Like the approach of eventide, gradually intensifying with time,
a country so dear to us is sinking gradually into a sea of trepidation, and we
are quite unsure about our future. We have heard statements from very highly
placed Nigerians stating very firmly that Nigeria must remain one and that the
unity of Nigeria is not up for discussion. I like hearing these statements a
lot because quite frankly, they are the only source of belief for me now. The
Nigerian state today reminds me of an earth tremor on the verge of eruption.
Whether we like it or not, our country is unstable and like every chaotic
situation, opportunists prowl cunningly, seeking to take advantage where they
can. At this time in our history, we must ask ourselves if
we want to continue to be Nigerians.
If your answer is yes, then we can move on
to the next melody of this piece. If your answer is no, then we may have lost you
a long time ago and I hope you change your mind at the end of this article.
I
may not know everything about our history, but at least I know how the nation
Nigeria came to be through the events of the famous amalgamation of northern
and southern areas in 1914. I also know a bit about our struggle with
governance and the interplay between military rule and democratic rule. I still
see and hear from some people who have been in government and have remained politically
prominent for more than 40 years. This is strange to me because I know
prominent personalities from other countries who have become internationally
renowned figures through great humanitarian contributions. It would seem to me
though that in Nigeria, these group of persons I speak about continuously draw
relevance from our seemingly unhealthy nationhood. I am afraid to think about
how deep the rabbit hole goes. Nigeria’s existence may be currently premised on
all kinds of unholy internal and external alliances. We keep attributing the
grand scale sophisticated acts of sabotage against our nationhood to cabals.
Who are these cabals, and how have they continued to sustain their selfish interests
in Nigeria? The truth is we know them, and we are witnesses to their ongoing fraternisations
and the outcomes of their desires. What we don’t know however are the number of
tentacles these groups of persons have developed with foreign interests and
what goals they have set for themselves.
It
is a fact that a house without a solid foundation cannot withstand the test of
time. We have witnessed several buildings collapse in Nigeria so we all know
what that means. We have had governments
run by Nigerians since 1960. We have evolved our structure of governance
through the guidance of necessity over the years. History constantly reminds us
of the sacrifices we have made as a nation. Even though significant conflicts
in our past along political, ethnic, and religious lines are still rife in our
memories, there seem to be some kind of dark matter continuously injecting the recipe
for conflicts into our society. As long as we remain unstable, the leaking
sources will continue to service the wants of cabal fraternities. Have you ever
wondered why our constitution does not provide all the answers we want? The
people who drafted and shoved it on us had a long serious thought about what it
presaged for them. A constitution drafted with the inclusive will of an
entirely sovereign people should be the first step in nation building. Upon
such a constitution should relevant institutions be established, and systems and
processes set up. We don’t have any of these. Nigeria is a nation that is
coping with inadequacies in every sector.
We will continue to cope and give room to government after government to
embark on trial and error roadmaps. We seem to be more concerned about the
players in government than the substance of our dear nation. Through my
extensive knowledge of project management, I know the significance of
identifying root causes and the importance of quality assured processes.
Nigeria is country blessed with great minds and very intelligent people. We
have known what to do for a long time. Nothing is entirely new these days.
There are documents in our archives with some of the most effective strategies
to get us from where we are to a nation to be reckoned with in 10 years of
committed leadership and followership.
Thank
God we have democracy now. A democratically elected government is the best way
to address the root causes of the structural deficiencies we are experiencing
as a nation. But, there is a precondition. We must all collectively resolve to
initiate and ensure the implementation of the process together. Since we all
became converted democrats in 1999, we have seen our democracy become stronger,
or so it seems. This conversion however should have begun with the drafting of
a new constitution and a definition of the kind of democracy that would really
work for Nigeria. This never happened or was not allowed to happen. Notwithstanding,
it is never too late to do the right thing. Whatever kind of government we
desire, it must be one that intends to thread through the arduous road which is
obvious to us all. A road which has a new and acceptable constitution as an
early milestone. A road which will be filled with confrontations with the gods
that have emanated from the faulty inadequacies we have coped with as a nation.
A road which will see our institutions, systems, and processes thrive
effectively.
I
met a 72 year old man some time ago. He spoke very passionately about our dear
nation. One thing he said that struck me was that the African man would not see
the invention of mobile phones as a miracle but would rather look out for
miracles like the lame walking. He questioned Africa’s reluctance to embrace science,
technology, and development as aggressively as we have witnessed in some other
parts of the world. As an example, he mentioned Beijing’s ability to commute
ten million people on a daily basis with underground trains that always run
seconds ahead of time. He analogised Beijing with our dear Federal Capital City
Abuja. He decried our contentment with underdevelopment as can be observed with
our rural populace which form the majority of our population. He concluded that
there was something wrong with the African mind. Africans must begin to apply
home grown and adaptable scientific knowledge and technology to solve the real
life human problems Africans are faced with. Actually, my conversation with him
provided the inspiration for this article.
I
know that some of those responsible for the mess we find ourselves in today, are
still around, and continue to profit from the current situation. If the
illegalities of military coups were comprehensively addressed in our
constitution, maybe the political landscape would have been different today. I
know Africa is a great place with great people. I know Africa has future
potentials that have drawn the attention of the world. I know Africa has become
a dumping ground for parallel market weapons, hypocritical ideologies, and
neo-colonialism. We all are aware of the evils of terrorism and other conflicts
in Africa and the increased use of sophisticated weapons. Surrounding all these
conflicts and acts of terrorism are the political challenges of bilateral relations,
regional collaborations, North – South collaborations, and South-South
collaborations.
On October 1 2018, the
Nigerian state will celebrate yet another independence day. Would we still be divided
along prismatic lines? We must remember that the backbone of a successful
democracy are widely accepted and effective agreements by the affected populace.
We must remember that Nigeria as a sovereign nation has serious constitutional
deficiencies. We must remember that the continuity of the Nigerian state is bigger
than any individual or group ambition. We must remember that we have only one
country called Nigeria. Lunctus stamus,
divisum declinemus!