ABURI ACCORD vs LYTTELTON CONSTITUTION: WHY YOU CANNOT COMPARE THEM, IT'S LIGHT AND DARKNESS CONTRAST
To my Igbo friends who keep saying "Aburi Accord would have saved Nigeria" - you are comparing light and darkness. You cannot compare them. Stop.
Let me show you.
It started with blood in Kano.
Consequent to the bloody Kano Riots of 1953, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Oliver Lyttelton, stood in the House of Commons on 21st May 1953 and announced:
"The Nigerian Constitution would have to be redrawn so as to provide GREATER REGIONAL AUTONOMY and for the removal of powers of intervention by the centre in matters which could, without detriment to other regions, be placed entirely within regional competence."
That sentence is the entire framework of true FEDERALISM on which Nigeria was built. Weak centre, stronger units. It does not matter what you call the units - Regions, States, or Zones.
The principle is the same: give stronger power to the units, leave only currency, military, and foreign affairs to the centre. It is political social distancing - to allow freedom of existence and prevent suffocation.
That is Light. That is Lyttelton.
Because of Kano blood, London called a Constitutional Conference.
LYTTELTON - THE LIGHT:
Opened Thursday 30th July 1953, closed Friday 21st August 1953. 22 days. 3 weeks and 1 day of serious intellectual work.
Representation:
18 Nigerian delegates - six from each region - Northern, Western, Eastern.
1 delegate from Southern Cameroons - Dr. E.M.L. Endeley.
4 British delegates.
Total 23 plus Parliament and Secretariat = 25 persons.
And it did NOT end there. It continued in Lagos in January and February 1954 to resolve all outstanding issues. The whole process took 14 months - about 430 days - before it was implemented on 1st October 1954.
Most important: NOT A SINGLE MILITARY MAN was there. Not as observer, not as negotiator. All were experienced colonial administrators and seasoned political leaders who understood governance.
That is how you bake a constitution.
ABURI - THE DARKNESS:
Held at Peduase Lodge, Aburi, Ghana, from 5th to 7th January 1967. Hurried. Panicky. 3 days.
Official attendance: 15 participants only.
9 military/security men: Lt-Col. Yakubu Gowon, Col. Robert Adebayo, Lt-Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu, Lt-Col. David Ejoor, Lt-Col. Hassan Katsina, Commodore J.E.A. Wey, Major Mobolaji Johnson, Alhaji Kam Salem, Mr. T. Omo-Bare.
5 administrative officers: S.I.A. Akenzua, P.T. Odumosu, N.U. Akpan, D.P. Lawani, Alhaji Ali Akilu.
1 Ghanaian Chairman: Lt-General J.A. Ankrah.
14 Nigerians + 1 Ghanaian = 15 men with guns trying to write a constitution in 2 days.
Politicians were left out. Awolowo only went to Aburi as a mere observer - he was not officially invited and made no contribution. No Zik, no Ahmadu Bello's men, no real politicians.
So what did you get? Crash-fire-brigade approach. Ambiguous provisions. No implementation mechanism. Disagreement on who has federal authority. It was dead on arrival.
Now tell me - how can you compare a 430-day civilian constitutional conference with a 2-day military crash meeting inside a guest house in Ghana?
It is like comparing a University degree with a 2-day crash course. It is light and darkness.
Worse: Before Aburi, Aguiyi-Ironsi had already wiped off regional autonomy with his Unification Decree. He imposed unitary rule - which is military command structure. Gowon and Ojukwu, both central commanders, could not operate Aburi because Aburi was preaching confederation while their guns were preaching centralization. A soldier cannot run true federalism.
So why did Lyttelton fail too?
My friends, Lyttelton did NOT fail. Balewa violated it.
On 22nd May 1962, Balewa used Police - IGP Sir John Ernest Hodge - to overrule Commissioner Olufemi Olufunwa and create TWO PREMIERS in Western Region. That violation of GREATER REGIONAL AUTONOMY is what destroyed First Republic. That violation led to treason trial, jailing of Awolowo, Operation Wetie, coup, counter-coup, and war.
And up till today, no Nigerian government has operated Lyttelton Constitution again. What we have is Military Mock Constitution of 1999 - a unitary document in federal clothing.
CONCLUSION:
Aburi was a hurried military peace deal to stop war. Lyttelton was a well-baked federal constitution to build a nation.
One is darkness, one is light. You cannot compare them.
The salvation of Nigeria is not in Aburi. The salvation is in returning to Lyttelton - GREATER REGIONAL AUTONOMY. DEY YOUR DEY, I DEY MY DEY.
Return to Lyttelton and Nigeria will be fixed.
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