Could it be that all we need to make Nigeria Great Again is good leaders ? Could it really be that simply.
Too often, the simplistic approach of blaming all the issues we face as a nation solely on "bad leadership" is touted with little discussion or regard for the challenges our leaders face. Furthermore, the roles and duties of us the citizens are never mentioned as though we are all helpless children in this equation. It could be argued that this along with the religious fervour of our people has led to the messianic belief that one man would swoop in and completely transform Nigeria into heaven on earth. With many Nigerians even willing to sacrifice their democratic freedoms in exchange such rapid change. In this blog, I explore what I believe to be the main challenge stifling the ability of our leaders to transform Nigeria. I argue that us the citizens have just as much a role to play in the transformation of this country as do our leaders.
The central challenge faced by our leaders in Nigeria is balancing the often conflicting interests and needs of the various ethnic and religious groups in the Country while trying to establish an overall loyalty to the state. In truth that last part "establish an overall loyalty to the state" has too often been neglected. Most nations are born of shared values, ideals and a shared history but Nigeria on the other hand, was created by the amalgamation of three poignantly distinct nations alongside other smaller nations. Yes i do refer to what we call "tribes" as a nation because if Gabon with less than 3 million people are considered a nation why cant we call the Igbos, Yorubas or Hausas which have significantly more people be given the same honour. The amalgamation was done to aid colonial business interests in the region and thus Nigeria is the product of a business arrangement. Subsequently little efforts were made during this period to form a shared national identity. This has led to the creation of diverse factions competing to capture state power. The over-centralisation of political power at the centre of government only makes things worse by encouraging a "do or die" fight between the various ethno-religious groups to take control of the Presidency.
These challenges have long plagued our nation and played as significant a role in the tumultuous start to the country as it does in the current political climate. Fully aware of this, the drafters of the 1999 constitution sought to mitigate this through the introduction of the Federal Character principle and the Federal Character Commission. However rather than mitigate the conflict it has entrenched the notion of Ethic and religious divides as the primary means of identity in Nigeria. Even more detrimental, it has also helped link identity politics to access to political positions and the vast resources that flow from such appointment. The whole idea of the Federal Character is based on a belief in indigenous citizenry, which is a colonial concept that stifles the creation and maintenance of a shared Nigerian Identity. The large amount of patronage, opportunities and access to finance that are based on indignity, ethnicity and religion has become a key means by which the elites can ascend the auspices of power. This creates a trickle-down effect as our leaders (overtly at least) categorise themselves along such lines, the general public follow suit. Leaders are therefore inclined to appoint not based on merit or capacity as a primary determinant but rather on balancing the sensitive ethnic and religious divides in the country and reward "loyal" tribes..
This is not to argue that the Federal character principles, zoning and power rotation are wholly detrimental, as it does in many ways help prevent the capture and domination of the state by one ethnic or religious group. However, It should seek in the long term to create a sense of shared identity amongst Nigerians. The complex systems of ethnic and religious sentiments remain a constant challenge to the progress of Nigeria. The Nigerian state has through the incorporation of these measures become a political machine for making, accentuating, and entrenching combative ethnic and religious differences. This long-standing issue could be said to be one of the main contributing factors to the other problem too often discussed in reference to Nigeria; Corruption.
Put simply each group looks at the state and its wealth not as a collective good for sharing with its family (all Nigerians), but as a bag of loot to be hijacked by the most cunning. This problem is only worsened by the fact that most of Nigerian politics is devoid of any ideological underpinning it has instead become a game of interests. These interests are not drawn along party lines but are often personal interests masqueraded as public interests with ethnicity and religion being the main tool for mobilising the masses.
We the masses on the other hand have believed and embodied these differences as though there aren’t in fact just superficial. I remember that while growing in the UK whenever you met a Nigerian you were just excited to have met your fellow Nigerian. You didn’t care what part of the country they were from nor did you ever ask their state of origin. But yet back home the first thing people ask whenever they meet a new person is “where are you from?”.
I like many Nigerians find this question problematic, simply because I was born and grew up outside of my state of origin and so don’t know if you are asking me where my immediate family, businesses and home is or where my ancestral home is. Yes, I am proud of my ancestral home and have extended family members there, but I mostly proud to be a Nigerian and see all Nigerians as my brothers and sisters. If we all shared this view then maybe, just maybe this generation can be the one to build a Nation out of the current contraption.
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