Highlighting the ethnic and tribal composition of our great country is always a hurting venture for patriotic and detribalised minds. One of the problems of the country’s march to greatness is tribalism. Our diverse ethnic configurations has always been a major set-back in our quest for a united, prosperous and strong nation.
Unfortunately, the nation’s elite, rather than emphasise more on the things that bind us together as a people, often play the ethnic cards for chiefly selfish and other primordial considerations. The elite have discovered that ethnicity and religious sentiments remain cheap channels through which they could play upon the intelligence of the ordinary folks in the country, and they have learnt to use them to the maximum for their advantage.
It is common in Nigeria for political jobbers and certified opportunists, who usually have nothing good to offer the people, to fan ethnic sentiments across the land. Usually, the strategy is to pretend as the defenders of the rights of the people; same people whose interests they have always trampled upon for ephemeral concerns.
In Nigeria, Lagos remains, perhaps, the only major melting pot where all Nigerians could feel at home, irrespective of ethnic and religious differences. There is no other state that has opened its doors to accommodate Nigerians of various shades as Lagos does. It has always been the tradition of successive governments in the state to accord every resident in the state equal and fair deal in the scheme of things. Everyone who resides in Lagos is traditionally referred to as a Lagosian. This is the spirit of Lagos.
It is this tradition that the current governor, Babatunde Fashola, has been building upon in the past few years. Being a detribalised personality, in all the policies and programmes of his administration, Fashola is motivated by a strong desire to build a state where everyone, irrespective of ethnic, religious and other such concerns could productively earn a living in a safe and secure environment. His main goal is to leave behind a state where tribal considerations count for nothing.
In Lagos, in terms of strategic positioning, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning is, perhaps, the most crucial of all the state’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). It is the ministry that priorities the expenditures of the state government. It is a testimony to the non-tribal disposition of the Fashola-led administration that this all-important agency has, in the past eight years, been under the able leadership of Ben Akabueze, a professional banker and economist of Igbo descent. Likewise, the present Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Authority (LASIMRA), Joe Igbokwe, is also Igbo. To further reinforce its non-tribal posture, Lagos recently named a newly commissioned housing estate as well as a park after Emeka Anyaoku and Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu.
In the past eight years, the state has continued to show the way forward in its commitment to an indivisible Nigeria where no one is denied of opportunities for self-actualisation, on mundane considerations. The state’s primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities and, indeed, other such infrastructure remain accessible to all Nigerians, without any discrimination. The State Security Trust Fund has continued to ensure the safety and security of every Lagos resident. The public primary and secondary schools in the state have continued to open their doors to all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic affiliations.
Since the inception of the now popular Spelling Bee competition, among public secondary schools in the state, the 13 winners that have emerged as ‘One Day Governor’ sufficiently demonstrate the cosmopolitan nature of the state’s public schools. A breakdown of the 13 one day governors that have so far emerged reveals that seven are of Yoruba origin, two are from Edo State while the remaining four are Igbo.
In Lagos, excellence and competence remain major factors in the recruitment of its workforce. Apart from the Federal Civil Service, the Lagos State Public Service remains, perhaps, the only one in the country that employs people without regards to ethnic factors. Today, the state public service has in its fold Nigerians that cut across the major ethnic divides in the country. While some states in the country employ or even retrench based on indigenisation considerations, Lagos has simply continued its policy of absorbing qualified Nigerians into its public service. It is on record that sometimes ago the Abia State government disengaged non-Abians from its workforce because of the need to give more indigenes of the state access to employment. This has never been the case in Lagos.
The relative peace being enjoyed in the state is a reflection of the unrelenting effort of government to accommodate various interest groups in the state. On a regular basis, the government organises stakeholders’ meetings with the leaders of the ethnic communities in the state to rub minds on how to make Lagos a better place for all.
Specifically, the state government has a healthy relationship with the various ethnic groups in the state. The result of this robust relationship is the atmosphere of peace and harmony that currently reigns in the state.
The issues involved in the development and growth of Lagos and, indeed, Nigeria transcends ethnic and religious sentiments. The brotherly love and bond that have existed between the state government and the diverse ethnic groups in the state must not be compromised.
Fifth columnists, whose major pre-occupation is to fan the embers of disaffection for self-seeking interests must not be allowed to profit, as it is their practice, from the current false campaigns. Our hospitality in Lagos is legendary. It is a global legend that the people of Lagos are hospitable. And so is the present government of the state and previous administrations.
In a political season, unusual things happen and perhaps we are living in an interesting time. There is too much at stake for anyone to begin to incite non-indigenous population against their host state. It is a very dangerous and unwarranted pattern. The sad manipulation of our people through ethnic, religious and sectional differences has caused a lot of harm to our nation. It breaks the unity of our people and turns their attention away from the urgent and real matters of public interest.
Given the current thinking in Lagos, it is strongly believed that all stakeholders in the state should play a major role in ensuring the full realisation of the lofty policies and programmes of the state government for common good of everybody. Therefore, to further strengthen the current development strides in the state, there must be continuous constructive engagements and collaborations between all groups, interests and actors in the state. This is the only way forward. This is the spirit of Lagos.
• Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
