Advancing the frontiers of national integration
One of the most debilitating drawbacks in Nigeria’s quest for national integration, as sine quo non requirement for national growth and development has always been our penchant to play the ethnic card. The indigene/settler dichotomy has always been bandied about and flaunted to deny competent people a chance to bring their competence to bear in […]
One of the most debilitating drawbacks in Nigeria’s quest for national integration, as sine quo non requirement for national growth and development has always been our penchant to play the ethnic card. The indigene/settler dichotomy has always been bandied about and flaunted to deny competent people a chance to bring their competence to bear in the nation’s often chequered struggle to evolve as a nation of opportunities and self fulfilment. At all levels of life, the Nigerian will not hesitate to brandish the ethnic, religious or social-class card in order to position himself better to corner opportunities, privileges and patronages. It even looks like majority, if not all Nigerians are guilty or have been guilty, at one particular time, of one form of discrimination or the other against a perceived opponent in our personal and collective struggle to corner one form of benefaction or the other. At local and state government levels, lives have been lost and limbs have been chopped off on matters of appropriating economic, social and class prospects especially employment and political opportunities. Nigeria is still mired in the quagmire of how to negotiate a way out of the morass of high level discrimination of Nigerians against other Nigerians who are perceived, rightly or wrongly, as unworthy of certain privileges and rights on the basis of where they come from, even when such people have, through other windows, met constitutional requirements.
While all areas of human endeavors have witnessed such discrimination, the most divisive is in politics where all political offices are, more often than not, preserved for favored indigenes. Situations have arisen where qualified people, whose parents were born, brought up and paid taxes in a particular place, were denied opportunities to aspire for political offices on reasons of some caricature infraction of their latent origin. Such subterfuges have, without doubt done incalculable damage to Nigeria’s effort to move faster on the trajectory of sustainable development because mediocrity, has, more often than not, been elevated far above capability and proficiency. One example of what made this stratagem more retrogressive and harmful to Nigeria, is the undeniable fact of the important role which a more open and liberal mindset has played in the success stories of the advanced societies of today. When a society is noninterventionist or is more broadminded in the way it moderates itself, its climb up the ladder of development is naturally fast tracked.
The openness and broadmindedness that is on display in Borno state under the leadership of Governor Kashim Shettima should, on its merit, be a classical example of how to pedal a society into the realm of socio-economic transformation and integration. This is more apt for a state like Borno that is rising from the ashes of a deadly, mindless and decapitating insurgency. Since his assumption of office seven years ago, Kashim Shettima has demonstrated a surprising and an unusual large-heartedness in his relationship with all manners of people and of all faiths, either of Borno state origin or of other places around the country. He has proved, in his actions and body language, that he is a pan-Nigerian with an undying laissez-faire, to headhunt, for the eggheads buttered in the state or even elsewhere, in his one-man to catapult Borno state out of, not just its own internal contradictions, but out of the quandary of faith-based implosion that was intent on erasing the state out of the map of the world if not well managed through eagle-eyed vision and leadership. Borno, as at today has shown that it possesses, much more than any other state the temperament to accommodate people, who would have otherwise, been told in very clear terms, to ‘’go back to your state.’’
By the last count, Governor Kashim Shettima has appointed close to ten ‘’non-indigenes’’ into top class political offices which in almost all the states in Nigeria, are preserved for very close and highly revered political stalwarts. What made the Borno example more legendry and unique is the fact that none of these appointees was born in Borno. All of them settled in Borno either after their national youth service or were transferred to Borno state by their employers or were attracted to the state by its cosmopolitan mien.
Who are these people, what responsibilities were they given and to what extent has this magnanimity by Governor Kashim Shettima shaped the turn of events as the Governor walked into the Boko Haram battery right from day one of his administration?
On top of the list is Malam Isa Gusau from Zamfara State. He is the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communications and Strategy. We also have Kester Ogualili from Anambra state as Special Adviser on Inter Community Relations; Usman Majidadi Kumo from Gombe state as Senior Special Assistant on Radio; Christopher Godwin Akaba from Delta state, Special Assistant, Special Duties and Ahmed Ishaq Ningi from Bauchi state as Special Assistant New Media. Lanre Obadia from Kwara state who, not too long ago retired as a Director in the Borno state civil service; Victor Ezeoku, Edo state and Jack Vicent Salihu, Kogi state, among others, are all special Advisers currently on the payroll of the Borno state government.
These are aside quite a number of many others who, at various party levels are executive members across the state, were encouraged and supported by the Governor to aspire, and indeed were elected to advance the cause of national integration and socio-economic transformation critically needed to knit the Nigerian society together and fan the frontiers of one cohesive, indissoluble and workable entity. If you add this unprecedented level of Kashim Shettima’s nobility to his broadminded accommodation of the immigrant Bororo community in Borno state, you have an undisputed bridge builder of our time. More than 1000 Bororo children have been registered in one of Borno’s elite schools and many are on the blocks, all on government expense.
Ahmed-BK wrote from Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state