Anyim under investigation over 297-bed hotel

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IF NIGERIA MUST SURVIVE

Recent happenings in Nigeria have put a huge question mark on whether the country will survive or not. Will its people survive the very threat to their existence? Will the units and splinters that make up the entity survive in their tribal but proud small states? Will the entire entity, Nigeria, survive as one nation, one people? The commonest answer you can find out there is, ’Let us wait and see’. Even when not spoken, the ominous silence or self contradictory answers scream it loud. This attitude pervades the entire spectrum of confusion called Nigeria.

Right now, everyone anticipates the worst including my humble self. And in preparation for the worst, nobody is looking up to Nigeria, either as a government or a nation. Individual survival of the multiplicity of tribes, interest and nations are psychologically preparing for their own self preservation. This scenario does not lend credence to the possibility of a Nigeria that will survive. In other words, if nobody is committed to the survival of the entity called Nigeria, her chances is next to zero.

With a deep sense of history, not the history of Nigeria as a country, but the history of the numerous tribal nations, feudal, empires, oligarchies, monarchies etc. that make up the Nigeria of today, I have decided to make my submission about what I think must be done if Nigeria must survive on any of the three levels of survival mentioned earlier.

Nigeria is a country in denial of what she is. No one in Nigeria is a Nigerian deep down in his soul. Every one of us has one, two, or three layers of more important identities before the whole called Nigeria. That the British colonialist initiated the denial process, ignored these identities, formed alliances with some of the identities for their own selfish interest did nothing, I mean absolutely nothing to extinguish or even diminish this primordial sensibilities and loyalties to tribal identities. They know that attempting that would have taken them forever to accomplish. They only hoped and prayed their contraption will hold long enough to yield the expected returns.

The nation state having been put in place, the first and most important pre-occupation of government since then has been to perpetuate the denial, both for the interest of the ruling class and western interest. While these interests are being served, the country, if ever there was one, is bleeding to death. Serving these interests is never known to bring development to any country. So, externally we are one country, but internally we are several nations living in mutual suspicion, who cannot articulate, uphold and commit to any shared vision.

Nigeria has so far been held together by an overwhelming sense of the victor and the vanquished, the rulers and the ruled. But things have changed, and forever if I may add. The ruled have tasted rulership, the ‘slaves’ have tasted freedom. The resulting awakening of right-to-rule on equal terms and of economic ownership and power based on natural equity is known to be irreversible in human history. Any attempt to reverse this leads to nothing but anarchy. Let it be said, that I said, the present insurgency in the north east of Nigeria will pale to nothing compared to the conflagration that will follow any determined attempt to reverse the awakening.

For Nigeria to Survive, many bitter pills must be swallowed:

We must go back over one hundred years and pretend that the entity called Nigeria has never been created. Be patient. Do not say that cannot be yet. How, you may ask. Something existed before the northern and southern protectorates were concocted; which eventually merged to be called Nigeria. What existed were tribal nations; proud small and large entities with a clear sense of their history and their identities. They were bonded by very elaborate cultures and distinguishable languages. They were occupying unique geographical areas and engaged in economic activities that are in sync with their peculiar environment. Each had an ecosystem within which they thrived. For Nigeria to survive, we must first establish a formal process for recognizing these tribal nations of the 16th to 20th centuries that are in the present day Nigeria, no matter how big or small they may be. Size is completely of no consequence in this process.

The formal recognition of these tribal nations will not only be celebrated but accorded all the autonomy and powers of self determination. Having achieved this sense of psychological freedom and identity, the issue of the formation of modern nation state can then be considered.

The decision to form or not to form a nation state will be 100% at the discretion of these tribal nations. Some may simply convert their tribal empire etc. into nation states. Some may decide to form alliances with their neighbors to gain size and or economic benefits in the resultant nation state. This simply implies the dismantling of the current political structures. It will be left to the tribal nations to elect, select or appoint their own leaders or representatives. On conclusion of this most crucial stage, we move on to the next.

The next question will be, are some or all of the nation state interested in forming a federation? The emerging nation states can then decide through their own internal democracy, oligarchy, monarchy or whatever system of governance they practice, whether to be part of any federation or go on alone. This process must be completely devoid of coercion or intimidation of any kind. It must be by consent of the entire nation state.

The final process will be that of taking stock to know who is within federations, how many federations, how many independent states etc. The federations and independent states will automatically become sovereign states. One would expect at this juncture that the people will be too preoccupied with internal considerations for cohesion and external considerations for alliances to be concerned with the whole presently called Nigeria. Standard international diplomatic relations will be encouraged between units of now sovereign states.

The big question in the mind of most people at this point is: who will midwife this process. In answer; it cannot be managed by the government of the day. The legislator cannot do it. Past administrators or so called elder statesmen cannot do it. The military cannot do it. It can only be set in motion through a referendum conducted by the United Nations. Once the parameters and processes have been agreed and started, the UN can only stand aside and watch. They may also call to order any section that crosses the set boundaries

The primary purpose of all these elaborate processes is simply to maintain relative peace and avoid bloodshed, while the people jostle with one another on whether to remain together or part ways as different independent nations. And any part or section of the present contraption called Nigeria that thinks it can intimidate or subdue another part will necessarily live through a nightmare for a long time. By the time they wake up, they would have lost both their nation and their identity.

Let Nigeria and Nigerians stop living in denial, pick up courage and do now what must eventually be done. Our preemptive action will give us the opportunity to do it deliberately and peacefully.

Written by,
Victor Olewunne.
A Social/Political Commentator and CEO of Vista Advertising Limited and Vista Press and Distribution Logistics Limited.