Attaining Nigerianness In The Face Of Calls For Secession
Some of those pushing for secession in Nigeria have always argued that multi-ethnicity plays a role in the country’s stunted growth and diverse problems.
There are others who believe that a Yoruba nation with one language would fare better than Nigeria.
The questions everyone should rather be asking is whether the same problems that exist in Nigeria don’t in Yorubaland. It would be simple-mindedness to assume that a Yoruba nation would do better than Nigeria with how fractured the different nations within the country have even become.
The problems of uneven distribution of wealth, greed, insecurity, embezzlement, corruption, contract inflation and many more which presently beset Nigeria are so due to years of injustice, unaddressed and unchecked.
Anywhere injustice reigns, peace will be far from there, leading to anger and then insecurity and later under-development, for development cannot thrive where there is insecurity. This is the story of Nigeria and many of its federating units.
Do all ethnic groups in Ondo State feel satisfied and treated well? Do all towns in homegenious Ekiti feel they have been treated well? Certainly not. Will Ondo splinter into different states because of this? Of what benefit would that be?
The world has a long list of multi-ethnic and multi-racial countries where, over time, all have the opportunity to aspire to greatness.
The United States of America tops the list with its diverse ethnic nationalities of Latinos, Jamaicans, Russians, Africans, Jews, Irish and Asians of all nationalities. It is so pronounced in the US that one hears of China town, Korea town and so on and so forth.
Over time, these nationalities have integrated into the larger society and it didn’t happen in a day. It took years to achieve national cohesion or justice.
We may argue that these nationalities migrated to the US, but what about countries like Singapore made up of Malaysians, Chinese and Indians.
At the beginning in Singapore, the Malays looked to Malaysia as their homeland, just as the Chinese and the Indians respectively looked to China and India as their homelands. It took the leadership of a great leader in Lee Kuan Yew who embarked on a housing scheme that made them see themselves as Singaporeans.
Do we see ourselves as Nigerians?
Nigeria needs a uniting leader who will enthrone justice and equality that would create the Nigerianness to bring about unity and development.
This is what we should all work towards. Not Oduduwa nation. Certainly not Biafra or Arewa.
