OurAffairs: The Ungovernable Nigeria – Seyi Oyetunbi | GOVERNMEND

Nigeria as an heterogeneous state is beautified with cultural diversity, ethnic differences, religiosity and many more factors that indicate how hospitable and habitable the country was originally designed to run. It’s interesting to have people from over 250 ethic groups stay together in an entity labelled Nigeria. The strength in diversity is immeasurable and should make us stronger, as a nation.

But judging by the result, I do not think any of those who sat to map out Nigeria – binding the Northern and Southern protectorates to form a geographical entity had a thorough analysis of the consequences accrued from weak advocacy of their purported well intentioned plan for the people living during the formation stage. It’s obvious people just woke up and found out there is a Nigeria.

Since the inception of Nigeria, at every epoch, they have been problems co-existing, national crisis that are expected to characterise a nation planted on falsehood. History has taught us enough that Nigeria creation is problematic. And by consequence, patriotism has become a rare attribute for Nigerians. Selfish leaders lead selfish followers who only care about personal survival even at the detriment of the existence of the country.

Little wonder why it’s easier to climb Mount Everest in a single minute than noting exemplary leaders Nigeria has had in the past in 24 hours. It’s crystal clear that, it’s almost impossible to call anyone in leadership a leader in today’s Nigeria. The structure of Nigeria is erected as a result of minority views and interests, the country was not built to be sustainable.

Nigeria has gone through a turbulent history, one that shows that it took some unexplainable forces for Nigeria to remain as one today.

It’s uneasy to justify the oneness of Nigeria if it took only 7years post-independence for a gruesome civil war that claimed over 3million lives to breakout. As it looks, adopting history as an approach, which is of course relevant in this discourse, Nigeria has remained ungovernable, unmanageable and poorly positioned. And every generation has inherited the errors that followed the creation of Nigeria.

If any government is serious about holding Nigeria from centre to stop things from falling apart, every stakeholder needs to be given a platform to decide the statehood of Nigeria. A referendum is the sole elixir capable of calming ethic tension that has degenerated into insecurity and secession agitation. Even though state only has monopoly of violence, a state would fail to exist the day its people no longer fear death from coercion.

This is the approach that is failing the Buhari-led-administration. Despite the maximum use of force on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), they still remain firm and resolute with their agitation. Funnily enough, it would be safe to say IPOB inspired the intensified agitation for Oduduwa Republic. Thus, as the Eastern region has Nnamdi Kanu, Western region now has Sunday Igboho. What would make a misgoverned people keep mum is good governance, a government that listens and not the reckless use of force. The people against all odds rose to kill the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) as a unit in police when they had it up to their necks. If Nigeria is not rearranged to accommodate the interest of the governed in every part of the country and across all sectors, the revolution that would set in would sweep across the nation and it would do some terrific cleaning and clearing.

We have a responsibility to defend our unity, as much as we share the sacrosanct duty of checking the root cause of why leaders never had it right governing Nigeria and Nigerians. Everyone can’t be all bad even if everyone can’t be good. We always prefer the past government to the present because we often time need to pick between two evils.

Would it take forever to have the beautiful ones?

Source: Seyi Oyetunbi