be regarded by a section as being parasitic? The answers are not far fetched.

Nigeria has had more Presidents or Heads of State from the North than from any other section of Nigeria. The northerners have held on to power far much longer than any other section of Nigeria. Key Ministires, Agencies and Departments of the Federal Government were and are mostly headed by persons from the North. Yet, educationally, they remain "disadvantaged"; infrastructural development of their rural areas remain non existent. The only reason why Nigeria is still counted amongst Polio infected countries principally because new cases keep popping up in the North, a region that has continued to reject immunization. It appears therefore that the perception comes from the lack of growth and development in their region despite their getting a huge chunk of the revenue allocation as compared to other regions of Nigeria. It does not however mean that the other regions are being developed mainly by their State governments. No. In the Eastern States of Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi, great strides have been achieved mostly from individual efforts by men and women of means from that region. So, one may ask, what are the men and women of means from the North doing for their people?

I would say that the North should do more for themselves to correct the impression that the North is a parasite feeding off the rest of the Nation and in return giving nothing good.

Chike A. Obi, ESQ