THE NATURE, PROPLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF THE MIDDLE BELT REGION OF NIGERIA

THE MIDDLE BELT GEO-POLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA

INTRODUCTION

Nigeria is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory. The country is located in West Africa between latitudes 4^{0 and} 14⁰ North and Longitude 3⁰ and 15⁰ east, with total land area of 923.8x10³sqkm bordered with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea, a part of the Atlantic Ocean, in the south. The capital city is Abuja. The three largest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. The country Nigeria is generally comprises six geo-political zones, which includes South West, South South, South East, North West, North East and North Central or Central Nigeria known as the middle belt of Nigeria.

The people of Nigeria have an extensive history, and archaeological evidence shows that human habitation of the area dates back to at least 9000 BCE The Benue-Cross River area is thought to be the original homeland of the Bantu migrants who spread across most of central and southern Africa in waves between the 1st millennium BCE and the 2nd millennium CE.

(A). NATURE OF THE MIDDLE BELT

Historical background

The Middle Belt concept and idea as a geo-political zone predominantly based on political ideology for the separate political identity by the people of the zone this was swept away by the tide of time, even though it may be argued that the 1995 draft constitutional conference recommended the creation of six geo-political zones in the country, which the Middle Belt Region was one. However, its antagonists re-christened it to the North Central zone to suit their interest and the appellation stuck to this day. Hon. Abba Moro the Executive Chairman of Opokwu Local Government Area of Benue State states that “historically, the search for a Middle Belt Region was pioneered by the late Chief Joseph Sarwan Tarka, of blessed memory. The movement for the Middle Belt Region assumed prominence during the First Republic when various nationalities sought to assert their identities on the political landscape of Nigeria. The agitation for a Middle Belt Region was part of this scenario, and partly also as a result of the not too well disposed political magnanimity of the modern political lords/helmsmen towards the members of this region”

According to Joses (2005) The Middle Belt of Nigeria has been a hotbed of agitations, struggle and conflict since the period before independence. Between 1928 and 1948 most ethnic groups experienced the world economic recession with its antecedent scarcity and socio-economic insecurity. They began to form communal unions not only to address the insecurity created by the world economic recession and the impact of the Second World War. However, what ignited ethnic insecurity in the Middle Belt was heightened by colonial policy that failed to integrate their interests into the larger frame work of Nigerian nation. The tempo became vibrant in 1950s with ethnic emotion, feelings and sentiments. In fact the history of minority agitation started from the Middle Belt over domination suffered not only by colonial repression but also by forcefully being made to be subject to the northern praetorian emirate system. The area was not only denied infrastructural development but deprived of its independent traditional political system. The agitation from the Middle Belt later ignited similar struggles from other parts of the country.

The Middle Belt is a political expression of ethnic minorities in the former Northern region which are found in the North-west, North-east and particularly North-central, which have been oppressed by both colonial rule and praetorian emirate system of the north and their contemporary political leaderships. Under the new dispensation of geo-political zoning of the federation the concept has been restricted to North-central and thereby obliterating the name North-central from the political lexicon of Nigeria. Meanwhile, the late head of state General Sani Abacha in his October 1, 1995 independent broadcast while presenting the 1995 constitution zoned the country into six political areas: North-west, North-east, Middle Belt, South-east, South-west and Southern Minority. While the Southern minority protested and preferred to be called South-south, the Middle Belt with time had been changed, by those who are repugnant to the concept, to North central. Nevertheless, the concept is bigger than any specific geo-political zone. The concept of Middle Belt is nebulous as some states like Kaduna, Niger, Kwara, Yobe, Borno and Adamawa,which have a concentration of Hausa-Fulani and some major ethnic minorities, who are Moslems (Nupe, Kanuri etc), and do see themselves more of 'Lugard North' than belonging to the belt. There is also a marginal ethnic-minority like the Yoruba (Kwara, Kogi), whose interest and loyalty are also divided; as they prefer to identify with the South West Yorubaland when the going is bad or who would want to benefit from both sides. However, Middle Belt therefore, is encompassing and can be seen as a political entity situated within the vast Savannah region of Nigeria, which has the concentration of ethnic-communal groups who majority practice African traditional religion or Christianity. They have their peculiar multifarious political systems, religious beliefs and cultural orientations, which are non Islamic and different from the Hausa-Fulani emirate system. In the words of Richard Sklar, the Middle Belt area comprise of people who were either non-Hausa speaking, non-Muslim or both.

