The Ottoman Empire, Nigeria and Turkey

I delve into history today to  illustrate what I foresee as the possible future of Nigeria as we know it now. I  look at  an ancient  empire that crumbled at the end of the first World  War  [1914  – 1918] to be replaced by a nation state just  as the British colonialists were creating Nigeria by merging the North and  South  of   their  vast and  populous colony  in 1914  and  named  it  Nigeria. The old  Empire was the Ottoman Empire – [1299 – 1923]  which conquered parts of Europe and allowed the conquered  nations citizens to practice their  religion while  conscripting some of the citizens into the army  and using them as slaves and soldiers in the Empire’s  army.

The Ottoman Empire today is replicated by Turkey whose president is Tayyip Erdogan , a very  successful  democrat who lives in the capital  Istanbul  in a 1000 room presidential  palace  befitting a modern Emperor  or Sultan of  Turkey. In  my view  there is  lot that  Nigeria  today  has in common  with the emergence  of the Ottoman  Empire and the history  of  Turkey when the  Empire  collapsed  and  Kemal  Ataturk  became  the ruler  of  Modern  Turkey    and  left  a legacy  of  a secular  state to be run under  the supervision  of the military  in  Turkey. Although   Turkey’s  present president  has  changed all that,  it  is  the relevance  of this short story  to the present  political  and  socio  economic  circumstances in Nigeria  that  drives  our thinking today.

In  Nigeria  today  the  major   security   issues  driving  the political  climate and  the issues, revolve  around  the terror  of Boko  Haram, the  charge  of  Fulanisation and  Islamisation, the threat  and  protests  of  the  Shiites.  All  of which  are about  the groups  involved   trying to  impose  their  will  or faith  and way  of life on other  parts  of the nation. Of  course Myetti  Allah  too falls  under this category. Take  it or leave it  they  resemble  invading forces and  they  are  armed  and the  Nigerian  military  apparatus  is being stretched to  its  limit  to contain  them. These  forces are    however being treated  with  kid  gloves while  the rest  of the nation  watch  with dismay  and  great  anxiety.

This  is where   the  analogy  with  the  Ottoman Empire  comes in.  At  the rate  of aggression and  challenge  to the Nigerian  state  it  is pragmatic and realistic  to envisage a future  of  an  Islamic  Nigerian state  run  on the platform  of  Administration of the  Ottoman  Empire  which  was  an  Islamic  state. Indeed  the  role  of the Turks  in the leadership  of the  caliphate  made  interesting  reading to me. I  read  that as the   caliphate  became militarised  and the   Turks got  promoted in the military  the leadership  of the caliphate became  Turkish. If  you substitute Fulani  for Turks and  you  look at  the groups   or  some  of the aggressors against the authority of the Nigerian state  you  have  an idea  of  what  I  am  talking  about.

In   addition  when  Kemal  Ataturk  founded Turkey  in 1923, he  made  Turks to  abandon Islamic  dressing  and wear  suits and  he banned  Muslim parties and  made  the army  a watch  dog  to throw  out fundamentalist  parties in several  coups  until  Erdogan  who  had  won three  elections in a  row  became  president.  Erdogan  became so powerful  that  he  stopped  military  intervention  and  consolidated democratic  power  when  his  supporters  foiled  a military  coup  by standing in the way of armoured vehicles on my birthday  July  15,   sometime  ago.

Yet  Turkey  has  a  serious  problem  that  it finds  humiliating  and  embarrassing.  Just  as Nigeria and  Nigerians find  the slide  into terrorism, kidnapping  and insecurity   so  embarrassing  in the face of the government that   seems   complacent with the unfortunate status quo. Turkey  wants  to join  the European  Union.  But  Turkey  is Muslim  and the Europe  is  Christian and  the EU  has  stalled on granting full  membership to Turkey  even  though   Turkey  is a full member  of the NATO,  the military arm  of the    EU.  Even  that  military  connection is under threat with  Turkey  buying  some military  hardware from Russia   recently, against  the provisions and protocols  of  NATO  members  of the military  alliance.

Tukey’s  non  admission into the EU  also  sheds  some light  on the political  structure of  the  EU  and  the  role  of migration and   multiculturalism  that  has changed  the European  land scape  and split  the EU. Since German Chancellor Angela  Merkel  allowed  1m  immigrants  fleeing war  in the Middle  East, into  Europe  in 2016   the  EU   has  not  been  the  same.  Indeed  key  nations like Italy, Hungary, Czech and  Slovak  republics  have refused  immigrant quotas  from the EU  and  have  tightened  their  borders . This  is  similar  to the current policy  of the Trump  Administration  which is  even  trying  to  build a wall  to  keep  out illegal  immigrants  coming into the US through  Mexico.

Unlike  the  US  which is  a nation  and a federation, the EU  is a confederation  of 28  states struggling to  become   a federation. The  tension over  migrants  fleeing  wars and invading  Europe  has raised fears amongst  Nationalists in  Europe  giving rise to Islamophobia  and  xenophobia.  Nigeria  is  having similar  problems  and there  is no running   away   from  that grim  situation.  But  Nigeria  unlike  the  EU which  is  confederation is a federal  nation state  of 36  states  and  fears  similar to  those threatening the unity  of the EU are  manifest on the Nigerian  political scene.  This is what  has led    to  calls  by  leading  Nigerian  leaders  for  restructuring. This,  however,   in my view, is  a veiled  call for  a con – federal  Nigerian  state  which  I do  not see any  sitting  Nigerian  government  acceding to.

In  reaction to  the huge presence of  illegal migrants  and the attendant relation  to massive insecurity in  Nigeria, there  has  been  calls  for government to stop  the tide or invasion. It  is  however  amazing the   Immigration Service  is  compiling  a list  of these  illegal  migrants with  a view of  declaring those after  them  illegal. That  will surely  compound  the security  situation as well as terrorism  and crime  rate  which  the government  has blamed on influx of miscreants  fleeing the war in Libya  through the Sahara  desert.  Government  should sift the list  of illegal  immigrants  and deport those of questionable  disposition  and not grant automatic  citizenship  to  people of dubious character. That  is  the only  way  to  protect  innocent  and bona fide Nigerians in their nation. Once again, long live the Federal Republic of  Nigeria.