Nigeria At 60: To Be Or Not To Be?

By Ebuka Onyekwelu

Sixty years is too long, but apparently too short a time within which Nigeria can decide the identity it wants to take on. For six decades after Nigeria’s independence, basic questions of nationhood remain unanswered; Nigeria is yet to resolve issues surrounding its identity. Most recently, the recurrent question remains if Nigeria should continue to be one country.

As vexatious and emotional some of these advocates may be about their demands, they represent in most part, the conviction, confusion and trepidation of a certain number of Nigerians that can no longer be ignored.

As the question of Nigeria’s oneness face constant interrogation, there are strong concerns, firm opposition, and resistance even, to the continued existence of Nigeria as one independent country or as presently structurally composed.

Even now, as the country marks its sixtieth year, separatist groups in the Southeast and Southwest have teamed up in a latest alliance, fanning the embers of separation and among other demands, urging that the country be redefined or the people of Nigeria go their separate ways.

There are demands for restructuring on another hand that bothers mostly with constitution review. The question of constitution review which the National Assembly has taken up and outlined thirteen thematic areas, is also up for debate.

However, even with that effort, there are concerns as to whether the National Assembly should way in, on these sizzling issues, as normally, a referendum offers a most detailed and unmistaken position of the peoples of Nigeria. Sixty years on, the debate rages.

As these conversations go on, the fact is that Nigeria at sixty is an aging adult, whose identity is still being questioned and under that circumstance, such things as development, progress, are only of secondary concern both to the ruling elites and the people. This is unequivocal and abundantly self evident looking at the enormity of the prevailing challenges in Nigeria as of today.

The northern region which by far, has produced more leaders than all the other regions put together, is today trapped in a barrage of what some have described as a ‘northern problem’, as against ‘national problem’. The implication is that what is a problem in the north, is not necessarily a Nigerian problem.

But beyond that, an indication that many Nigerians view the one Nigeria project from a regional prism. Boko Haram terrorism going on in parts of northern region, the almajiri system, attacks by armed militia and other forms of dire situations that are prevalent in the northern region, are seen as northern problem.

Today, Katsina the home state of President Buhari is experiencing intense levels of insecurity. Borno state is the headquarter of Boko Haram and only within the month, the governor of the state has been attacked not less than twice by the terror group, killing scores of his security details. In Kaduna, killing by armed militia is a steady occurrence.

In Zamfara, militia, and armed bandits are crippling the state. Many states in the north are going through very terrible time. The enormity of what these states are going through is only better put into perspective, when we consider the depth of humanitarian crisis it is creating in the north. More so, the extermination of the people’s livelihood and the potential threat to food production posed by the situation can escalate severe hunger.

In addition to all of these, on national scale, the northern region has the highest rate of poverty in the country. Northern region is also the least educated in Nigeria and the list goes on. Yet, while other Nigerians make the point that the north has nineteen states, has absolute majority in the National Assembly, has highest number of local government in the country, has more influence over government and public service, it remains to be seen the precise north, benefitting from all these.

Is it the poor, struggling farmer in Katsina state who bandits cannot allow to return to his farm, or the one in Zamfara who is now living in an IDP camp? Then again, throughout Nigeria, it is only in the north that we have millions of people trapped in IDP camps, who cannot go back home or to their means of livelihoods on account of insecurity, which is a clear failure of government. Is that how they are benefitting from Nigeria?

With the pervasiveness of insecurity, death, disorder, illiteracy, chaos and despondency in the north, the honest question is, beyond the rhetoric, is the north actually benefitting from Nigeria?

This is of utmost importance because at the root of finding an acceptable identity for Nigeria is the persistent accusation that north is benefitting from Nigeria as it is presently constituted and hence resisting attempts to change the structure.

But in truth, basically nobody, no ordinary Nigerian, is benefitting from Nigeria. Aside the ruling class in the north, south, west and east of the country, nobody else is benefitting from the country. It is important that we categorize and isolate the beneficiaries of the Nigerian project.

The ruling classes are the people enjoying the wealth of the country and they are all over Nigeria, not just in the north. What we have in Nigeria as leaders is a group of kleptomaniacs who are profiting from the country and they are the ones that don’t want Nigeria to become better.

They award contracts to themselves, embezzle public funds, out rightly steal government money under fictitious guise, sharing same with their friends, family and allies, in effect, holding the country and the people to ransom. This is what we have in Nigeria, at all levels.

Hence not long ago, the Minister of Labour was said to have helped over five of his close relatives to secure good public offices with the federal government. President Buhari is often accused of favouring his people over all others, in appointments. In the National Assembly, senators and members of House of Representatives submit the names of their children as their official aides and advisers, then hire people who they pay peanuts to actually do the job.

In several states across Nigeria, the governors are accused of favouring their people more. So in summary, Nigeria’s problem is a problem of visionless, predatory elites who profit from politicization of ethnic identities. People, who want to continue to live luxuriously, feed lavishly and live a comprehensively subsidized life on account of the state.

This is what is constant and unchanged throughout Nigeria. For the leaders, Nigeria is nothing other than a means to their endless extravagance and dreams, which they otherwise, cannot fund from their personal pocket.

Let us get the fact straight that whether Nigeria remains one or is divided into several other countries, as long as rapacious elites recycles to manage the new countries, it will continue to be tales of grave failures in one year or even sixty years. For Nigeria, it is sort of convenient to blame the condition on the structure of the country. Or perhaps, the political vantage position of the north or just anything else. But in truth, what have the northern people benefitted from the political advantage of their region?

Across the states of the Nigerian federation, there are governors with sufficient executive powers to transform their states. As we await restructuring to enable the states or regions have more control of their destiny, what are the state governors doing with the powers they have to transform their states?

What are they doing with the funds under their control? To my mind, these are some of the fundamental questions that should shape the discuss. At the local government level, what are the elected officials there doing to make their own community better and where there are no local government elections, why is it not happening, is it a Nigerian problem?

In any case, whether Nigeria is to continue as one or as a community of sovereign nations, either way, in and of itself, is not a solution to the issues and challenges facing citizens of Nigeria across regions.

The question of leadership will continue to ruin Nigeria’s chances at bequeathing a decent country to her teaming citizens. Restructured or divided, the big challenge remains if the ruling classes are genuinely committed to the community goals and wellness, more than their own luxury and comfort.