Nigerian-British actress Laura Adebisi sparked debate on social media after she said in a widely shared video that Nigeria “should never have been a country.”
According to Adebisi, the country’s extreme ideological divide between its north and south is the reason it doesn’t exist.
The actress charged in her film that the British government was largely responsible for keeping Biafra, an Eastern part of Nigeria, from seceding from Nigeria during the late 1960s Nigerian Civil War.
Adebisi claimed that in order to keep access to the nation’s resources, Britain gave the Nigerian government the authority to put an end to Biafra’s desire for independence.
“The footprints of colonialism are over Nigeria. Nigeria should have never been a country! The difference in ideology from the northern side to the southern side is insane,” she said.
“When the Eastern side tried to secede and form Biafra, the ex-colonialists [Britain] were like, no, we don’t want that. So they instead empower Nigeria to crush that country,” Adebisi added, alluding to Britain’s alleged vested interests.
She further noted the enduring impact of colonialism on Nigeria, stating,
“They were like, we want you guys to stay like this so we can continue to pillage and take all of your resources. So the footprints of colonialism are still all over Nigeria. It’s in the shape of the country. It’s on the map.”
