Politics Of South And North Dichotomy, An End Or A Means To An End

By

Ayara Dennis Omeiza

Stden2003@yahoo.com

 

“We cannot achieve unity without abandoning our fear of unity”  By Odumegwu Ojukwu.

It is imperative to draw from the above comment by the former war lord. Our leaders cherish the idea of unity but fear its content. Infact, nothing in our country has ever scared our leaders both living and dead like unity, Although, they profess unity in the public but fear a united and a prosperous country, unity to them is a mere word that must be spoken in the public in order to be seen and address as an elder statesman.

 

The word unity or better still, a united Nigeria is magnified for the purpose of self achievement, United Nigeria for me wasn’t the reason why Nigeria went to war but personal fulfillment or sentimental leverage on other section of the country was the main reason in my own reckoning.  How can one explain the emergence of ethnic groupings in the last six (6) years of this present administration?  These different groupings are speaking and the harshness in their tone is getting louder by the day, ironically, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo who received on behalf of Nigeria government the surrendering flag from the then Biafran state is now the president of a “united Nigerian” yet the same administration is fanning the embers of ethnicity and tactfully dividing the country into different unit for personal gains.

 

Lest am misunderstood, unity to me does not mean uniformity of people, culture or ideas but means unity of purpose, National pride and value.  The convocation of different ethnic grouping in this dispensation portends a danger dimensional to the corporate existence of this Nation. And if urgent steps are not taken, the prediction by the Americans might even come before time.

 

The recent statement oozing out from the just concluded southern peoples forum might lead to stalment or make the country adrift, however, it is worthy to note that the idea behind the convocation of that forum is muted for the benefit of one man, while the issues discussed was skewed to portrait a collective idea of all the southern people.  It is instructive to note that this writer is a southerner from the most marginalized and forgotten local government (Akoko-Edo Area of Edo State) in the federation.  Basically, I do not believe in using community negligence, ethnicity or religion as it were for the benefit of an individual as our half baked leaders do but the Nigerian project must be strengthen and be firmly rooted in our mind, ethnicity or politically motivated meeting must not be the crest of moving this nation ahead, undying love and untamed passion for our nation should rule the mind of men, while religion which  is often deployed by men with chicken heart for personal aggrandizement must be made the vehicle of progress.

 

The declaration by Chief Raimi, the scribe of southern peoples forum that south would hold on to power for the next 20 years, has only shown how timorous sectional leaders could be, infact, that clearly shown that Nigerian leaders are politically jobless, as such, they use ethnicity to swell their curriculum vitae for a possible position in government.

Lets pretentiously assumed that a southerner is undemocratically or “democratically” made to stay for additional 20 years as boasted by our Chief, what impact would that make on that woman in Somorika (Edo Stat e) or what benefit will it attract to that man in Ilaje (Ondo State)?  For the benefits of those who may not have traveled to the north, the situation over the there do  not reflect their holding on to power.  Yes, the North may have held on to power for close to 35 years of out nationhood, yet, there is nothing to show for it in places like Sumaila in Kano state, Sala village  in Jigawa state but to mention  a few.  Interestingly, those northern leaders and their southern cohort live in an unspeakable affluence, opulence yet the people they used as ladder for political gain or relevance wallow in abject poverty, ignorance, want and diseases.

 

We expect Nigeria leaders to be above primordial discuss of vengeance, they should be discussing how to harness the vast natural resources that abound in every state of the federation.  Power must be seen as a trust or a call to serve, not a service to particular section of the populace but to every nooks and crannies of the country.

 

Again, amending the constitution is long due in my own opinion but the timing and some articles to be amended must naturally be seen as an avenue of perpetuating this government beyond May 29, 2007. The problem of Nigeria has never being the constitution, although, the documents needs some amendment but the operators are majorly the problem, our attitude is no small measure has made the document very worthless.  Any amendment without a change of heart by those who will sew to uphold it will still make the whole document worthless.

 

Unnecessary division or fragmentalization of the country will only strengthened our parochial leaders and this will weakened our national strength. Every one therefore must drop parochial attitude that has characterized our national life, objectivity must rain o ver subjectivity in the discharge of our official assignment.

 

The president and his foot soldiers must institutionalize his reform programme if that is the only reason why they want tenure extension and endeavor to  put machinery in place that will ensure a smooth transitional programme in 2007.

                                                                                    Ayara Dennis Omeiza

                                   

                                                                                    Stden2003@yahoo.com