By Ubiwe Eriye Esq
This write-up is farce. It’s spurred essentially
by author’s ignorance of Nigeria’s political history. There are principally two
ways of becoming a citizen of Nigeria: by birth or naturalization (registration
in 1960 & ’63 conditions). Atiku is Nigerian by birth, not registration or
naturalization. Atiku’s birthplace: Jada, Adamawa, “Northern
Cameroon” (NOT Cameroun Republic with Yaoundé as capital) has been
administered as part of Nigeria since 1945 by colonist Britain, after Germany, former
colonizer, lost World War 11. This area and Southern Cameroon was referred to
as British Cameroons.
Equally, the larger portion of same Germany’s colony has been administered since 1945 by the French as trust territory for the UN. This area was the French-Cameroun which became present day Republic of Cameroun, with Yaoundé as capital. It’s clear that APC/Buhari lawsuit fraudulently and deceptively seek to hang the French-Camerounn, present day Republic of Cameroun as birthplace of Atiku. The French CAMEROUN and British CAMEROON are separate entities and spelt differently. Northern Cameroon was never a sovereign country but a trust territory administered as part of Nigeria from 1945 onward. Subjects of Nigeria and the Cameroons (further divided into Northern and Southern Cameroons by colonial Britain) were regarded as belonging to one country, Nigeria.
The National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon (NCNC) founded by Herbert Macaulay in 1944 was a Nigerian political party peopled by natives of Nigeria, from Nigeria and the Cameroons. Prior to Nigeria’s independence in 1960, the Southern Cameroon part of pre-independent Nigeria elected to join the French-Cameroun while the Northern Cameroon, encompassing Jada, Adamawa etc stated through their political and religious leaders of their intention to remain as part of Nigeria. At this time, Nigerians of Adamawa extraction held offices and positions in Nigerian regional parliament and participated actively in debates for Nigeria’s imminent independence.
Clear indication by Northern Cameroon to remain as part of Nigeria informed NCNC name change from National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon to National Council of Nigeria Citizens (NCNC) in 1959.
Jada, Adamawa, Nothern Cameroon was never a part of today’s Republic of Cameroun and had remained a part and parcel of Nigeria, under colonial Britian administration since 1945. A plebiscite by natives in colonial Northern Cameroon to affirm the popular opinion to remain as part of Nigeria conducted in May 1961 was merely a formal affirmation by natives in territory administered as part of Nigeria since 1945 to remain as part of one independent, indivisible Nigeria. It was a kind of voice confirmation, for the record, not the day they became part of Nigeria.
Author ignorantly refers to this less formal plebiscite as a referendum, which is a legislative act that requires approval through a popular vote by the electorate, a process typically available in sovereign independent states.
Escalating the absurd contention that Atiku was born outside Nigeria (sovereign independent Nigeria so properly defined), Buhari, Awolowo, Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa etc would be ineligible to contest as President or Prime Minister of Nigeria having been born outside independent Nigeria. Birth in Nigeria alone does not appear to confer citizenship by birth, unlike the US, for instance. Either parent of child must be a Nigerian citizen. So if going by some suggestion and current President attachment and unusual fidelity towards Niger Republic, if his parents were natives of Niger who settled across their common border at Daura where Buhari was born, then he may not even be a Nigerian by birth..
The 1960 &1963 constitutions seem to have anticipated such absurd conclusions or suggestion by author and were silent on citizenship by birth, rather accepting birth in British colonies as sufficient for citizenship by birth.
The 1999 Constitution effectively incorporates birth of Nigerians in British Nigeria colony/territory as citizenship by birth.
* Eriye, Ph.D (Law), is
a Lagos-based attorney