Today, Nigeria is in poor health and the severity of its condition is instantly recognisable. Over the last 56 years, Nigeria has repeatedly shown shaky signs of outfitted vulnerability and governance paralysis particularly on the myopic choice of national leadership and the evident lack of strategic thinking in repositioning the country for national prosperity and progress.
The interminable symptoms regrettably have ranged from the failure of successive governments to foresee and respond to the core issues of federalism and its relationship with cooperative and competitive resource endowments and factual autonomy. Nigeria’s episodic democracy has become disorderly and persistently entrenched in existential falsehood and currently at a monumental political and economic crossroads.
But while these symptoms and realities are worrying their consequence is fearful. Are these merely the elite leadership spasms and malignancies that inevitably affect any nation in its uncharted evolution process? Otherwise, could they be evidence of a political betrayal with the potential to cripple Nigeria’s long-term search for a true nation and economic prosperity?
Sadly, 56 years after the reverberating ideals of political freedom and the dream for a true nationalism leave most Nigerian sounding sober and sometimes down – right pessimistic about the meaning of self-government. It is leaving behind not only a lack of feeling of national pride but also one of indifference, disappointment and economic recession.
Interestingly, the triumph of independence appear to many at the time a delightful symbol that Nigeria and her people were destined for greatness and self-rule victory fanned nationalist hopes for a great new Nigeria. The nationalists, despite their genuine patriotism, were of necessity self- conscious, and they could never find roots in their new Nigerian sensibilities. Most of the nationalists had grown in maturity as regional political emperors and had cultivated ethnic mode of thought and behaviour. Therefore they could not grow from the soil of shared experience which is a strategic gateway to realistic nation-building.
It should be noted that patriotism in nation – building are expressions of the heart of the people, they grow gradually out of new sensibilities for an emergent nation. But we failed!
Disappointingly, our long journey on the way to nationhood have produced fractured and a bitter and expensive democracy. It often happened, unfortunately, that leaders who had been comrades in the liberation struggles became competitors in new power struggles. Further, it also happened that the regained freedom and democracy were jeopardised by fraudulent one-party military enterprises from the unfortunate coup of 1966. The inevitable result was that conflict was indeed provoked and we lost the second liberation of authentic nationalism as a result of internal autocratic tendencies of the military, their opaque collaborators, unending transition and unconstitutional arrangements.
Painfully and worse, is the negative strategy of colonial administration which was the politics of divide and rule also took firm roots in the up-and-coming nation. The British colonial doctrine of over – lordship land tenure system and the 1978 Land Use Act continues to haunt our quest for a genuine nation. The administrative structures metamorphosed into states dangerously threatened by any notion of a monolithic national unity and various attempts at independence to forge a national ideology also failed mournfully. What is more, the emerging parochial and mediocre leadership was increasingly characterised by explicit clash between an authoritarian culture of unequal and obscure primitive accumulation of wealth at the detriment of national development. The unfortunate craze for power and quasi-democratic practice till date is centred on parochial and ethnic interest without the love for country.
Crucially, one of the knotty issues of constitutional democracy that need to be resolved quickly and indeed urgently before the political sliding doors descends into chaos is the bloated structure of over 109 and 360 for the senate and the Federal House of Representatives respectively which is a serious burden on the nation. The politics and leadership of the national and state assemblies has become increasingly suspicious particularly with their conduct, remunerations and oversight functions that are laced with corruption and lack of accountability and responsibility. Perhaps at no time in the nation’s political journey that public administrators as well as legislators have failed the country than now.
Tragically, one of the major narratives of the moment and the most vexed questions besieging the Nigerian enterprise is resources nationalism and correcting the lopsidedness that is skewed against the federating units will be a major step forward in genuine reconcilition. Beyond any shadow of doubt, a pervasive regionalist or primordial sensibility has gained strength across the country in the past 17 years and it is increasingly becoming incredulous if indeed we are a nation desirous of change!
These are expressions of the sad reality of the Nigerian condition, a trend most evident is the skewed relationship in favour of the centre without due hold on social diversity, and the intellectual vitality of the present for a genuine nation-building, where equity and fairness is first and second nature. In most respects, Nigeria is a strange, but a unique country. The historiography is often quick-tempered depending on the political lens of the analyst. However, there is a convergence on the vexed questions of resources nationalism and objectionable federalism.
Oddly, we are experiencing economic recession as a country, but we need better governance template to lessen the inequalities in order to improve social comprehensiveness. Our nation- building mindset and competencies should be re- ignited. The ugly past and the present are constantly being questioned and a new paradigm shift is needed to drive our nation thoughts and to embrace a value proposition towards a collective pursuit of common good. Change is all about democratic traditions and the wellspring of ethical principles combined with a poignant and historical sense of truth, justice, compassion and authentic reconciliation.
The focus on corruption in our nation- building efforts appears good, but recognizing the root causes of agitations for secession, resources nationalism, grazing rights and indeed a wide range of calls for restructuring of the Nigeria enterprise are in my view prospects for genuine reconciliation messages for fixing the nation. The new powers shift on the international vista particularly Britain exit from the European Union and the proactive role of using referendum to restore geo – political imbalance in public affairs and policy domains, should be explored to correct the wrong of the past and now. The nation needs healing beyond half truths. It is only when social justice and peace thrive that freedom can be sustained.
Therefore the proposal and the key priorities for the year ahead are the transformative shifts that must underpin the new agenda to foster long- term national aspiration template in the fields of governance, truth and reconciliation, restructuring, and resource nationalism in line with international best practice. Countless people around the country feel that the beacon of genuine nationalism is still quite distant, with a glimmer of light on a dark horizon of deprivation and underdevelopment.
Overall, the most obvious change message be anchored on a new constitution cleansed of ethnic and religious impurities and we should avoid the triumph of leadership self- righteousness that pervades the political landscape. The reality of the moment for our country is that we stand condemned by wasteful episodic legislative and executive consumerism and the present urge for self – destruction and self- deconstruction are worrisome. The 56th independence celebrations should be about closing the sad chapter of Nigeria’s past and about opening new healing pathways of reconciliation that are forged in truth and justice.
The compelling theme for a national rebirth should be authentic truth, reconciliation and restitution. Without truth, justice and healing, there can be no genuine nation. Because a nation that mistreats its own citizens is not truly independent. But we must persevere. Let a new nation dawn!
Orovwuje is Founder, Humanitarian Care for Displaced Persons, Lagos. Orovwuje@yahoo.com, 08034745325.
Comments
Post a Comment