National Unity is a desirable goal for all nations, but especially diverse nations, for progress and development. If attained, it strengthens a nation for pursuit of collective aspirations. It presupposes that citizens of a country voluntarily establish bonds and cooperate and work together in harmony, in spite of differences, for collective societal progress, sustainability and reproduction.
National unity, however, is not easy to have, especially in very diverse countries, such as Nigeria, due to ethno-linguistic differences, and social and religious identities, which ordinarily foster and bolster “prejudice and obstinacy” Pilkington 1956: 219) and which are susceptible to mobilization and manipulation by ethno-religious elite, mismanagement by incompetent and parochial ‘leaders’. In contexts, such as ours, national unity has to be deliberately forged, nurtured and entrenched, through citizenship mobilization, sensitization and education, as well as through policies and programmes for actualizing the goal of unity in diversity and national integration.
There is in present day Nigeria evidence of remarkable erosion of national unity and seeming whittling down if not abandonment of yester-years lofty projects of national integration. The resurgence of, and violent activism by, insurgents and irredentist militants with a clear agenda for dismemberment of Nigeria, is indicative of the sorry state of national unity. So is the increasingly indifferent and apathetic disposition of teeming youth with regards to serious national affairs, which ordinarily would require their active engagement. Indeed, many young men and women are so frustrated that they are diverting their energies to aggressive behaviour and creativity to all sorts of criminality. Some have even given up on Nigeria and are merely looking for opportunities to “check-out”.
This situation needs to be effectively and decisively addressed. The imperative of national unity is of such importance that it the challenges undermining it can no longer be ignored, and that all hands need to, have to, be on deck to find lasting solutions to them.
Historical Context
Nigeria has been searching for, and grappling with the question of, national unity since its formation with the 1914 Amalgamation. The British colonial rulers came to the realization that administering the conquered and subjugated territories as separate colony and protectorates was not cost-effective. Even after Amalgamation and the formation of Nigeria, managing the vast territory as relatively autonomous grouping of provinces into regions was problematic and unsatisfactory. Hence through one of a series of constitutional enactments, in 1954 under the MacPherson’s Constitution, the British turned Nigeria into a Federation, for easier management of diversity. Indeed, it was meant to forge “unity in diversity” a core objective of modern federations.
Newly independent Nigeria’s leaders, in the immediate post- independence period, with their political power bases ensconced in relatively autonomous regions, seem to have busied themselves more with “forgetting” or “trying to understand” their differences rather than concretely forging national unity in diversity. Within each region as their individual areas of influence, however, they forged unity, nurtured a united regional identity, and created a regional sense of belonging much more than a national sense of belonging and unity.
The phenomenon of military rule initially threatened and almost destroyed whatever sense or perception of national unity or unity in diversity existed, leading to the 1967-70 civil war with devastating consequences. However, after the civil war, the then military rulers paid significant attention to, not only “reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction” in the immediate post-war period, but also and especially forging “national unity”, “unity in diversity” and national integration. They introduced notable programmes and projects, such as the NYSC scheme, in which tertiary education graduates are posted out of their states of origins or even regions for one-year compulsory national service, so that they can live in other areas, learn other cultures and traditions, establish enduring friendships and relationships and help accelerate the goal of national integration. In addition, the military regimes established federal government colleges, as well as federal colleges of Arts and Science for A Level studies, which enable lower tier students to also travel to, live and study in areas other than their own, learn about cultures other than their own, even languages; all with the aim of forging national unity and integration.
However, other programmes and policies of many of the military regimes have also laid the foundation for heightened mutual suspicions and fears, and even, in many respects, the erosion of national unity and integration. For example, the introduction of the federal character principle in employment into federal service, and the quota system of admissions into tertiary institutions, although undergirded by lofty principles of affirmative action and advancement of equality of opportunity, given the manner in which they were executed, created ethno-religious and regional tensions and animosities based on actual, as well as, perceptions of exclusion, discrimination and marginalization, resulting in significant erosion of national sense of belonging and national unity.
In any case, the attention paid to the question of national unity and integration by successive military regimes has not been matched by successive civilian administrations. Except for sloganeering in the Third Republic, when Shehu Shagari as NPN’s presidential candidate, and subsequently as president, popularised the slogan of “One Nation, One Destiny”, subsequent civilian administrations, especially since 1999 seem to have, more or less, presided over the undermining if not destruction of the bases and foundations of national unity and integration in Nigeria.
