Colonialism: US group tells Britain to apologise to Nigeria

By The Citizen
Click for Full Image Size

A United States-based civil society organisation, Gatestone Institute, New York, has called on Britain to apologise to Nigeria because 'the problems and tensions in northern Nigeria are direct results of left-overs by the British colonial government.'

A representative of GI, Mr. Alan Craig, made the suggestion on Saturday in Abuja, during a workshop for leaders of ethnic minorities in the North. The workshop was jointly organised by Minority Interests Rights Project and Stefanos Foundation (Nigeria).

At the event, the Coordinator of MIRP, Mr. Mark Lipido, raised the alarm that 75 per cent of indigenes of Southern Borno had fled to Cameroon following the recent attack on them by the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

Craig told journalists after the event that Britain had no choice than to apologise to Nigerians following the sad fallouts of colonialism.

He said, 'This type of grassroots work is significant for the people in the villages and we hope to help the local people to have a voice. We want to support ordinary people to have a voice and we are always on the side of the minorities.

'The problems of northern Nigeria are direct results of left-over by the British Government (colonial) and therefore the tension and difficulties in northern Nigeria are direct result of the British Government (colonial). Therefore, my argument now is that the British Government should be rectifying the situation and contributing instead of telling the Nigerian Government about the gay right law, for instance.

'It should be saying that 'we are sorry for the legacy we left and other things we did'; there are other good things the then British colonial government did too. So, don't condemn it all but that particular aspect was wrong and was a mistake; so the British Government should be rectifying it.'