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The Future of Nigeria
By
Anthony Akinola
anthonyakinola@yahoo.co.uk
“Our boys will defeat them” was what one Nigerian said rather dismissively
when told that Ghana was winning one-mil at half-time in the semi-final of
the African Cup of Nations. He seemed to have forgotten that Nigeria
needed to find an equalising goal before the prospect of winning the match
could be realistically assumed. The Nigerian in question had merely
exhibited our typical attitude of under-estimating others – assuming
ourselves to have got to a destination we are not in any way near.
Assuming ourselves to have gone beyond a point we may not have reached
could be dangerous particularly in politics. It could mean we are
unreasonable or unrealistic. For instance, when Barack Obama won the
American presidency in November 2008 there were some calling for the
removal of those “gadgets” that kept our fragile nation together. One
prominent Nigerian was reported as saying that the federal character
principle was no longer relevant because the election of Barack Obama
suggested we could do without it.
The problem with this naivety is the assumption that we are at the same
stage of political development as the United States of America. We may
actually not have been where they were 60 years ago. A more blunt
individual might say we are 100 years behind them. Is it not a fact of
our contemporary history that some Nigerians still do not believe in the
importance of Western education? Is it also not a fact that the nation we
have today is one in which a significant population of our peoples cannot
converse among themselves except through an interpreter?
The truth of the matter is that Nigeria is yet to meet the yardsticks of a
true nation. Nigeria may only marginally have advanced beyond being the
“mere geographical expression” Chief Obafemi Awolowo rightly called it
very many years ago. True acknowledgement of how far we have gone in
history is the way forward to getting to how far we may wish to go.
Religion, for instance, should be a private matter – not the cause of the
deaths of hundreds of our peoples on a periodic basis. The truth of the
matter is that many of us could have been Hindus today if India,
assumingly, were the nation that colonised us! Religion does not call for
the type of madness that has become our lot. Sadly, the nation we have
today is one in which peaceful co-existence cannot be taken for granted.
There are parents warning their loved ones not to seek opportunities in
some areas of a society they call their own.
The advantages of a united Nigerian nation cannot be over-emphasised.
However, the assumption that the future of such an entity is great for all
of us should not be at the expense of innocent lives. Our political and
religious leaders must embark on educating our peoples about the advantage
of a peaceful and orderly Nigerian society. Such an education is
important and urgent, especially in the wild north.
There can be no meaningful development where politics is more important
than governance. There is too much politics and too little governance in
Nigeria and one explanation for this may be the absence of a realistic
Constitution. Debates in the past two months have been about an absentee
president not delegating authority to his deputy. While the ethnic
factor cannot be ignored , it will nevertheless be unfortunate if the
stubbornness or selfishness of President Umaru Yar’Adua is responsible
for this. Until we acknowledge the dangers posed by our cleavages and
work out a political arrangement that accommodates the sentiments of our
peoples, the omen would always remain ominous for our society.
There may be occasions when one admires the naivety of others, especially
when such a naivety is in itself an expression of hope and patriotism.
One with limited knowledge of Nigerian history could be pardoned for
concluding that Nigerians have never cared about where their political
leader comes from. Of course one should not care about such a thing if
one Mr Goodluck Jonathan from a minority ethnic group is afforded the same
opportunity, respect and legitimacy as one Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua from a
majority ethnic group. The series of crises we have experienced in our
history might not have occurred if such a desirable thing as this had
always been taken for granted.
The leadership question is a psychological one, which makes it all the
more difficult. However, the totality of society is responsible for its
development or lack of it. A political leader with the best of intentions
can be frustrated by an irresponsible legislature or judiciary. Similarly
a responsible legislature or judiciary can bring out the best of an
otherwise mediocre leadership. Who, for instance, is responsible for the
failure to amend the Constitution or introduce reforms that have been
suggested a couple of years ago? How many Nigerians can boast of having
confronted their elected men and women about their individual and
collective expectations since 1999? It is because we are all involved
that one is posing these questions.
We must learn to respect each other. The small ethnic group deserves as
much respect as the majority one, the latter not being dismissive of the
former as we did of Ghana in that crucial semi-final football match. The
small ethnic group or nation has its own strength and determination which
the so-called majority group underestimate at its own peril. Respect for
one another ensures there are no unwanted surprises – surprises whose
consequences may be difficult to reverse. The future of Nigeria can be
great if we work honestly towards it.
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