It is no longer news that Nigeria’s diversity makes it harder to unite for a single course. It happened with the fuel subsidy protest in 2012 when the Goodluck Jonathan administration wanted to remove the subsidy. It also happened in 2020, when Nigerian youth across most of Southern Nigeria and parts of Northern Nigeria united to fight police brutality. The former was called #OccupyNigeria, the latter #EndSARS.
Nigeria does not have records of too many instances of a united front for a common cause. And Vice President Yemi Osinbajo confirmed this when he said, “We are Greater together than Apart”. He stated that the country would experience progress when the story is that Nigeria is one indivisible nation. He called for the country’s ethnic groups to come together but failed to remember that not everyone shares the same hope. Some groups want a balkanised Nigeria – remember secessionist groups.
The other extreme is people who reference past conversations and actions to determine the formation of a united front. “You called us slaves in 2014; why should we form a team now that 2023 is here?”
When Lord Lugard and his cohorts amalgamated the country, it was all about territorial control, expansionism, and revenue-gathering adventure for the British empire. Nothing about nation-building was on the agenda. But, Nigeria got power from the British and thought to stay together, even if the marriage was forced and is currently failing.
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These days, ask an average person from the South-West, and you will notice that they are just waiting for the signal to flag Oduduwa Republic. Take a trip to the South-South; it is conversations on the indigenes being cheated out of the ‘oil money’. The story from the South-East is a global conversation already, and there are groups in the North who do not mind that the entire region is severed from the rest of the country.
There have, indeed, been attempts at actualising a One Nigeria. And, out of this has come talks on restructuring and regionalism, which leads us back to the fact that many do not see the use of One Nigeria and will prefer the name stays, but the regions take care of themselves, which is a progressive idea, but unacceptable to the country’s leadership.
But, the future, Nigerian youth, have picked up the disposition of leading rambling conversations, and that is why references can be made to how “Yorubas are supposed slaves to Fulanis”, “Hausas do not trust the Igbos and vice versa”, and minority groups do not have a say in the conversation.
Unfortunately, the current political and structural arrangement does not favour the ordinary citizen, notwithstanding the region. That may be the reason for the assumed distrust and the actions that follow the thoughts.
Dear Nigerian youth, One Nigeria is the beginning to solve the country’s problems. A One Nigeria in the sense of shedding all assumptions of distrust and tackling the real problem plaguing that hope. 2023 presents an opportunity to unite. And, this is not a call to support only one candidate.
The 2023 general elections began a few months ago, and candidates are already consulting. This means that the rest of the citizenry should examine the candidates and determine the one to vote for, not throwing assumptive words around.
