Celebrating What We Are Not

Barring any negative development, Nigeria will observe its centenary celebrations next year. The nation will have an elaborate commemoration of the forced amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates by the British colonial masters headed by Fredrick Lugard in 1914.

The present administration in its wisdom or the lack of it has proposed a year-long scheduled ceremony to emblazon it.

Certainly, upon a thorough examination one may see the need to celebrate our coming together. Not only that, also our being stuck together as a nation all these years. And President Goodluck Jonathan has not reneged on ingrafting this fact in the psyche of the average Nigerian. When we brood the challenges or obstacles we have had as a nation over the years, we have every reason to come together and dine  and wine and glorify God.

For instance, we fought a civil war for three years but survived it. Then, we were faced with the challenge of the Niger Delta militancy, which almost ravaged the economy and brought the country to its knees. And currently, the threat of Boko Haram insurgency that has crippled economic and social activities in the North coupled with the constant renewed threats of the Niger Delta militants, are sufficient occasions to revel in our unity.

However, the question is: of what benefit has our unity been to us? Or better put, in what ways have our leaders made our unity count in our national development? If at 100 years, “unity” still constitutes a major theme in our sermonising, then something is wrong apparently. If we must celebrate our so-called unity, must it be done in a profligate manner? And given the low performance of our economy, it is difficult to see the sense in an elaborate centenary celebration as planned by the Federal Government.

It is these concerns that have caused the National Assembly to be indisposed to the celebration which is reported to involve the construction of a centenary city in Abuja. Although the government has sounded it repeatedly that it would not rely on public funds for the execution of the programme and that the private sector would finance the enterprise, this, in my opinion, is very unlikely as investors will not put their money in areas where it can hardly be recouped.

Another factor that makes an elaborate centenary celebration unnecessary is the prevailing insecurity situation in the country which makes it nearly impossible for the nation’s Independence Day celebration to hold at the usual Eagle Square venue. How does the government intend to tackle this?

Besides, the nation is plagued with myriads of problems and they have been growing by leaps and bounds. The crux of this is the agitation for good governance and the institution of true federalism. This has given rise to calls for a Sovereign National Conference  (SNC). It also explains why the country experiences sectional agitation for presidency, which the proponents see as a way to protect their interests. Above all, some of the dissatisfied groups in the country have often mooted the idea of breaking up Nigeria if the issues canvassed are not addressed. General Ibrahim Babangida recently alluded to this when he urged Nigerians, especially our leaders, to ensure the continued togetherness of the country.

However, and as stated earlier, on the face value, I believe the projects are worth all the trouble. But knowing what our government is, I doubt their commitment to it. This will serve as a real litmus test for the administration. In reality, we may celebrate in order to have a sense of euphoria as we attain our 100 years of existence as a united country. But in doing this, we must remember our independence heroes and heroines, those that sacrificed their lives to make the dream of a United Nigeria come true.

We must remember the victims of injustice and inequity in the struggle to stay as a nation. And more importantly, we should reflect on our missed opportunities to be leader of the black race. Also, we have to reflect on the enormous resources that have been frittered away by unpatriotic Nigerians and their collaborators in government. We must re-cogitate on how we sank to the abysmal level of scorn and ridicule to the rest of the world.

In other words, our centenary presents a good occasion for sober stock-taking and strategising on the way forward to building a strong and stable country that is truly worthy of the celebration being proposed.

Unless the celebration goes that way, the country may justify the theory of its critics that Nigeria is indeed an accidental creation, whose continued survival will remain a challenge for both the leadership and the followership.

Arnold Alalibo