Nigeria at 55: A troubled polity

Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Antarctica, and Australia are continents of the world. The human races that occupy these continents are the Negroid, Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Australoid. The black people, who belong to the Negroid race, occupy the geographical space called Africa. Africa is derogatorily called the black continent owing to its underdevelopment. African countries suffered white domination and imperialism. And African people(s) blame their countries’ underdevelopment and economic woes on the white imperialists’ truncation of the pre-colonial governments on the African continent.

Nigeria, a multi-ethnic country, is on the African continent. It was Flora Shaw, Lord Lugard’s mistress, who christened it Nigeria. In 1914, Lugard amalgamated the Southern and Northern protectorates. Disparate ethnic nations were united under one administrative unit for political convenience. Perhaps it was a bad and injudicious political action. But it is an indisputable fact that ethnic hatred as well as suspicion are at the root of our national disunity. And we are not unaware that disunity is a disincentive to national development.

Before Nigeria gained flag independence in 1960, some ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria threatened to embark on secessionist moves as they felt that they were short-changed in the scheme of things. In 1953, the Northern people, who believed that they were politically marginalized at the time, vowed to leave the Nigerian federation in their nine-point programme. And after Nigeria had attained statehood and sovereignty, Isaac Adaka Boro declared the Niger Delta Republic in 1963. And, the Nigeria-Biafra War raged between 1967 and 1970.

When Nigeria achieved political emancipation in 1960, it evinced the tendencies and potentialities of a country that would become great, economically, technologically, and politically. Are such natural resources as gold, tin ore, bauxite and crude oil not buried beneath our soil? And Nigeria had colourful politicians like Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, among others. But the departing British imperialists left the egregious political legacy of the imposition of leaders on the populace for us. It led to the emergence of politicians who were not prepared for the challenges of political leadership.

Nigeria’s current economic woes and technological underdevelopment are not unconnected to past political maladministration and military dictatorships of the past. Political leaders and the military brass hats and jackboots stalled Nigeria’s national development with their bumbling, inept, corrupt, visionless, and rudderless leaderships. While Babangida and Abacha enthroned corruption in Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan squandered the opportunities offered to them to better our lot and take Nigeria to unprecedented economic and technological heights. The latter emblematized inept political leadership and condoned acts of corruption perpetrated by their cronies and side-kicks.

Now APC, which is a coalition of many political parties, has swept away the old corrupt political order. President Muhammadu Buhari is reputed to have a zero tolerance for corruption. And he is a martinet for discipline. During his reign as Nigeria’s military head of state between 1983 and 1985, he inculcated the habit of orderliness into Nigerians. The ascetic Muslim teetotaller came to power on the coattail of his political antecedents and reputation. He is believed to be the messiah that will right the wrongs of the past, turn around our ailing economy, and take Nigeria to a great technological height. But his tardiness and political missteps have caused some people to become sceptical and cynical regarding his electioneering promises.

Nigerians are patiently waiting for President Buhari to offer purposeful and people-oriented leadership that will transform Nigeria. The current unsatisfactory level of national development is a consequence of bad successive political regimes that pillaged the nation’s economic resources. But it takes a detribalized political leader with probity and leadership qualities to re-make a country. Singapore and Malaysia had leaders who transformed those countries. Singapore and Malaysia’s leadership models should be adopted and emulated by our leaders. But no countries can grow above the visions and dreams of their leaders. Thankfully, the president is surrounded by egg-heads, technocrats and visionaries who can offer him advice and roadmaps regarding how to make Nigeria a great country.

President Buhari should set about his presidential duties with earnestness and fealty. It is high time our national leader diversified our mono-economy that is based and sustained on oil revenue. For all its human and material resources, Nigeria imports simple household items. It is a proof that our educational system is dysfunctional.

Education is the bedrock of national development. No country with dysfunctional educational system can make progress. So, it is imperative for our political leaders to revamp our educational system in order that those who pass through our educational institutions are not found wanting in learning and character. Only skilled and knowledgeable citizens can drive the developmental initiatives in a country.

Furthermore, people who are well-educated are imbued with positive morality. They are not vulnerable and susceptible to being indoctrinated with dangerous religious teachings. The Boko Haram insurgents, who are waging war in parts of Northern Nigeria, have distorted Islamic knowledge. Not being properly educated, they are brainwashed into engaging in acts of violence and murder. The activities of the Boko Haram group have caused the loss of millions of human lives and the destruction of property. The government should tackle the menace of Boko Haram which has the potentialities of causing the dismemberment of Nigeria.

Lastly, the survival of Nigeria, as well as its progress, is dependent on national unity. No country in political stasis can achieve any meaningful development. National unity is an incentive for national development. Citizens of countries in political crisis cannot achieve great technological feats while living in their home countries. So, I urge President Muhammadu Buhari to desist from engaging in acts that will deepen our ethnic and religious fissures and make some people from a section of the country feel alienated.

Chiedu U. Okoye