Nigerians have been asked to shun the path of war but to create a people-driven platform that will address the festering ethnic divisions and associated violence across the country.
Making the call at a conference organized by Marron Square titled: Identity Politics and the National Question in Nigeria” participants berate the country’s slide to instability in the midst of rising hate killings, profiling and inept leadership.
The scholars and human rights activists call on Nigerians to prevent the country from sliding to war, urging the people to seize the process of national reconciliation through practical efforts to save the country form waterloo.
The event which held on Thursday at the College of Education, Technical, Akoka, Lagos had some over one hundred participants drawn from across social and political spectrum. The Special Guest of the summit was the College provost, Dr Azeez Ademola.
In his remarks, Dr Ademola said Nigerians irrespective of class, faith or ethnicity should not allow themselves to be overwhelmed by divisive interests seeking to cause disaffection across the country. He urged the people to hold firmly to the belief that democracy is the best alternative for the people irrespective of the challenges the country may face at the moment.
Nigeria is currently in the grip of mayhem ranging from violent extremism, kidnapping, armed uprising amidst poverty and unemployment all of which combine to over wretch the toil worn country. Many observers have expressed fear that a major crisis in Nigeria can snowball into conflict which may unsettle the West African sub region or even beyond.
Human rights lawyer, Mr Onyeisi Chiemeke , who is the Policy Director said the forum was put in place as part of the dialogue series to constructively engage stakeholders in an effort to build a new country where violence and conflict become events of the past.
‘We think Nigeria can reclaim her heritage and the floundering fortunes of her political economy. The country is currently characterized by instability and a string of violence. This is not the dream of the country’s founders. We have the historical responsibility to come together as a people to address the major threats to our collective livelihood’ Chiemeke said.
In his paper, Dr Adagbo Onoja of the Veritas University, Abuja, said ethnic groups in Nigeria evolved through various stages adding that what has spiked feelings of hate and prejudiced was the character of bad leadership that has largely been the lot of the country for a long time. He said language similarities play a crucial role in the emergence of modern identities.
Onoja said, it is to this extent that the monolithic binary is a power agenda in that it reduces Nigeria to a country of two opposing regional identities instead of where identities, whether they are just two or a million, are meeting and mixing and producing multiple outcomes. A journalist and Executive Director, Journalists for Democratic Rights, (JODER) Adewale Adeoye whose paper was on The National Question, Ethnic Identity and Self Determination said Nigeria needed to address the national question instead of pretending that the problem does not exist.
He said the clamour for self determination should be understood within the context of International laws and various conventions of which Nigeria has an obligation to respect.
In his paper on ‘Interrogating the concept of Restructuring for Progress or Balkanisation to Retrogression Using Sudan and Yugoslavia as Case Study, Kadishi Oliseh said Nigeria should do everything possible to avoid disintegration
Oliseh said further “It cannot be overlooked that there are several challenges which have ravaged the country that has led to call for restructuring by different states and groups, thus, there is a need for Nigerian government to Address the challenges and problems for continuous and harmonious existence instead of calling for restructuring.” He said this needs to be looked at as soon as possible to enable Nigeria and Nigerians to acquire the requisite stability and peaceful coexistence amenable to accelerated, sustainable socioeconomic development.
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