Federal Character And Quota System in
Nigeria - A Good Public Policy
By
Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
It is quite interesting that time have recruited some Nigerians to become
advocates and supporters of federal character in appointments to federal
appointments. Disparate groups have joined this worthy discourse!
All Nigerians should in good faith advocate
that appointments and how we do business reflect our essential composite
make-up as Nigerians, from local government to state and federal levels.
All hands should be on deck. All engines for Nigeria’s development should
be firing at full-throttle, from our diversities!
I was abused for advocating federal
character and quota system in June 2003 when I wrote: “Quota System
or Federal Character In Nigeria And Affirmative Action Policy In
America Compared” It is was and still is a good policy; good public
policies should be advocated and advanced, even when it does not benefit
us personally, regionally and parochially! Nigerians must practice
intellectual honesty, not selectively and not as fair-weather friends.
There is a need to revisit and reissue, for publication, this opinion on
federal character, quota system, our affirmative action program; this
topic, upon which a substantial portion of this article was first
published in June 2003, it is slightly modified for this republication,
which is as a consequence of the reignited debate about the importance of
true and effective implementation of federal character in public
appointments to reflect the multi-variables of a multi-cultural,
multilingual, multi-religious Nigeria’s national development.
It is important, particularly, in a plural
society such as Nigeria, that all citizens feel a sense of equal voice,
equal representation and equal participation. No citizen or group of
citizens should feel marginalized.
The Constitutions of Nigeria, ( since 1979 to the present 1999 version)
for decades now, have made provisions for a Quota System and the
reflection of a Federal Character in appointments of public office
holders, this, in my view makes perfect sense, in a diverse country and
society as Nigeria. Diversity needs to be actively and purposefully
encouraged and even, legally enforced, this should be provided by our
laws, at local, state and federal levels and as well made justifiable by
Nigeria's Supreme law, the Constitution of Nigeria.
All states, but especially the educationally disadvantaged states, need
special provisions and protections in the admission process in Nigeria's
educational system, especially in higher education and the professions!
All Nigerians and Nigeria will be the beneficiaries of such good policy,
that encourages the grooming and nurturing of opportunities for every
Nigerian from every communities in Nigeria, and particular effort should
be made, in order that Nigeria does not live anyone behind, economically,
socially, educationally and developmentally, this is in our national
interests, its nothing to jeer or sneer at!
In my view, there is the added urgency in the area of education and
specifically in the professions, the educationally disadvantaged states
received special grants during the President Shagari’s administration in
1981 or 1982? About 50 million Naira was set aside for this purpose. My
rationale is that, producing doctors from every nook and crannies and from
every Nigerian communities make prudent investment in education and social
mobility, even if Nigerians and Nigeria have to collectively pay more or
make some sacrifice, in order to ensure that a doctor is produced from
your hometown and from mine! I am fully aware of the so-called merit
argument, but it is neither here nor there, and it completely ignores the
Big Picture!
“Merit” is not the exclusive preserve or monopoly of any particular region
of Nigeria, culture and environment and available opportunities and
exposures has a great deal to do with what any human being attains,
achieve or accomplish in Nigeria and outside it! It is the superiority of
nurture over nature.
In Northern Nigeria for example, there is clearly high literacy rate, even
noticeably higher than the literacy rate in the Southern parts of Nigeria,
the fact that the North did not embrace Western World education or Western
European definition of education, simply does not change the fact that
most persons in the Northern parts of Nigeria can Read and Write in
Arabic, and being able to Read and Write is sufficiently accepted
definition of being a literate person, unless we are to say the Germans,
the Chinese, the French and the Japanese etc. are all illiterates as they
conduct their lives not in English?
The majority of the Nigerian citizens of the Northern extraction can Read
and Write Arabic, so that, if we were to teach medicine and law in Arabic,
these Nigerian citizens will be quite at home (even at age 100) whereas,
correspondingly, there is no such high literacy level in the Southern part
of Nigeria, and this fact is more pronounced in the older generation
citizens of Nigeria of the Southern extraction.
The later day acceptance of Western World education has severely and
severally hindered the numbers of the “educated” among peoples of Northern
Nigeria, but since we are in the same boat, all Nigerians are in the same
boat! Our destiny is and will forever be intertwined, it is therefore wise
and good investment to actively and purposefully invest in increasing the
numbers of our brothers and sisters the Northern part of Nigeria in higher
education and in the professions, we will be doing ourselves a favor,
favor not to the recipient, but those who are willing to make the
collective investment and sacrifice, to bring about a balanced, equal and
fair society which Nigeria deserves, this is our path to greatness.
Historically, some Southerners have also been huge beneficiaries of
programs and policies similar to what I now advocate, for example, many
years ago, I met Southerners who were students in Maiduguri’s BOCOBS aka
Borno State School of Basic Studies where they prepared for the General
Certificate of Education GCE Ordinary or Advanced Levels and then
proceeded to different Nigerian Universities, particularly the University
of Maiduguri and I can only imagine the short term and the long term
benefits of all these individual Nigerians from the North and the South
who benefited, and the short and long term benefit for our entire country!
There were also, many Students, of Southern Nigeria origins, who benefited
immensely from the Remedial Education Programs at the University of
Maiduguri, even though, the Remedial Programs were specifically targeted
at Students of Northern origins from the immediate areas or neighboring
states (catchments areas) the direct and indirect benefits are clear to
me, or anyone who cares to examine it! The students for whom the programs
were intended benefited, students who were outside the targeted group also
benefited, the entire Nigerian nation benefits! What could possibly be
wrong with that?
Affirmative Action Programs Policies and the Quota System and Federal
Character Policies reflect visionary thinking, a wonderful foresight, that
should have the force of law, that we should all support and encourage and
see that these policies continues to be enforced in Nigeria and America,
the Big Picture is that we will all benefit!
The more equipped Nigerians from every community in the nation are, the
better we all are! When all Nigerians become equipped with skills,
training and professional education in every level or strata, Nigeria will
be on the way to our destined greatness!
It is quite interesting that time have
recruited some Nigerians to become advocates and supporters of federal
character in appointments to federal appointments. I was abused for
advocating federal character and quota system in June 2003 when I wrote: “Quota
System or Federal Character In Nigeria And Affirmative Action
Policy In America Compared” It is was and still is a good policy; good
public policies should be advocated and advanced, even when it does not
benefit us personally, regionally and parochially! Nigerians must practice
intellectual honesty, not selectively and not as fair-weather friends.
Good public policies will lead to progress,
development and advancement of Nigeria, for collective our benefit.
|