Fellow Nigerians, I bring you a very warmth greetings from this side of the divide at this time in our history. It is important to note that I had at many times believed that we could forge a new identity without altering the status quo but that seems rather utopian. I have at several times advocated key reforms intended to drive sociopolitical cohesion of the Nigeria state under the prevailing circumstances but again the outcome seems counter productive. In my attempts however to respond to most laudable contributions of some commentators, I did promised to proffer solutions to our current inherent contradictions as a nation by first building up your understanding of the issues and why my solution has become inevitable. It is established that colonialism created heterogeneous non cohesive ethnic cleavages in Africa; as such, the conscious feeling of belonging to a state appears very illusive while ethnocultural socialization appears more natural. These facts formed the basis of politics in Nigeria as you can see from the dominant political parties of the pre independence era, they were and are are still being exploited by hard line individuals whose competition on the national table for dominance and perhaps set the agenda for the allocation formula of state resources led to tension, instability and the eventual war in Nigeria, Rwanda, Burundi, Liberia, Congo and all other such places are examples which speak volumes of the actual effect of such I glorious fusion. In the forgoing, corruption has only taken deeper roots while politics of patronage and its buccaneering expedition for individual and corporate corruption a common phenomenon. Whereas, history and posterity will remain our greatest nemesis if we do nothing; whereas, our silence would be grossly misleading perhaps in the most offensive of ways. Consequently, the dramatic display of evil by insurgents in the north, the heated politics without goodwill, the militancy activities in the south, the various sociocultural groups like Ohaneze Indigbo, Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Assembly, MOSOP, Ijaw National Congress, etc all of whom does not reflect national ideology but on the contrary seeks to promote parochial ethnic agendas are only an affirmation that the country is divided along fault lines typical of being united in disharmony. The North and South and other subsumed groups have continued like insoluble substances of different chemical properties; hence, one is likely to crystalize the other in solution. No doubt, all these potents great danger with grave consequences but as a people, we must not be ashamed of the evidence that we are actually heading no where in our pretence of a united Nigeria. I say this because we need to make unity a choice if actually we want it, for only then will the necessary conditions and concessions be properly defined. Nigeria, a country which emerged from the iron fist of British economic autocracy has never had the opportunity of determining for herself a path to nationhood. The 12 man advisory Nigerian council which was followed by the non cohesive amalgamation of 1914 was only a deceit by the colonial administration to make Nigerians feel as though they were involved in managing their own affairs. Thereafter, the Cliffords, Richards, Littletons, Macphersons and the Lancester House independence constitution of 1960 were all colonial creations. The post independence constitutions of 1979 and 1999 were all supritended by the military yet it declared we the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria do give to yourselves hence can not be true as the events of the past has proven. Fellow Nigerians, it is therefore on the strength of these obvious and undeniable facts that I Masi Prince Ernest do hereby advocate for a referendum to enable Nigerians decide their future for the first time especially as politics has become Hobbesian. If however the proposed national conference does not provide the basis for a referendum to decide our choice of unity, then its already a failure in disguise. Other issues especially the economic framework and foreign policy agenda of the post confab precipitate I shall discuss and perhaps the path not taken in my next post. Good morning
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 07:57:40 +0000
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