The twenty-first century ushered Nigeria into a new dimension of security threat. Prominent among these are the insurgencies in ...
The twenty-first century ushered Nigeria into a new dimension of security threat. Prominent among these are the insurgencies in the northeast which began in 2009; banditry in the northwest and farmers-herders conflicts in the north central. It is becoming glaring that the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgencies in the northeast and banditry prominent in the North West are tied to resources, even the herdsmen invasion of the north central or middle belt too. The region of the northeast and the Lake Chad Basin is noted to have a rich deposit of oil minerals, while the northwest zone of Zamfara, Niger State, Kebbi, and part of Sokoto have been discovered to have rich solid minerals, particularly precious stones like gold and related stones. These resources, as they are, lead to surreptitious foreign invitation.
In the Lake Chad area, for instance, opinions were that some strong politicians from Borno State in particular have strong ancestral ties to the Republic of Chad, and that the exploration of the oil mineral in the region by the Nigerian government would pose a serious threat to the flourishing economy of Chad, their ancestral home. The reason, as argued, is that part of the Lake Chad, from where the oil mineral the Republic of Chad depended on, has its sources in Nigeria. Thus, since the oil flows from Nigeria or has its source here, extracting or full-scale exploration would terminate or cut off the lifeline of the Chad people. As a result, some Nigerian politicians of Borno origin with Chad affinity collaborate to fuel the crisis in the zone to enable Chad to perpetually milk the oil resource, which Nigeria remains the fountainhead of. This is the argument and opinion on the crisis in the zone and why the region is now the den of Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other criminal and terrorist elements. The alleged ambush and execution of the NNPC team sent for preliminary activities leading to full exploration substantiate this. This position appears incontrovertibly true, except the Lake Chad Basin and its region are confirmed to have no oil mineral deposit by concerned authorities.
Similarly, the region of the northwest, particularly Zamfara, Niger State, Kebbi, and part of Sokoto, are known to have a residual deposit of gold and related precious stones. The argument and popular opinion here are that banditry was created to protect the perpetration of illegal mining of the gold mineral. It is alleged that some prominent politicians from some states in the zone and even retired military generals, in collaboration with foreign agencies and agents, like the Chinese, are deeply involved in the enterprise. Allegedly too, unsuspecting and vulnerable traditional rulers are known to have been involved in the illicit business hovering around mining too. Arms and ammunition were held to have been supplied to bandits by some foreign powers and unpatriotic elements within the Nigerian state.
In the south-south, there is illegal mining and illegal oil bunkering, stealing of crude, and piracy at sea and sea robbery, which the Nigerian Navy has been combating. While in the north central, there has been herdsmen and farmers' conflicts in the name of land resource acquisition or grabbing. The nature of conflicts around these resources and Nigeria's security economy points to a certain period in history known as the age of mercantilism.
It is against this background that this piece attempts to revisit the age with the aim of establishing a historical parallel in the analysis of turns of events in history. The era of mercantilism is coterminous with feudalism, following the epic and visible collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 476 AD. With the epic buckling of the empire, Europe went into a period known as the Middle Ages or medieval period. The period from the crumbling of the Roman Empire (476 AD) to the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492 defines the Middle Ages (B.V. Rao, World History, Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, 2003).
Essentially, mercantilism emerged from the popular political and economic beliefs of Western Europe during the latter part of the medieval period. Politically, it was expressed and widely accepted that the power of a country is organically derived from the military and naval power and the extent to which that power is deployed to establish spheres of influence in other parts of the globe. While economically, it was generally held that having acquired these spheres of influence, what remained was the extent of control such a country had over certain internationally influential essential commodities like gold, diamond, silver, and other precious stones (Okpeh O. Okpeh Jr, on Discourses on Europe to the Age of Revolution, 2003).
As a concept, however, mercantilism evolved out of the belief in Western Europe that what constituted wealth and power was gold, silver, and other precious stones. Thus, what mattered was for nations to accumulate these precious stones—the so-called “Bullionist Theory.” This idea, as it were, compelled principal nations of Western Europe to embark on explorations of the 15th century. This led to the invasion of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The leading European nations in the enterprise were Portugal and Spain, and later Britain and France. This imperialism of trade, of course, ended the feudal mode of production (MOP) in Western Europe.
The establishment of naval power to back up commercial and trading activities at the wake of the 15th century was significant. The main catalyst of this economic and political expansion was the breakthrough in geography and navigation, amply showcased in supremacy over the high seas by Spain and Portugal, leading to the age of reconnaissance and the eventual balkanization of the world between the two superpowers (Okpeh O. Okpeh, Jr, 2003). The Portuguese made contact with Asia and the Far East, while the Spaniards were dominant in South America (Latin America). The merchant class also capitalized on the opportunity to sponsor (officially) commercial monopolies to boost trade and hence national power and prestige (W.T. Uji, Discourses on the History of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2004).
By the second half of the 15th century, however, countries like Holland, Britain, and France came to challenge the emerging economic Balance of Power (BOT) and became rival contenders in the venture. The activities of these Westerners in their ruthless quest and search for rare earth materials through plundering, piracy, and looting in the Americas, particularly South America (among the Incas and Aztec people), and in Asia and Africa defined the security scenarios of the time.
The hectic search and scramble for precious stones, defined as primitive accumulation of resources without due regard to social and political order, prominent in the 15th century, appeared to be replaying in Nigeria in the twenty-first century, nearing its climax in 2025. This is showcased in America's interest in fighting terrorism and insecurity on the alleged ground of economic motivation rather than genuine philanthropic interest, and the opposition the move is still receiving from China, Russia, and the European Union. The opposition foregrounds their argument on the doctrine of territorial integrity and sovereignty. But sovereignty, as known, is not a perpetual ticket but a responsibility, and it might be lost or temporarily suspended depending on the scenarios.
Be that as it may, Nigeria at the moment is hastily becoming a theater of global diplomacy and power contestation occasioned by terrorism and banditry. This politics of mineral resources embedded in the general insecurity for over a decade has put Nigeria on the path of irresistible retrogression instead of a progressive trajectory. In short, by the activities of terrorists and bandits, life in Nigeria is becoming more nasty, short, and brutish, as espoused by Thomas Hobbes. The barbarism and primitivism of medievalism occasioned by terrorism, banditry, sea piracy, and illegal oil bunkering prevalent in the country show a reversion or degeneration to primitive accumulation of the age of mercantilism.
Thus, since the business of peace and security is not a one-man show, all hands must be on deck. The piece concludes by defining Nigeria’s current security woes as essentially political and could only be addressed by a leader with a track record of strong political will.
Dr. Godwin Onuh Odeh,
Department of History and International Studies, Sokoto.
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