He seems to be doing all these casually and without the requisite thought that should be accorded a pronouncement of such a magnitude that has a great bearing in the life of a friendly state; that also happens to be in the throes of ethnic strives and an uncertain leadership transition.
Muammar Gaddafi has always projected the image of an African statesman's stateman. A leading proponent of a United States of Africa, spotting images of African leaders in his garb and traverses Africa consulting African traditional leaders.
His call for the splitting of Nigreia along ethnic lines is a complete antithesis to the quest of a united Africa. It is either Muammar Gaddafi was not serious on this mission or he does not mean well for Nigeria.
For starters, ethnic rivalries in Nigeria are so intense and bloody. The classic example is the Biafra war that claimed a million lives. The recent bloody conflicts in Jos is a potent reminder that rifts remain to be healed. What African leaders should be addressing is how to foster greater unity in African nations and not festering tribal quest for autonomy.
Many of the macabres witnessed in Africa at the moment are a result of ill-informed quest for separation. The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda reminded us of the dangers of such separatist movements when they attacked Togolese football team in the just concluded Cup of Africa Nations tourney. The Casamance separatists of Senegal adds to the list of the many such movements in Africa and beyond.
Chechens rebels of Russia have claimed so many lives by way of suicide bombings and so to ETA separatists in the Basque region of Spain.
The attacks from these separatists cost many lives, containing them cost millions of dollars in military spendings.
Muammar Gaddafi call serves to embolden these groups and lend them credibility amongst their ethnic groupings.
Maybe Muammar Gaddafi should work on the Western Sahara quest for statehood in his neighborhood before he can extend his tentacles to Nigeria.
Muammar Gaddafi should also take note that most African states are economically unviable and therefore he should be calling for greater integration amongst African states rather than disintegration.
It is baffling to imagine how a state like Nigeria that is made up of 250 ethnicities could be split along the same.
Again, ethnicity is not the only rift that exist in a society. Somalia collapsed yet it is a mono-ethnic country. Clan and regional identities as well as economic disparities are a source of friction in a society.
The dividing line between one ethnic group is often blurred. Language is the most commonly used parameter but there are exceptions to this rule too. Genocide happened in Rwanda yet Hutus and Tutsis speak the same language. The Tigania and Tharaka of Kenya slay each other yet they are a single tribe and see themselves as a single tribe: Ameru.
Conflicts are often largely a question of resources rather than mere ethnicity. Muammar Gaddafi should reserve his counsel and divert his energies elsewhere.
His calls are surprising but not totally unexpected, he is notorious for sponsoring rebels and abetting military coups. His calls are therefore suspect if not comical. It is the least desirable and most unworkable of solutions to African woes!
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