However, the region is constituted by eight states of the federation which includes; Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Adamawa, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory of the federation as a result of ethno-minority situation in trying to re-assert the independent entity, the place has for long become an alluring bride for many suitors, conscious of the strategic part it plays in deciding the outcome of an election. Straddling the middle of Nigeria, the middle Belt is a relatively big complex multi-ethnic, multi-religious geographical area, where unlike the Hausa-Fulani and the Kanuris of the far north, is populated largely by minority ethnic groups. Its politics is no complex, swinging between an uneasy attachment to the far north and sometimes an open or cautious solidarity and alliance with southern-based parties. No wonder it has since the pre-independence days been a fertile fishing water pond for the big three ethnic groups in the country in their quest for political dominance.

Geography and Vegetation of the Middle Belt

The middle Belt is located at the central point of Nigeria characterized with guinea savannah and marked by crystalline rock outcroppings and gently rolling hills, such as the adamawa hill, Biu Mountain and Jos plateau. The two major or notable rivers in Nigeria, River Niger and Benue meet at the region precisely at Lokoja town in Kogi state. The two major seasons are the raining season from the month of April through October and dry season from November through March. The temperature is also relative from state to states as it is relatively cold weather in Jos plateau while other states are predominantly with hot weather condition.

Architecture:

The Middle belt regions of Nigeria are predominantly rural environs except those of the states capitals and some other sub-towns around the capital city. Therefore, the building patterns and structures are usually with mud and thatched roofs in the villages.

However, the house patterns and structure in the urban environments or centres are to greater extent measured with the modern day housing pattern like what are obtainable in towns like Jos, Ilorin, Yola, Lokoja, Minna, Markudi, Abuja etc where good housing plans, streets, water channel, and lightning systems are well constructed

Political Activities

The political activities of middle belt people will be incomprehensive without a bit of traces back their political struggle as part of the movement and the primary factor for the existence and the actualization of the region today. The middle belt however is much more than an attractive bride waiting to be plucked by the lucky suitor. It has other attributes.

Chief Solomon Daushep Lar, a prominent advocate of this cause thinks he knows the true significance of the area in Nigeria. A middle Belt conference he convened in August 1998, the first civilian governor of the old Plateau state and one-time National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stated that "because the Middle Belt is located in central Nigeria, which comprise the people of southern and northern Nigeria, it is always in the best position to interpret the north to the south and the south to the north. Not only do we serve as the glue for the country, our privileged location enables us to best measure the temperature of the nation. This role places enormous responsibility on our shoulders, and also requires that both the north and the south must listen carefully to us anytime we speak on contentious issues".

This is chief Lar's understanding and the place of the middle Belt in the corporate entity called Nigeria. Indeed even before the emergences of the Lars on the political scene, the area had been under going some kind of rethinking on its place in Nigeria and its politics. The birth of the United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC) in the late 1940's was the culmination of such rethinking and the search by the area for relevance in national politics. The founding fathers of the UMBC such as the late Rwang Pam, Yonah Asadugu, Bello Jacob Ijumu, Pastor David Lot, among many others invested enormous amount of their time and resources to see to the realization of the goals of the area through political activities.

Economic Activities

The main activities for sustainability are farming, fishing, hunting, trading, weaving, blacksmithing, tying and dying mat making, and some other sub minor petty trading across the region although the predominant economic activities are farming and fishing as a result of their fertile nature of land and the presence of river Niger and Benue around Kogi, Benue, part of Niger, and some other related areas nearby the riverine environs, mining amongst Jos Plateau people, weaving of clothe and canoe building among the Nupe people of Niger.

Agriculture/Soil type

Since, the average populace of the region are predominantly farmer their concentration however is basically on subsistence farming i.e. farming consumptions of the immediate family. Therefore, relatively few of these people produced agricultural product on commercial basis couple with the low level of mechanise farming because most of their farming activities is still intensively on communal effort.

