Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has said that Nigeria as a country has never been as divided as it has become under the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari, nor has her people witness such a level of mistrust between themselves and in the nation.
Okowa made the statement during his Keynote address at the Ripples 2021 Nigeria Dialogue with the theme: Rebuilding Trust in a Divided Nigeria: Advancing the Conversation, at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday.
He said:” It is not debatable that Nigeria is passing through perilous times. Aside from during the civil war from 1967 to 1970, at no time in the checkered history of our beloved country have we been as divided as we are today; or witness such magnitude of mistrust of ourselves and of our nation.
”The theme presupposes that trust and unity once existed among the peoples of Nigeria. But was this truly the case indeed? There was a time we happily sang ‘though tribe and tongue may differ; in brotherhood, we stand.’ But was that a reality or an aspiration?”
According to the governor, there are various causes of disunity, but the crux of the matter is the absence of a national ideology that all the component parts of the country subscribe to, noting that it is pertinent to forge that sense of oneness and unity.
He continued: “In the absence of a shared national relation or aspiration, primordial loyalty and sentiments largely hold sway among the citizens as it is today.
“It is not a secret that during elections, most people vote along sectional lines; be it religion or ethnicity. In the corporate world, the academia, and other sectors of our national life, our default mode is to queue behind someone from our ethnic group, or who shares our religious beliefs.”
Governor Okowa faulted the style of the present administration in fighting corruption in the country, indicating that the process is marred and coloured by ethnic and religious alliance.
“Even the war against corruption is subject to all manner of scrutiny based on our ethnic affiliations and religion. The sad reality is that we seem to derive more comfort, protection and security from our ethnic identity. The concept of one Nigeria is still just that, a concept.
“The Americans have the ‘American Dream’; the British rule Britannia; while in the recent time, the United Arab Emirate (UAE) has developed a mission to be the biggest and the best in everything she does. What can we point to as Nigerians’ overarching vision that motivates the average Nigerian citizen or that everyone aspires to actualize? How can we have and pursue an overarching vision when we think Fulani or Hausa, or Yoruba, or Igbo; instead of Nigeria?” Okowa queried.
Okowa cited unemployment; poverty, lack of faith in the electoral process, ethnicity, tribalism and nepotism as some of the indices of bad governance in Nigeria. He said that bad governance at all levels of government is a major contributing factor to disunity in the country.
In his words: “Bad governance is what results when a state based on the principles of democracy and social justice as Nigeria is described in section 14 (1) in the 1999 constitution as amended fails to uphold in all its operations, the principle of democracy and social justice. And when a government fails to fulfil its primary purpose which according to section 14 (2) B of the 1999 constitution is to provide security and welfare for the people.
“It is regrettable that over the years, we have had leaders who choose to exploit the ethnic and religious fault lines in the country to advance their selfish political interest. There is lopsidedness in power-sharing, and marginalisation of some sections of the country; corruption, lack of accountability and productivity, all resulting in poor economic growth. Religious bigotry and intolerance, inequality and inequitable distribution of wealth, insecurity; personal, economic and food insecurity hammered on the country; and even more recently by the criminal herdsmen who have driven people away from their farms”
He also said that the lack of political will to devise a constitution that supports true federalism is another factor responsible for Nigeria’s current disunity. He stated that the 1999 constitution as amended centralises the economic and political power in the federal government and emasculates the states by denying them powers to secure their own territories and control their natural resources for the development of their territories and people.
The governor, who said he strongly believes that Nigeria is better and stronger together, posits that the country can turn its diversity into a great source of strength through visionary leadership and good governance that will build a multi-ethnic and religious country that will be the envy of other nations.
“Leadership is key. As 2023 approaches, the focus should be on electing a pan Nigerian as president; a person with the capacity and charisma to cast a vision for Nigeria and rally all Nigerians behind it. We need a selfless, sacrificial, sincere, broadminded, caring and capable president that will inspire hope and confidence in the country; a leader who values merit over mediocrity; competence over cronyism, while upholding the fundamental principles of fairness, equity and justice