How important is the nation’s population advantage to its inhabitants?
On the 15th of November, 2016, former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, insisted that “unity in Nigeria was not negotiable”[1] which remains consistent with a wartime slogan (to keep Nigeria one) that ‘justified’ the Biafran war. He insisted that the division of Nigeria will distort the map of Nigeria and destroy the gift of unity from the colonial masters.[2] President Muhammadu Buhari has continuously maintained that Nigeria is indissoluble and thus, must remain united even by force. On August 24, 2016, the former INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, at the second annual lecture of the National Broadcasting Commission in Abuja, described Nigeria as an indissoluble marriage of ethnic groups. He compares the unity of Nigeria with the Roman Catholic marriage, which is indissoluble “till death do us part”[3].
Yet, in response to the claim of Nigeria’s indissolubility by Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari, and Attahiru Jega, the renowned Catholic theologian from the Dominican Order of preachers, Rev. Fr. Anthony Akinwale, responds that the Catholic Church institutes matrimony after some principal requirements have been met: the requirements of mutual voluntariness, honesty and commitment to the growth and welfare of the union. In the Catholic Church, once a marriage is not valid, it is considered that there was never a marriage from the beginning. There is no option for divorce in a valid marriage, but an invalid marriage, which was based on deceit, force and convenience, is bound to be dissolved. Fr. AKinwale notes: “I do not know if [Prof. Attahiru] Jega has ever witnessed the celebration of a Catholic marriage. If he had, he would have observed that the first question the couple is asked is: have you come here freely to be united in marriage? Freedom of consent is an absolute requirement for the validity of Catholic marriage.”[4] The many ethnic communities in Nigeria were forced into this “union” by colonial amalgamation. The British colonizers never sought the consent of the various ethnic groups. Thus, Nigeria is not a marriage, not a union in the proper sense, but an amalgam of ethnic communities held together at gunpoint.[5]
In a similar stance against the dogmatic unity of Nigeria, Prof. Ango Abdullahi stated on Tuesday, 30th August, 2016 that “if Nigerians cannot live together and allow peace and development to take place, then let’s go our different ways and to our different places, so we can concentrate and develop our children and grandchildren in peace.”[6]
ADVANTAGES OF REMAINING TOGETHER
The continuation of Nigeria as a united entity could have several advantages.
Number: population is one of the advantages and measures used for grading influential nations. High population distinguishes a nation as a destination for commerce, research and other social activities that require high participation. It lays the foundation upon which industrial education can be impacted for further development.
Galaxy of ethnic beauty: an observation of the night sky displays an array of different sizes and types of heavenly bodies, the stars, the moon, the cloud. It gives a good view to watch and interpret the different shapes formed by the clouds, and to admire the different stars. With the development and display of the different ethnic communities in Nigeria, the nation becomes a parade of beautiful cultures and traditions.
Complement for one another: monotony is a killer of interest, and variety is as the spice of life. The personalities of the people in Nigeria differ and complement in Nigeria. The average temperamental classifications of the regions are distinct and complementary. The east are considered proud and industrious, the west are considered creative and diplomatic, while the north are considered humble, simple and hardworking. These characteristics complement one another in their encounter with the environment.
Increased productivity: The different ethnic communities in Nigeria have been supporting one another by trade. What one community lacks, it gets from its neighboring community in exchange for what it produces.
On the other hand, there are some DISADVANTAGES of remaining together, which include DISTRUST, CONTINUOUS CONFLICT AND STAGNATION.
The absence of consent by the different ethnic communities in Nigeria, and the military force with which it is held together creates mutual suspicion among the various communities. There was no agreement on the terms and conditions, or possible compromises that will sustain Nigeria.
This mutual suspicion has caused conflicts from the beginning, till the bloody conflict of the Biafran war, which was done to keep Nigeria one. Since the Biafran war, the conflict continues to occur in lesser degrees, and without fundamental address, may become worse.
With the continued disposition for conflict, Nigerians are distracted from the main elements of development, which are evaluation of fundamental socio-industrial values, education, and real output. Apart from the crude supplies, Nigerian ethnic communities can render more services of processing the crude resources in Nigeria when indigenes are educated with a renewed social value, and empowered to process their resources both for local consumption and exportation for the whole nation.
Nigeria can be a great nation, given the human and mineral resources therein. The first element of progress is unity of purpose; and unity of purpose is never obtained by force, but by free-will and commitment to work with other people in order to achieve peace and an overall socio-industrial development.
A retreat to the ethnic communities is required to address and re-negotiate the basis of the nation’s unity, without the habitual recourse to military force. The ethnic communities must identify, evaluate and modify their social and industrial values to meet the requirements of the new age. When the ethnic communities have fortified their foundational values, they can then decide whether and how to align with other communities for their common interests. This is to establish the foundation upon which a new and progressive Nigeria can be built.
Without a discussion of whether and how the ethnic communities and tribes in Nigeria should relate with one another, Nigeria will never have unity of purpose, which is vital to any form of national progress. Without unity of purpose, there would not be proper validation of social and industrial values, and thus, no human development or productivity. Hence, the high (uneducated, uncultured and unproductive) population which could have been an economic advantage to the nation will remain an element of liability, crisis and chaos.
[1] Yakubu Gowon, http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/general/560909-peace%2C-unity-in-nigeria-not-negotiable-%E2%80%94-gowon.html
[2] Yakubu Gowon, http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/nigerias-unity-negotiable-says-gowon-80th-birthday/
[3] Anthony Akinwale, http://guardian.ng/opinion/nigeria-and-catholic-marriage/26-September-2016
[4] Ibid
[5] Anthony Akinwale, op cit.
[6] http://buzznigeria.com/nigeria-divide-ango-abdullahi/#