Ghaddafi Changes Gear, Wants Nigeria Divided along Ethnic Lines

After being pummelled for suggesting the division of Nigeria into two, Libyan leader Muammer Ghaddafi has made yet another puzzling proposal: that the country be balkanized along ethnic lines to ensure its survival.
His latest suggestion is coming amidst strained relations between the two countries after he publicly declared that the creation of a Muslim North and Christian South would be the best solution to the crises experienced in the country.


His comments were described by many including public officials as incendiary. But revising his statement, he noted that breaking Nigeria into only two nations might not be enough.


“In fact, Nigeria’s problems cannot be resolved by dividing the country into two states, Christian and Muslim,” Ghaddafi was quoted as saying by the official Jana news agency.
“The model that best fits Nigeria, which comprises many ethnic groups, is Yugoslavia, which was divided into six countries, including Kosovo whose independence has not been unanimously recognized,” he stated.
Like the former Yugoslavia, Nigeria comprises “other populations who want independence” without religious considerations, he said.


In what may reveal a lack of depth about the country, he went ahead to describe the Igbos and Yorubas while placing them in the wrong geographical locations.
Ghaddafi cited “the Yoruba people in the East and South who demand independence, the Ibo people in the West and South” as well as the Ijaws.
Angry reactions trailed his earlier call this month for the partition of Nigeria into two. Senate President David Mark referred to him as a “mad man”, while the foreign ministry rushed to recall Nigeria’s ambassador to Libya.
The ministry described his statements as “irresponsible utterances” which had made a mockery of his calls for African integration and unity.


The Libyan leader’s comments had “diminished his status and credibility”, said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ozo Nwobu, who also expressed “very serious concern”. The statement also accused him of “theatrics and grandstanding at every auspicious occasion”.
In his earlier proposal, he said Nigeria should follow the partition model of Pakistan and India – two countries dominated by Muslims and Hindus.


According to him, the partition should comprise a Christian homeland in the South with Lagos as its capital and a Muslim homeland in the North with Abuja as its principal city.
Ghaddafi’s earlier comments came after several hundreds of people were killed early March in sectarian violence in Plateau State.
THISDAYONLINE