Today
makes it 52 years since Nigeria got her flag independence from Britain.
Even though nations do not exactly grow, mature and wither away within
the time frame of a human life a period of 52 years is a good time frame
to review the progress made, challenges on the road and the projections
for growth in the years ahead. As always, today’s Independence
celebration offers us another opportunity for a sober reflection to
identify what we have done right for the purpose of replication; what we
have done wrong so that we can avoid repeating such wrongs and our
unique opportunities which can be harnessed to fast-track the
development and growth of the nation in the years to come.
Instructively, it will amount to denying
the obvious if we are to insist that no progress has been recorded over
the past 52 years. While complaining about Nigeria’s underachievement, a
senior colleague once pointed out that in the 1950’s and 60’s, there
were very few schools, hospitals, airports, highways, cars and that most
of the buildings in the countryside were made of mud and thatch. For
him, a lot of progress has been made and all these things have changed
for the better. Indeed, things have got better and are heading for more
drastic improvement. The white man had left and in his place, we have
our brothers and sisters in charge of our governance and we have hoisted
our flag in the comity of nations as a people exercising their right to
self determination.
Are the foregoing really the indicators
of the progress of nations? It will amount to celebrating
underachievement if we are to roll out the drums, as we are wont to do,
in the excitement of counting the number of years we have existed as a
nation. A number of issues come to the fore. Are we developing at the
pace of our peers – Singapore, Brazil, South Korea? The answer is
obvious. No. Are there concrete plans by the elite and leadership to
lift Nigeria out of the pit? Apparently, there is none. We are a people
content with offering apologies for things that do not require apology
but developmental actions based on strategic thinking.
As a young man, I grew up to hear
apologies that our underdevelopment could be traced to slave trade and
colonialism. Admittedly, these historical facts left indelible marks on
our developmental strides. But, we were not the only ones who were
enslaved or colonised. The military were in power then and as such, they
were not officially added to the list of the apologies. Military rule
was later added to the list after the soldiers had left. Thirteen years
of civil rule have changed nothing. What is the apology this time? Yes, I
know that a culture that was institutionalised in about 28 years of
military rule cannot be changed overnight. But 13 years is enough time
to begin the steps to correct the anomalies of military rule. Is it
about those who have led us since 1999 – Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa
Yar’Adua or Goodluck Jonathan?
It is the position of this discourse
that a review of the challenges facing our nation will reveal that the
fundamental challenge of development and nationhood is that the country
is in denial of its basic nature and challenges. 42 years after
fighting a bitter civil war that led to the loss of over a million
lives, the fundamental questions of who we are and how we need to govern
ourselves are still unresolved. The questions that arose from the
contradictions of elite contestation for power before independence and
continuing up to the civil war are still unanswered. The leadership has
not come up with a concept of development that is sold to the populace
as a national vision for resolving our myriad of problems. We are still
faced with the challenge of integration and defining the identity and
benefits of citizenship. Our leadership question is not about how to
bring out the best to lead or a contest of ideas, it is about the ethnic
and religious origin of a proposed leader. Is he from the North, East,
West or any of the new six geopolitical zones? This is not the path to
nationhood, neither is it the path to development.
The other day, the Petroleum Industry
Bill was presented to the National Assembly. The next thing in the media
was that the Northern Governors’ Forum had set up a committee to review
how it will affect the North. May be, there are other groups who have
not come out publicly to state their own views. The International Oil
Companies have a common position on the bill based on the profit
motive. Present beneficiaries of the decadent system in the oil
industry will be taking steps to frustrate the reforms proposed in the
bill. But who is speaking or who is researching on behalf of Nigeria? Is
there really a Nigeria where a majority of its citizens devoid of where
they come from are committed to the vision of its progress, honour and
glory? That vision of Nigeria does not currently exist in the minds of
the leadership and indeed in the minds of majority of Nigerians. The
voting pattern at major federal elections bears this out.
Sadly, we are in denial of our
differences in religion, ethnicity, culture, and history. We believe we
can suppress these differences and move on with our lives without having
thorough discussions on how to manage them. Continuing this denial
accounts for national policies that are not in the overall interest of
the nation but skewed to favour one group or the other, poor quality
leadership at the federal level, the indigene/settler dichotomy and the
attendant loss of lives and properties it engenders, religious extremism
of all forms, among others. It may be fashionable to paper over these
cracks and pretend they do not exist. But that is the tradition of the
ostrich. Even the young who may have no cause for hard-core ethnic
attachments, having been brought up in cosmopolitan environments, are
confronted with the reality of the danger of being killed by religious
fanatics based on their religious or ethnic identity as well as having
to fill their state of origin on every form while applying for
employment, among others. These young men and women are being
indoctrinated with perverse values on a daily basis by the existential
realities of living in Nigeria where merit is continuously thrown
overboard.
Therefore, a national dialogue has
become overwhelmingly imperative. It should be the dialogue of the
people through their freely chosen representatives, convened
specifically for the purpose of agreeing on a suitable framework of
government that takes cognisance of the diversities, pluralism, rights
and obligations of all. Continuing to pretend that all is well at 52 and
that the National Assembly as presently constituted can give us that
framework will lead us to nowhere. Such a framework will be based on the
need to suppress the mischief in the existing system while advancing
remedies to enhance the creative abilities of all groups to harness
their resources for their development. This is a task that must be done
before we head for the explosive elections of 2015.
•Onyekpere, a lawyer, is
the Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice, Abuja. He wrote in via
censoj@gmail.com; Tel. 08127235995
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