On April 13, 1997, THISDAY’s Sunday edition published a provocative headline: “I Don’t Believe in One Nigeria.” The story featured an interview with Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then a leading pro-democracy activist in exile. At the time, Tinubu was among the most vocal opponents of Nigeria’s military dictatorship and a key figure in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the foremost movement resisting General Sani Abacha’s regime.
Exile and the Pro-Democracy Struggle
The interview came during one of Nigeria’s darkest political periods. After the June 12, 1993 presidential election, widely believed to have been won by Chief M.K.O. Abiola, the military annulled the results, plunging the country into crisis. Under Abacha’s iron-fisted rule, activists, journalists, and politicians demanding the restoration of democracy were arrested or driven underground.
Tinubu, who had served as a senator in the short-lived Third Republic, fled the country after the regime declared him wanted. THISDAY described him as having “treason charges still hanging on his neck,” a reflection of the very real danger that pro-democracy voices faced at the time.
The London Interview
Speaking from his London home to journalist Ayo Arowalo, Tinubu voiced his deep frustration with Nigeria’s political structure under military rule. He argued that years of authoritarianism had so undermined governance and federalism that the notion of one Nigeria had become meaningless.
Tinubu also outlined the activities of NADECO in exile, describing how members coordinated international pressure on Abacha’s regime. He detailed the risks exiled activists faced while mobilizing foreign governments, human rights groups, and media outlets to back Nigeria’s pro-democracy cause.
Historical Significance
This 1997 interview captures a critical moment in Tinubu’s political life—long before he rose to become a major political force in democratic Nigeria and eventually President of Nigeria in 2023. His stark statement, “I don’t believe in one Nigeria,” was not a call for secession; it was a forceful critique of military misrule and the absence of a truly federal, democratic order.
For historians of Nigeria’s democratic transition, the interview is a revealing primary source. It illustrates the radical rhetoric and unwavering commitment of 1990s pro-democracy activists—many of whom risked imprisonment or worse to challenge dictatorship.
Legacy
Two years after the interview, Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999. Tinubu emerged as a key political figure in the Fourth Republic and later as president, making his 1997 remarks an important record of the evolution of his political thought.
The THISDAY clipping remains a valuable historical document, offering insight into the mindset of those who fought for democracy and the sacrifices they endured.
Sources
Ayo Arowalo, “I Don’t Believe in One Nigeria”, THISDAY (Sunday Edition), April 13, 1997.
NADECO historical records and background on Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement (1993–1999).
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