The types of crops growing in the middle belt of Nigeria are tuber crops such as yam, cassava, cocoa-yam, potatoes, cereals such as millet and maize, economic trees such as Iroko, obeche and mahogany, fruits such as citrus fruit, guava, and some other related crops growing commercial purposes. The nature of the land of the region is relative from states to states just as the South Eastern region soil is more fertile than every other parts of the region. The soil generally in the middle belt is relatively sandy-loam type of soil while parts are reddish in colour and sticky.

Social/Per-Social

Social and religious institutions among the people of middle belt is strongly base on traditions, norms, belief system, folkways and taboos of each tribe within a given state of the region because of heterogenous nature of their culture and languages such the Birom and Ngas of plateau, Okun and Igala of Kogi, Nupe of Niger, Idoma and Tiv of Benue, Eggon of Nasarrawa, Omu-aran of Kwara and lot more at the various states of the region.

The region to a large extent control social vices through their culture and the established rules and regulations lay down by their Ancestor. There are still element of moral consensus among the people their tribal and cultural activities or festival where the youth are taught roles and responsibility to imbibe by in order to fit in and capable of helping himself out of future problems

Socialization process of the children among the people of the region is still to a greater extent in the rural areas on imitation such learning the occupation of their parents such as farming, fishing or even some skills like swimming by those that lives around the riverine area.

However, Christianity, Islam and other social institutions such education, clubs and related societies have some kind of influences on the ways of life of the people in the region such as their mode of dressing, food they eat, language, crafts and other activities

Transportation systems

Transportation as the process of conveying goods and services from one destination to another has been from time immemorial. Therefore, transportation is inevitable to any given society rather they could be a point of peculiarities in those means of transportation, middle belt is characterized majorly by road transports, inland waterway, and fewer places with railway transportation network and airway. These transports systems are head porterage, bicycle, motor-cycle, canoe peddling, lorries, horse, camel, cars, Aeroplane in places like Jos Plateau, Ilorin, Minna, Markudi, Yola etc. Roads are constructed both by the central and regional governments liking these states to one another which equally help their trading activities from states to states.

Health

Health wise is also a critical issue in the middle belt where a lot of traditional herbal medicine is applied or used for different kinds of sicknesses and problems are equally diagnose through appriori method i.e. using the knowledge of Mr A to solve a similar case of Mr B in their traditional setting and up till the present day of existence even as the government and corporate bodies establishes Hospitals for proper health care the traditional herbal medicine are still in used for the curing of many diseases like typhoid fever, measles, malaria, and some other critical bone fractures especially among the rural dwellers of the region.

(B). PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES OF THE MIDDLE BELT

Political problems

The middle belt region had been for so long subjected to political prejudice and other related problems. Chimaroke (2005) lamented that “the seeming tension in the Middle Belt arose variously from, competing ethnic identities, inter /intra-religious differences, disputes over arable/gracing land and scarce rural resources, contests over chieftaincy/political representations and access to power. By the same token, it was reasonably argued that the measure of ascendance of these elements of conflict arise from political competition, bias, stereotype, prejudices, elite manipulation, inequity, mass poverty and brash attitude of the noveau riche. It is also stated to include protracted national economic crisis, excessive centrality of national administration, long period of military rule, arbitrariness of rules, unclear citizenship identification and of course, a supra-national interest in lands and locality matters”

(C). PROSPECTS OR WAY FORWARD FOR THE MIDDLE BELT CHALLENGES:

References:

Ochoche, Sunday (anchorman): (1998) Enhancing Peaceful Coexistence in Nigeria (communiqué of Middle Belt Zonal Conference, Jos); Centre for Peace Research & Conflict Resolution, National War College

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Haruna Isah (200) The Middle Belt: History and politics Nasarawa Publishing Company Limited

Iloeje, p. (2000). Geography of Nigeria Development

Bagudu, Nankin (ed.): Linguistic Minorities and Inequality in Nigeria; League for Human Rights, Jos; 2003.

Abba, Morro (2005). What the Middle Belt Agenda should be

Atang Izang (2008). The Arewa Consultative Forum

Ajayi, P. O. (2003). Comprehensive Geography for Senior Secondary Schools. Jos: Johnson

Chimaroke Nnamani (2005). Nigeria Central the Middle Belt, Glue Of The Nation. 2005 edition of the public lecture series of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Plateau State Council, in conjunction with Africa Republic Foundation (ARF); Hill Station Hotel, Jos, Nigeria.