Tackling ethno-religious crises through enhanced democracy

Nigeria is a complex society, with people from different cultural, religious, and political backgrounds. Therefore, attempts to install a democratically-elected government have always been thwarted. The result has been gruesome tribal, religious and political disturbances, dangerous intra-party and inter-party scheming. The country had also faced the problem of the inordinate ambition of its national army. […]

Nigeria is a complex society, with people from different cultural, religious, and political backgrounds. Therefore, attempts to install a democratically-elected government have always been thwarted.

The result has been gruesome tribal, religious and political disturbances, dangerous intra-party and inter-party scheming. The country had also faced the problem of the inordinate ambition of its national army. At a point, the army almost lost its sense of mission.

In fact, from independence, Nigeria experienced frequent changes in government. Much of this period was characterized by dictatorship sustained by military rule.

Even though at certain times, their intervention in governance was informed by patriotic zeal – to save the nation from total collapse – many years of military rule have proved that the soldiers were not immune to corruption, greed and selfish ambition.

During the military regimes, we battled with gross neglect of social justice, hunger, deteriorating learning conditions, deplorable health facilities and poor roads. Nigerians are still battling with social injustice that sprung up during the military era.

But the events of that time really sensitized Nigerians to see the need to work hard and return the country to democracy. That democracy was won in 1999. Yet, it has never been a smooth ride for the country. Challenges have been numerous.   

The current democratic dispensation has since inception been beleaguered by unprecedented civil disturbances and social insecurity resulting in massive destruction of lives and property. The religious and ethnic dimensions to these upheavals make them a serious threat to national security. The tension and uncertainties in the country are hardly conducive for democratisation process and sustained economic development. The wanton display of ill-gotten wealth and misappropriated pubic funds through corruption and bribery by politicians coupled with their non-performance have endangered disillusionment among the electorate.

The evil effects of all the aforementioned problems to a nascent democratic government in Nigeria are quite obvious. These effects, according to Aminu (2004), include: erosion of respect to constituted authorities, weakened people trust in government and diversion of public resources to private pockets. These and other related problems associated with the Nigeria’s new dispensation further compound the problems.

My position is that science education has a great role to play in our search for stable polity. The National Policy on Education (NPE, 2004) described education as an instrument per excellence in effecting national development. It recognizes education as a powerful instrument to achieve the national objectives. One of which is to make Nigeria a “free and democratic society” (NPE, 2004).

To this end, education in Nigeria must serve the following distinct objectives in promoting democratic governance in Nigeria. Firstly, the government is to be based upon the will of the people through their freely chosen representatives. It is essential that the masses be educated to a degree that enables them to make responsible decisions based on their analyses of issues at hand.

Secondly, education must be used as a means of welding together into one nation, people of different origins and cultures. Consolidating public opinions in favour of the state and inculcating its populace with a spirit of national pride should form an important aspect of our educational policies.

Thirdly, education in Nigeria should make each citizen self-reliant and well equipped with skills to be able to promote their, and national, economic statuses.

Such education, therefore, must be more than a formalistic, theoretical and academically-oriented exercise that produces the purely erudite scholars. It must be functional in that it helps the recipient to become more effective in the development of his/her own country.

 

Citizens come to know their rights and duties and how to defend such rights whenever unjustly threatened. When the masses are educated, they would be free from ignorance and superstition and would be in a better position to judge issues of national importance more objectively. It will be more difficult to manipulate them on ethnic and religious lines for selfish ends.

Vocational and technical education is of particular importance in this direction. This type of education leads to impartation of practical skills to the learners. The characteristics include: creativity, persistence/perseverance, knowledge, honesty, objectivity, curiosity, rationality. A person who has developed and/or acquired these vocational and technical skills is never superstitious.

Vocational and technical education promotes national democracy. It promotes the development and practice of vocational and technical skills which provide the individual with democratic values and norms leading to useful behavioural patterns in life.

Vocational and practical skills make individuals ready to accept the opinion of others if they are convincing; not to compromise and shun the truth. When the masses are educated in the knowledge of science education, they would be free from all forms of ignorance and superstitions, thus providing them with a better position to judge national issues with objectivity.

In science, there is the scientific method or procedure for carrying out activities. The ideas of a scientific method or procedure acquired through science education could be applied in the promotion of democracy in this nation, where due procedures are expected to be strictly followed in the act of governance.

For this reason, vocational and technical education at all levels of education should be strengthened through the provision of adequate facilities, supply of well-trained science teachers and making the curriculum relevant to the needs and aspirations of the learners.

Vocational and technical education knowledge is capable of making Nigerians to become politically enlightened citizens and can further promote the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.

Sani is a postgraduate student, Vocational and Technical Education Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.