Nigeria at a Crossroads: Is It Time to Consider Peaceful Regional Separation?

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Every Nigerian no matter where you’re from knows one truth we don’t say out loud often enough:

Nigeria is not working.
It hasn’t been working.
And if we’re being honest… it may never work as one country.

For over 60 years, we’ve tried to force unity among groups that see the world differently, live differently, and want different things from a nation. And with the recent killings, rising insecurity, ethnic suspicion, and deep political imbalance, it’s becoming clearer that:

Nigeria is united on paper but divided in reality.

Let’s stop pretending.

The Marriage Was Forced from the Start

Nigeria didn’t come together naturally.
It wasn’t love.
It wasn’t agreement.
It wasn’t a handshake among the major ethnic groups.

It was a British signature in 1914.

Different cultures Hausa/Fulani in the North, Yoruba in the West, Igbo in the East, and so many minorities were locked into one structure and told to “make it work.”

For decades, we’ve tried.

But when a house is built on a shaky foundation, it will keep cracking even if you repaint the walls every election cycle.

We Are Divided in Everything That Matters

Politically, Nigeria is divided.
Economically, divided.
Culturally, divided.
Religiously, divided.
Even in basic things like security and justice we are not on the same page.

What shocks the world shouldn’t shock us anymore.

Any time there is unrest, it quickly becomes ethnic.
Any time there is election talk, it becomes regional.
Any time a major policy is introduced, one group feels attacked.

We are trying to run a nation with a body that has never agreed with its own spirit.

So… Is It Time to Split?

More Nigerians are beginning to openly discuss this question not out of hatred, but out of exhaustion.

A peaceful breakup is no longer a taboo topic. It’s a logical question:

Would the Igbo do better running their own innovation-driven nation?
Would the Yoruba thrive in a modern, globally connected republic?
Would the Hausa/Fulani prosper in a country that reflects their cultural and religious values?

Every group wants something slightly different from Nigeria.
But the current structure forces everyone into the same lane even when we’re clearly on different journeys.

And with every new wave of insecurity and killing, the argument becomes louder:

Maybe Nigeria needs to let her children go their separate ways peacefully.

Peaceful Separation Isn’t War. And Restructuring Isn’t Weakness.

Let’s be clear:
No sensible Nigerian wants violence.
We’ve seen enough. We are tired.

What people want is safety, fairness, progress, and dignity whether as one country or several.

If staying together will only bring more suffering, why not consider other options?

If separating brings stability, why not talk about it?

If restructuring is possible, why not pursue it?

Other countries have done it:

  • Czechoslovakia split peacefully

  • The USSR dissolved into multiple countries

  • Sudan split into two nations

It can be done without bloodshed if leaders choose dialogue over ego.

Nigeria Needs an Honest Conversation

We can’t keep ignoring the signs:

  • Insecurity everywhere

  • Ethnic tension rising

  • Economic struggles deepening

  • Lack of trust in government

  • Regions blaming one another

  • Youth losing hope

  • People migrating in thousands

This is not how a functional nation behaves.
This is how a nation signals that something fundamental is broken.

Whether the answer is true federalism or peaceful separation, we must be brave enough to talk about it.

Pretending will not save Nigeria.
Honesty might.

Nigeria has two realistic choices:

Option 1: Restructure the country completely

Let every region control its resources, security, laws, and development.
A real federal system not the half-baked one we have now.

Option 2: Discuss peaceful separation

Allow the major groups to govern themselves independently, without hatred or violence, but with mutual respect and cooperation.

Whichever path we choose, one truth remains:

The current Nigeria is not working.
And Nigerians deserve better whether together or apart.

Nigeria does not have to fall apart violently.
It does not have to become a battlefield.
It does not have to drown in chaos.

But what it cannot do is continue as it is.

We owe ourselves the honesty to say:

If this marriage cannot work, let’s stop forcing it.
Let’s sit down, talk like adults, and choose the path that gives every group peace, dignity, and a chance to grow.

Nigeria has reached its turning point.
And the conversation can no longer wait.

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