The glass that is Nigeria is equally half full

I had started writing my column on a totally different topic when it dawned on me that today is our 60th anniversary. I am not a big fan of anniversaries, especially for a country as bedevilled by problems as ours. 60 questions on Independence Day 60th Independence Anniversary: Queen of England greets Nigeria But there […]

I had started writing my column on a totally different topic when it dawned on me that today is our 60th anniversary.

I am not a big fan of anniversaries, especially for a country as bedevilled by problems as ours.

• 60 questions on Independence Day
• 60th Independence Anniversary: Queen of England greets Nigeria

But there can’t be a better day to challenge a narrative that has bothered me for a long time: that Nigeria is destined to fail.

The run-up to this anniversary has seen a slew of articles built around the idea that Nigeria was a mistake from its very inception; that ours is a mere geographical expression that can never be united as one; an unwanted child that should have been miscarried or aborted in the first place.

You might have read that there is absolutely nothing good in, with or about Nigeria, nor will there ever be.

You might have heard the usual predictions of inevitable disintegration.

The glass that is Nigeria might be half-empty.

But it is also half-full, and it is occasionally good to think about our strengths as a nation.

I am under no illusion that we are faced with a myriad of challenges, but we’ve also made considerable headway that should inspire us for greater things.

We easily lose sight of this because the agents of hate and division in our mist are so vocal and relentless and because the good news is not news at all.

But it is no less real for that.

Nigeria’s biggest achievement in the past six decades is its very existence.

Pessimism about the viability of our nationhood project started well before our independence.

With the breakup around the mid-1960s of other British-created federations – Central African Federation (which broke into Zambia, Malawi and what is now Zimbabwe), the West Indian Federation (which fragmented into nine different sovereign states), and Malaysia, from which Singapore broke away, domestic and foreign observers concluded there was no chance for Nigeria.

When the deadly civil war erupted in 1967, the cynics heaved a sigh of vindication.

But our republic remarkably belied these gloomy predictions and has since resisted several secessionist threats and attempts.

Some might point to Malaysia and Singapore and argue that we are better off apart.

This can only be tenable if we choose to ignore all other factors such as visionary leaders, good planning and implementation, and assume that the duo made it because of, not despite, their divorce.

Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe did not do any better just because they separated.

The six separate British self-governing colonies that became Australia remained united, which didn’t stop the country from developing, just as Canada (a union of three British colonies) flourishes.

If it is not accepted that unity brings advantages, then are we saying that division brings strength?

But in fact, Nigeria not only stayed united but also saw the end of military dictatorship and its characteristic lawlessness, gross incompetence and unbridled mismanagement and privatisation of public office and resources.

In case the prophets of doom have forgotten, the military didn’t give up power out of the goodness of its heart.

It took sustained campaigns of protests, strikes, and other forms of civil disobedience by millions of Nigerians.

Many were intimidated, victimised and harassed; some were detained and persecuted for years; and others died for the cause of democracy.

We have now entered our third decade of uninterrupted democratic rule for the first time in our history, and there are clear signs that the days of rule-by-might are gone forever.

Our democracy may be unhealthy, but its pathologies pale by comparison to military rule.

Don’t take my word for it. Ask the Saro-Wiwas, Giwas, Abiolas, Fawehinmis and Senator Sanis of this world.

In fact, not only have we moved from military rule to democracy, but we ensured our first peaceful transition of power from one democratically elected president to another in 2007; and, eight years later, we made history anew when an incumbent president conceded defeat and peacefully handed over power to his opponent.

If you think this is nothing of note, consider the current climate in the country that prides in itself as the chief promoter of democracy around the world.

Barely a month before its presidential election, incumbent Donald Trump won’t commit to a peaceful transition if he loses.

In 2015, President Jonathan and General Buhari signed an agreement with hugs and smiles to respect the result of the year’s election and they delivered on it.

That’s quite something.

On the international stage, Nigerians are doing us proud every single day.

From sports to music, from great businessmen to ground-breaking scientists, from novelists to investors, Nigerians are creating a niche for themselves and making their impact felt.

Less than a week ago, the Nigerian-born mixed martial artist Israel Adesanya, brutally knocked out his Brazilian challenger in the second of five rounds to notch up his 20th win as the undefeated middleweight champion.

The richest person in African is Nigerian, as is the unified heavyweight champion of boxing.

The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations is a Nigerian, as is the President of the African Development Bank.

The agents of division keep telling us that Nigeria is an artificial creation and must therefore fail, as though other countries were demarcated and named by God, their flags dropped from heaven while their national anthem was sung by angelic choirs.

All countries are artificial, and Nigeria was never intended to be an end in itself.

Its conception was the beginning of an endless journey, whose goal is to successfully navigate the potholes and landslides together.

Making Nigeria work is a collective responsibility, shared by all of us.

We, Nigerian citizens, can be the only obstacle to Nigeria’s greatness, if we do not choose to unite in the common pursuit of peace and prosperity.

The earlier we opt to hold our hands together and lift our country up, the more prosperous we all will be.

The more we continue to listen to prophets of division and point accusing fingers, the longer we will all continue to wallow in our supposedly inevitable decline.