In a heterogeneous country like Nigeria, the very presence of ethnic rivalry can never be denied and can pose a great problem to the entrenchment of unity in that country if not well managed and interests of groups well managed. Ethnicity and nepotism have caused the dismemberment of some African countries such as Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia. In others, where these divisions haven’t led to disintegration, ethnicity remains a threat to National cohesion, growth and development.
Nigeria’s disunity is partly traceable to the people’s identification with their ethnic nationalities ahead of the country’s and rabid promotion of ethnocentrism and ethnic nationalism. Moreso, the domination of one of these groups in National politics continues to threaten any attempt to reconciliation and unity.
So, until 1999, a section of the country held the sway of National executive power while others scampered for the crumbs that fell from the table thereby increasing animosity, mistrust, hatred and infestation of corruption in the attempt to grab power. It transcended military and civilian governments. As such, former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme’s proposal for the creation of six geopolitical zones in the country and consequently, the rotation of the presidential seat among the six geopolitical zones in the 1995 national constitutional conference gave a glimmer of hope to a better future for the country. It was then not surprising that when the transition to civil rule programme was started in 1998, the G-34 group of which Dr Ekwueme was a top member and other groups coalesced to form the People’s Democratic Party, the party largely built its doctrinal and ideological foundation on zoning of political offices.
The PDP’s seemingly adoption of the principles of rotation of power during its inglorious sixteen year reign in Nigeria guaranteed relative peace, unity and political stability. But today, that same political party seems to have jettisoned its guiding ethos and principles leading to a disarray in its ranks.
The situation also seem not different in the All Progressives Congress, APC where in the interest of equity, egalitarianism, fairness, and unity of Nigeria, the party should have zone its presidential ticket to the South East considering the pervading situation in the country. Since the inception of the fourth republic, the South South, South West, and the North has all produced the presidents of Nigeria.
Each geopolitical zone in Nigeria has sagacious, knowledgeable, visionary, and patriotic politicians, who can offer good political leadership at the national level if given the opportunity to become our president. But the factors of religion, ethnicity, and population can prevent the emergence of a Nigerian president from some geopolitical zones. People from the geopolitical zones who cannot produce the president of Nigeria feel alienated, marginalized, and excluded from the power loop.
Indisputably, the resurgence of secessionist agitation in the South East of Nigeria is attributable to the felt marginalization of the Igbo. The Igbo people are always quick to point to the fact that no person of South East origin has been appointed to head national security outfits in Nigeria. And alongside other geopolitical zones, it cannot hold a candle to other geopolitical zones regarding infrastructural development.
So the quest to re-make Nigeria, and set it on the path of achieving economic and technological development lies in entrenching peace and unity in Nigeria. This can be achieved by evolving, fashioning out and sustaining a variant of democratic culture and practice, which will embrace rotational presidency.
Who does not know that peace and unity is the foundation of a national development in any country? A disunited country cannot achieve greatness as its peoples who come from diverse ethnic backgrounds will continue working at cross purposes.
Written by CHIEDU UCHE OKOYE
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