Nigeria at 50: Cheer up; we have something to crow about
And this, I think, is what is happening to us. There are some Nigerians who are terribly unhappy that in fifty years we have not done enough to realise our huge potential and become a developed nation. And out of patriotic anger, such persons paint a very gloomy picture about our country. Because of this […]
And this, I think, is what is happening to us. There are some Nigerians who are terribly unhappy that in fifty years we have not done enough to realise our huge potential and become a developed nation. And out of patriotic anger, such persons paint a very gloomy picture about our country. Because of this genuine feeling of frustration or pain of disappointment, they tend to create the erroneous impression that Nigeria is one long story of gloom, pain and sorrow. I beg to disagree with such an unkind assessment. We, certainly, have made some progress.
There is no doubt about it that we are unfortunately not where we ought to be but I do not think it is correct to say, as some pessimists tend to do, that Nigeria is one long tale of unmitigated disaster. The task of nation-building and growth to full nationhood and the attainment of happiness may look like a 100-metres dash for some, but for others, it may be a marathon race, a long and energy-sapping race that demands patience, perseverance and a large amount of faith for those who undertake it.
My message today to Nigerians is that we should cheer up. We have so many things to crow about and in this piece I want to point out only one of those many things: by the grace of God and a unique political formula or policy formulated by our leaders that goes by the various names of Zoning, Federal Character Principle or Quota System, we have managed to forge a nation out of the over 400 different ethnic groups who inhabit the geographical space called Nigeria and have been able to live together for these fifty odd years. My friend, this is some achievement because if a particular people cannot live together in peace and unity and finding the space or opportunity to advance their individual or collective interests, there will be no nation to talk about in the first place!
Pessimists will say living together for 50 years is in no way any real achievement because Nigeria is not the only heterogeneous nation on earth and that others with even greater diversity than us have managed to survive for many more years than us and what is more, have become true giants of nations. Yes, this is true but the story also is that there are some nations that could not manage their heterogeneity well and have disintegrated and collapsed as a result. The best example of such nations is the former Soviet Union which has now fragmented into 15 different countries! Is it not therefore some achievement that disintegration and fall is not the story of our dear country Nigeria ? It is comforting to some of us that in spite of the many predictions of many doomsday prophets that we will not survive, we are still standing tall to celebrate our fifty years of existence.
Less than seven years after independence, our quest for nationhood was severely tested by the 1967-1970 Civil War but we overcame it. Once the war was over, we quickly forgave ourselves and moved on with our lives by embarking upon the famous 3Rs-reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation and in no time the losers were fully integrated with the rest of the nation. The way and manner reconciliation was effected led to the famous saying that we Nigerians taught the world about how to forgive and effect genuine reconciliation. Today, our Ibo brothers do not walk about with bowed heads and spirit like a defeated people. They are everywhere in the country making giant strides in business, politics and social life, giving out their daughters in marriage to other ethnic groups and marrying for their sons other people’s daughters.
Some of us appear not to see how much we have integrated because of the deliberate policy of giving everybody a fair chance to realise his potential and to give everybody a sense of belonging in the polity represented by the policy of zoning, quota and federal character principle. As a patriot who wishes a most rapid development for my nation I tend to be antagonistic to the principle of zoning or quota in any form because I believe it compromises excellence but because of what those principles have done to help integrate Nigerians, I have now seen the need for a little compromises here and there for the sake of the political stability of our country.
Let no one make any mistake about it the deafening noises from politicians among us who are contending for power and who while doing so swear and threaten that Nigeria will collapse if their own part of the country is not allowed a chance to get certain positions or things is not any indication that they do not believe in one Nigeria. The truth of the matter is that an overwhelming number of Nigerians do not want a breakup of the country. What they want is simply what they consider a better deal. And that is legitimate.
When the Libyan strongman Colonel Muammar Ghadaffi made that ill—advised suggestion that the solution to the crises of identity bedeviling us lies in dividing the country into two along the lines of Muslim north and Christian south, he was roundly condemned by both Muslims and Christians.
That reaction to Ghaddafi was very reassuring to most of us who believe that Nigeria will remain together and in a matter of years become a great nation. It must have on the other hand astonished those evil prophets who take delight in prophesying doom for Nigeria.
The often fierce competition for political power and the resources of the country that goes with it, is one of the main causes of political instability in many parts of Africa. We have genuine cause to crow that because of the zoning formula, every part of the country is given the assurance that one day their own part will have a chance to be somewhere deciding the fate of the polity. This is largely responsible for why we have remained one nation in spite of the stress and strain of building a nation which we have been experiencing in the past fifty years.
It is not by chance that in spite of our much advertised woes, Nigeria is among the few African nations that are not threatened by disintegration because of deadly political competitions. Nigeria’s future is certainly bright. We have a unique insurance policy against disintegration and it is in the fact that each group has hope that one day, it will also have a chance to be in power. It is this unique arrangement that has ensured that the current president who is from the minority of the minorities is today president of our country. Some naïve outsiders keep wondering what has bound us together. Marriage, economic ties and our inclusive political arrangement are the most important arrangements that have glued us together.