100 years after

Criticisms of the celebrations are justified. Lord Frederick Lugard certainly didn’t amalgamate the protectorates in the interests of Nigerian people or for our well being and welfare. He did it to further the interests of our colonial masters without consideration to the future problems which would arise by destroying nations and cultures. The truth is […]

Criticisms of the celebrations are justified. Lord Frederick Lugard certainly didn’t amalgamate the protectorates in the interests of Nigerian people or for our well being and welfare. He did it to further the interests of our colonial masters without consideration to the future problems which would arise by destroying nations and cultures. The truth is Lugard like all colonialists facilitated the butchering of traditional African nations to create artificial countries of mixed cultures and religions to satisfy the greed of their paymasters. They mistakenly categorized existing African nations as “tribes” who could be joined together for the simple reason that they all had black skins.  Federal Government spokespersons say that centenary celebrations will focus global attention on Nigeria and present us with an opportunity to “count our blessings, celebrate our dexterity and resilience as a people, and resolve to launch unto the next hundred years with renewed determination, hope and expectations”. It was noticeable that nothing was said about celebrating achievements. Recent political developments have revealed that even after 100 years there is a lack of depth underlying the spirit of nationhood among our political leaders.  Those who are supposed to be guardians of an inclusive democratic culture have continued to be driven by parochial interests.
 They have turned democracy on its head and disastrously destroyed all its pillars such as due process, rule of law, transparency, fairness and equality. Although our country is the sixth largest producer of oil in the world we are still counted amongst the world’s poorest and underdeveloped countries. After 100 years of amalgamation there is still a deep rooted culture of tribalism among the political class which has seriously hampered nation building and progress in the war against corruption and nepotism. Nigeria is still a nation where you must have your tribe’s person in position of authority in order to be given an opportunity to prosper. The idea of zoning was agreed to in an attempt to mitigate the effects of tribalism so that no matter a tribe’s numbers or how strong or weak their voting power is, they would have an opportunity to lead and also be obliged to relinquish power to others. It was done in good faith and should have been encouraged until a time when Nigerians felt they didn’t need it anymore. But those who started it and benefitted from it are now the ones undermining it.  In this centenary year we must remind ourselves that we are architects of our own fortunes and politicians must come to terms with the fact that the duty of those obtaining political power is to improve the lives of citizens and the quality of political leadership not to amass wealth. 100 years down the line with all our creativity, large untapped markets and artistic talents the simple wielding of political power continues to be the most lucrative occupation in Nigeria. Our political class has yet to appreciate the difference between “ruling” and “leading”. Nothing positive in terms of improving economic welfare, security of lives or standards of living has come from the current brand of politics.
After 100 years of amalgamation and over fifty years of independence income inequality , poverty, lawlessness, unemployment, collapsed infrastructure, insecurity, and a failed inappropriate educational system, have all combined to increase the level of hardship among citizens. So much has been said and written about the defective insensitive character and leadership qualities of those in power yet paradoxically the average Nigerian is not a selfish or heartless person concerned about themselves alone. A major problem is that Nigerian politicians haven’t taken a moral stance on telling the truth at all times. 100 after amalgamating a predominantly Moslem north with a predominantly Christian south religion has become such an unnecessarily sensitive issue. Religion has a place in the life of every nation and a vital role to play in community building, purposeful leadership, social justice and law and order. The blessings of peacemaking, reconciliation, and forgiveness, are traits inherent in every religion. Chuba Okadigbo once said “Religion being a matter of individual choice and faith must be left where it is such that clerics can take care of our souls and religious persuasion while elected civilians take care of the business of governance”. Our seeming inability to maintain the separation of state from religion has added an unnecessary and tragic dimension to existing social problems. After 100 years our major failure is that government has no real foundation in the lives of citizens other than to extort all sorts of taxes and levies without providing commensurate social services. There is little love for country or respect for government among the population.
Patriotism is limited to supporting national teams during sporting occasions.  The inexplicably daft removal of history and geography as compulsory subjects in secondary schools has had such a damaging effect on our youth. History teaches children about their past, where they come from, and the society they live in, while geography teaches them about the rest of the world and other societies.
It is hardly surprising our youth have lost a sense of identity and direction, and seek only to imitate western style dressing, music and tastes. As we move forward into the next hundred years we all desire a peaceful and stable prosperous democratic nation, so we must stop living in self-denial and self-delusion. In this centenary year rather than celebrate we should take time to reflect so we can learn from the errors and failings which have got us nowhere in the past 100 years. We must learn to eschew bitterness and be considerate towards one another. God does not change the condition of any people until they first change what they have in their minds (HQ 13.11).