PART TWO:
As Nigerians we have always openly questioned whether our country should stay together and whether we should discard our colonial boundaries. Even Tafawa Balewa was reported to have once said that 'Nigerian unity is only a British intention in the country'. But I say to you that the hand that fate has dealt us is perhaps our greatest gift. From the arbitrariness of the 1884 - 1885 Berlin conference, when Africa was carved up, to the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorate in 1914 under Lord Lugard (which really marked the beginnings of Nigeria), perhaps fate, and God, has deemed us capable enough and resilient enough as a people to overcome our differences; each with our own distinct language, our cultural idiosyncrasies, and even mannerisms.
After he visited America in 1955 on a fact finding mission, the once-skeptical Tafawa Balewa would later say, and I quote, “In less than 200 years, this great country [America] was welded together by people of so many different backgrounds. They built a mighty nation and had forgotten where they came from and who their ancestors were. They had pride in only one thing —their American citizenship… I am a changed man from today. Until now I never really believed Nigeria could be one united country. But if the Americans could do it, so can we. “ When Biafra surrendered in 1970, after the bloodiness and ravages of the civil war in Nigeria the hope for unity was aptly captured in the Gowon's post-war declaration of 'no victors, no vanquished' a remarkable achievement that has played a great role in keeping us united to date.
We should be under no illusions as to the economic and social that lie ahead in the next 50 years. They are too numerous to list here. But here a few ones to highlight the immensity of the task ahead, and, these should, perhaps help keep our Jubilee celebrations in perspective. A decline in the quantity and reliability of electricity has been one of Nigeria’s greatest obstacles to economic growth. Although there's a relative peace in the oil producing Niger delta following the late Yaradua's June 2009 amnesty, the millions who live in squalor and poverty, ironically, on top of considerable oil wealth and immense natural resource abundance, should not be forgotten. Their pain and daily struggles should move us as individuals our leaders into action. Unemployment is still a problem, with up to 5,000 people applying for any one vacancy in Nigeria today. The north, which has Nigeria’s worst poverty rates, is facing the scourge of desertification from the Sahara. Our socio-economic indicators are still near the bottom of UN league tables, and the the economic growth we’ve witnessed in recent years, the banking boom, growth in FDI, hasn’t always trickled down to the ordinary man on the street. The never-ending cycle of ethnic and sectarian violence that periodically flares in central Nigeria continues to highlight the teething problems of our emerging democracy. I could go on and on about our challenges.
Our greatest challenge in the near-term: In 2011, Africa and the world will watch closely how we handle yet another election cycle. Will it be make or break, as we try to get right democratic transitions through the ballet box? I hope it will be a success, and a finger-up to the doomsday scenarios so often predicted by Western governments about Nigeria. We demonstrated in 1993 that relatively free and fair elections were possible even in the midst of complexity. (Although the outcome of those elections, was, sadly, never realised). There's no reason why that feat can't be achieved again. But we will be judged more by what we do, than what we promise. As Nigerians we have come to accept that our nation will always pull back from the brink through compromise amongst our elite class. But still I believe that Nigeria needs more than the deal-brokering that has underpinned our survival as nation, but have left us largely under fulfilled in our potential.
Rolake Akinkugbe © Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved
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