Nigeria has not made it good as a nation. It should make better use of its potential

Whatever may be the misgivings of some citizens either over the amalgamation of the country in 1914 or the distortion of our federal system by the military, Nigeria has come a long way as a nation. As we therefore mark the 61st anniversary today, the task before critical stakeholders at all levels is to mobilise and give practical expressions to the forces of integration. Emphasis should be placed on being Nigerian while those who claim to speak for the various religious, ethnic, and regional groups should do so with every sense of responsibility.

With over 250 ethnic groups, two dominant religions that historically view each other with suspicion, social and political classes that engender disaffection and disillusionment, and a political leadership that appears doomed to mediocrity at all levels, we concede that there are serious challenges. But so are opportunities. To start with, our diversity should be a veritable tool for intellectual and cultural strength – two indispensable prerequisites for societal development and growth.

Even the enemies of Nigeria do not deny its social and economic potential, despite the generations of waste and abuse it has so far experienced. Home to about one out of every four black persons on earth, its abundance of human resources has never been in doubt. But there is a structural challenge that holds us back. After surviving a three-year civil war and many other security and political challenges, Nigeria is yet to put its house in order. The glaring failings are embedded in the ever-increasing questions on its nationhood through threats of secession from various groups.

It is unfortunate that after 61 years the country is yet to ‘melt’ the union into one as loyalty to primordial interest, even at the level of national leadership, still wins the day. We can see that in the debate about the 2023 general election on where the president should come from, rather than in what he or she can deliver to the people. To worsen matters, the economy has been in doldrums for decades, occasioned by lamentably slow growth and persistent high unemployment. This has brought hardship on a scale unimaginable. The widespread economic suffering can be measured easily: the once wealthy country has become a basket case, harbouring more than 100 million people living below the poverty line, and unable to provide basic services. The impact of all this on the ordinary Nigerian has been dreadful.

As we have argued on different occasions, the nation should be freed from stifling centralism which has aided conflict-ridden competition for power and resources. The potential for strengthening the structural design for good governance and human development in Nigeria is a sound idea that should be subjected to a national conversation. But for such a conversation to be meaningful, the present fallacies and prejudices must be dealt with. The two largest religions in the country – Christianity and Islam – both originated from the Middle East and were only transmitted here. They should not continue to be used as divisive instruments. As for ethnicity, the nations that are linguistically homogeneous are very few. But those who imagine and propose the dissolution of the nation along ethnic or regional lines as a solution to what ails us are not correct. There is no guarantee that acrimony and differences would disappear in the unlikely event of cultural homogeneity.

Overall, Nigerians must look beyond primordial considerations and artificial differences. There is a lot to gain from harmonious living.

We wish Nigeria Happy 61st Anniversary.

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