Nigeria’s quest to
forge a strong harmonious inter-ethnic and regional bond is still far from been
realizable. Given the plethora of ethnic identities and the multiplication of linguistic
divide, the task of enthroning unity in diversity becomes indeed a daunting
exercise. Perhaps, the frustration of promoting this oneness has painfully
resulted in various contradictions in our national lives. How else can we
explain the intermittent inter-ethno regional rivalries, the resentment and
inhospitality meted out to one ethnic group by another in this complex web of
foisted association known as Nigeria?
Consequently, this
paper argues that the complex nature of our socio-political structure is rather
an anathema to effort at sustaining national integration in Nigeria.
No cliché can be more
amusing than that which ironically exalts the little progress Nigeria has
recorded in her journey to greatness and that is: “Nigeria is the giant of Africa”.
Perhaps, it was the realization of this irony that Prof. Osaghae likened
Nigeria to a crippled giant. This personification of Nigeria as a crippled
giant is premised on the dilemma of translating her enormous potentials into
any tangible human economic benefits.
Rather, what we now find is a situation where the
fruits of our fatherland is controlled by a coterie of self interested regional
marauders with the result that people are placed in completely vast economic circumstances,
leading to widespread poverty, inequality among other indicators of
underdevelopment. This assertion is well collaborated by Dudley Seers is, and I
agree with him.
Unfortunately, the Nigerian
state refused to conform to the British mould and in the fashion it was created
resulting in the kind of contradictions that we now find.
History is replete
with sticking instances of how the Nigerian state was forged. Recall that prior
to the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates, the different
peoples of what is now known as Nigerian lived differently.
However, sequel to
the amalgamation of 1914, a well calculated effort by the British colonialists
for reasons of administrative expediency and economic gains, resulted in the
lumping together of people with hitherto completely varying cultures,
identities, values, mores and beliefs. What was thought to be a move for administrative
convenience soon turned out to produce contradictions in our national lives as
evidenced today.
Another reason which
explains this inequality is the nature of the political system. The Nigerian political
system is arranged in such a way that the federal structure, by accident or
design, gives an undue advantage to one region that has continued to run the
state as though it is a family dynasty to be bequeathed from one generation to
another. How could we possibly explain why the north has remained in power for
the most part of post independent Nigeria? Why are there so many furores about the
northern quest to continue as President- the north or nothing mania? There are
more questions than are answers. Thus, the complex nature of our political system
frustrated efforts at forging national integration.
Nigeria is
unarguably, the most populated nation in Africa, endowed with an abundance of
resources and with more than 250 ethnic nationalities cutting across the six
geo-political zones: North Central, North East, North West, South South, South
East and South West.
Among all these, the
North seems to hold sway by all standards of evaluation in terms of population;
they are far more than the southern geo-political zones combined; by land mass
as well as leadership position, they command an alarming number of it. Whereas,
the south only scramble to have a fair share of the crumbles left over by their
northern counterparts. What is more, even within each of the geo-political
regions, there exist great disparities and lopsidedness in the allocation of
resources as well as the determination of who gets what, when and how.
Many reasons will be
given to explain the inequality of the Nigerian state. First, the Nigerian state
was created to serve the colonial interest. To say that the Nigerian state is a
brain child of colonial miscalculation is to reiterate the obvious. This assertion
is rooted in history. Indeed, there has been a copious scholarly research in
this regard revealing the antecedents of our coming together as one
nation-state. Writing in this regard, Chief Obafemi Awolowo averred that “Nigeria
is a product of colonial mistake”. Yet, Billy J. Dudley did not mince words
when he described the relationship between the Nigerian state and the colonial
masters as that of the clay pot and potter who shaped the former to his taste.
To be continued…
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