To be sure, national unity can only be predicated on mutual trust and understanding, reciprocal friendly/brotherly/sisterly relations, as well as shared interests, values and aspirations. National unity would only best be promoted through tolerance and accommodation of each other’s differences, opinions, ethnic, religious and communal or even regional identities. At the core of national unity are non- discriminatory relations whether at the personal or official levels. The sad thing in that in contemporary Nigeria, all these are in dire short supply.
Currently, the major threats to national unity, as well as national security could be summarized as follows:
- Negative mobilization of ethno-religious and other primordial identities, especially in contestations for power in electoral politics
- Hate speeches targeted at perceived “others”, in an “us” versus “them” categorizations
- Reckless peddling of misinformation and fake news to demonize perceived opponents
- Giving primacy to “indigenes” over “citizenship” rights in state and local governance
- Dangerous if not genocidal narratives emanating from perennial farmer-herder conflicts
- Boko Haram insurgency
- Irredentist militancy in the South-East and South-West geopolitical zones.
Nigeria, regrettably, operates a distorted and dysfunctional form of federalism, in which the core principle is undermined, rather than nurtured and entrenched. This negative trend needs to be reversed. But it can only be done, by having elected leaders who are democrats and not ‘militicians’, who understand what the value of operating a functional rather than dysfunctional federal arrangement is, for peace, stability, progress and development of a country, and who have the ability, capacity, competence and integrity to drive good democratic governance for the polity.
It is worthy of restating that, Nigeria is currently craving for repositioning of the leadership recruitment process by political parties, such that we bring into the electoral and governance arenas honest, selfless people with requisite integrity and competence to decisively move the country forward in all ramifications, but especially on a trajectory towards good democratic governance. That would be a panacea to our federal, as well as overall governance challenges, and pave way for citizens sense of belonging and inclusive participation, all of which would enhance national unity and peaceful coexistence.
Imperative of forging Unity in Diversity
Unity in diversity is a core principle of federalism. All federations are required to adhere to, and actively nurture and entrench, expectations associated with this core principle. Nigeria, as a federation with a complex mosaic of diversity need to continue to find, and deploy, ways and means of forging, entrenching and sustaining unity in diversity and national integration, beyond sloganeering leap-service by leaders in governance positions at all levels. Elected national leaders in particular need to “walk the talk” of national unity and integration, through the formulation and execution of sustainable policies, programmes and projects on national unity and integration. Nigeria’s stability, peaceful coexistence and sustainability as a federation would depend on how purposefully, effectively and seriously these are done. To bring this about, a few recommendations are pertinent.
Recommendations
As a starting point, there must be a solid commitment by elected leaders at all levels to uphold, protect and defend the Rule of Law. All citizens must be seen to be equal before the law. In particular, elected leaders must uphold the constitutional provisions pertaining to citizenship rights, and ensure that all citizens have equal rights where ever they may reside in Nigeria. State governors in particular must not in any way discriminate against any citizen and must not prioritize indigenous ‘rights’ over citizenship rights. A qualification for residency may be introduced, in accordance with the best practices in federations globally. For example, once a citizen of Nigeria moves into any state and becomes a resident tax payer in the state for at least 3 to 5 years, he or she should be entitled to the rights and obligations of every other citizen in that state, regardless of indigenous status. Doing this would create and entrench a sense of belonging, increase the scope of national unity, and engender peaceful coexistence.
Then, our elected leaders have to focus attention on improving our federal system for greater functionality, effectiveness and sustainability. This can be done, as I have been advocating recently, by plucking at what I call the low-hanging fruits of restructuring (Jega 2021, a & b.)
Other things that are recommended to be done so as to nurture and entrench national unity, integration and sustainable peace and stability include:
- Focused and targeted programs of primary, in-school socialization and reorientation need to be introduced, and sustained. Core national values should be taught and indoctrinated in pupils/students quite early in schools, catching them young. The teaching civics, as well as good aspects of our histories and traditions, should be revived, and improved upon.
- Programmes of national re-orientation of citizens’ attitudes and mindsets should be carefully developed and implemented on a continuous, sustainable way. Such institutions as National Orientation Agency should be reformed and repositioned to design and implement these programmes, in collaboration with media outlets.
- Citizenship and leadership training and mentorship programmes, as well as apprentice schemes for the youth should be well conceptualized and executed.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that, given the imperative of unity in a diverse federal system, and in particular, the current dysfunctional nature of the Nigerian federation, patriotic Nigerians have an obligation to strategically identify effective ways and means of forging national unity in diversity, so as to restore stability, enhance peaceful coexistence, and sustained socioeconomic, as well as democratic development. This is a task that must be done.
Being a Keynote Address at the National Unity Summit 2021, organized by the National Prosperity Movement, NAF Conference Centre and Suites, Wednesday, December 1, 2021.
