Modern technology, and in particular, the world wide web of the internet, has made simultaneous interactions and instant communication possible and even seamless, between Nigerians in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria on the one hand, and Nigerians in the worldwide Diaspora.
We Nigerians have a choice to make; it is either to deploy the internet as a tool, machinery and instrument for our national development, progress and advancement, or, we can instead, use these interconnectedness as weapons to exacerbate our seeming ever fragile national unity. There have in recent times, a been, a seeping acid and acrid development in our national discourse, which now appears to be only destined to become more and more steeped in volatile flame-throwing of all descriptions or variations. These include the emphasis of ethnic, religious, region, state, indigene or settler dichotomies.
Modern technology, especially the internet type, enables instant synergies through instant communication, which in turn, enables the harnessing, corralling, and coalescing of efforts for meaningful impact on divergent populations of peoples worldwide. In the case of Nigeria, in particular, we are all agreed that much remains to be done for our nation. You would think therefore, that this rare and golden opportunity will be mined by well-meaning Nigerians, at home and abroad for our nation’s sake! Nigerians can and should Google-group, Yahoo -group, Facebook-group our nation to success.
But no! What have happened and is still now happening in increasing tempo and in speeding crescendos, is that, Nigerians of all ethnic and religious stripes, are now excelling in shrill-shouting our meager differences from their internet roof-tops with internet megaphones, some of them, have become in the most incredible sense, in the magnifications of our diversity as impossible obstacles, impediments and clogs in the wheel of our cohesion of action for our nation’s development, progress and advancement. This, to me are such egregious waste of prized and valuable resource
It is reasonable, I think, to assume that Nigerians are all aware of the positive possibilities of conversations about our national issues, the malaises, the funks and sundry challenges. Meaningful conversations of course and not idle chatters on a highway to nowhere! These days however, it is the case that Nigerians in their majorities, waste, squander and dissipate their energies on assertions of ethnic, religious, state, indigene and or settler suzerainty superiority! Such as whose ethnic group is famous for goat herding, and which other ethnic group is owner of Lagos, and wait, which ethnic groups eats more kola/gworro an African candy-stimulant! So, I eat more kolanuts than you that makes me less
It is really saddening! Why would a chemical engineer and a university -lecturer have the time, the inclination, patience and even a disposition for such inane conversation, no matter how tempting/entertaining, it might be? Why should a man, who is a good Nigerian lawyer, on American soil, the same man who advocates freedom and liberty on Monday through Friday for Americans, climb unto cyberspace during the weekend to argue vociferously, that is constitutional for a subdivision or substrata of the government in Nigeria, to abduct, bundle and dump some fellow Nigerians, in another part of Nigeria, as good public policy consistent with our national cohesion and national unity?
And then sleep well at night with good, clear conscience? Why should the appointment of one inspect general of police become the mother lode of all appointments before it, just because he comes from the side of the country where the sun rises? And why should the appointment of an ordinarily seasoned banker, raise eyebrows, uproarious raucous because he is of the religion which does not eat Holy Communion of unsweetened bread on Sundays? Must every banker eat bread without sugar-salt, before we can trust him with our national currency?
Why would a Nigerian, a professor of mathematics in a prestigious university, engage in talks which are divisively useless to our national unity efforts? In the face of all these, what exactly is the purpose of formal western education, if it does not refine our humanity, our understandings and interactions? If, our formal educations, merely affords us fine clothes and fine grammars to engage in ethnic flame-throwing? If chauvinism of region and religion, instead of tolerance and broadened horizons, are the outcomes of being educated, then education must be some warped-twisted tool, to which Nigerians must find undesirable!
Why must states which preach Shariah Laws reserve such, only for the poor and hapless in those states? How about some Shariah Law inspired amputations and stoning to death, for some of our former governors, current governors, and other political leaders, whose domain throw Shariah Laws as if it were political grenades at the rest of us law abiding Nigerians? Law abiding Nigerians who do not go to churches or go to the mosques? How about applying Shariah Laws nationwide in meting out just deserts to those who plunder, pillage and loot our treasuries in Nigeria and grind our country to her knees? Won’t that be the day of true, equal and even justice? Let us amputate or stone to death, Lucky Igbinedion, James Onanefe Ibori, Joshua Dariye, Kalu Orji and every other corrupt person in Nigeria, in public or private sectors! Won’t that be really nice? Christians and Muslims should be punished equally severely for corruption, looting and pillaging! But our country always seems to reserve punishments and gallows for the poor, underprivileged and citizens with disabilities as consequences of our laws!
Too many Nigerians these days, seem to have some sorts of autofocus on our trivial differences as prisms through which they respond to every important national issue, hence, the apparent primordial, myopic and parochial seeming auto-response with divisive sectionalisms.
It is saddening, doubly and multiplying-so, when you consider that the bulk of the Nigerians in cyberspace, engage in this imbecilic infantilism of wishing their ethnic group well, while entrenched and ensconced in these “my-ethnic-group-is-better-than-yours” sophomoric “presentations, are formally educated in the western sense. Regrettably these are the elite. The ones who ought to be the crème la crème of the Nigerian middleclass, exiled in foreign lands, due to the comatose state of the Nigerian economy. And yet, all they can seem to fathom, even from this distance and long way from home, is ethnic flame-throwing! Talk to me about national priority!
Instead, then, of Nigerians, wondering about, best and shortest possible ways of how to reverse the sorry state of our homeland, motherland-fatherland? Too many of us are engaged in worse than useless daily nattering and chattering as if we are programmed to be self-destruct! The Chinese and the Indians are on the path to industrial glories, and this is partly because, these citizens of these nations have embarked on reverse migration and voluntary repatriations of human capital and material wherewithal, from their Diasporas, to their homelands in China and India respectively.
We are of course all familiar with the attractive, disarming and equally disabling perennial arguments. Government must provide enabling environments. Such as the much touted provision of adequate security, public infrastructures, and then, reduction or elimination eradication of corruption etc. These are all decent arguments. But, they do not excuse our current nattering nabob labels and titles regarding the best and shortest ways out of the abject human condition on ground in Nigeria. Governments are certainly not the only useful factors to consider in national developments.
Additionally, or besides, we have waited for so long for these desirable preconditions which we stipulate and parrots too often, to occur and yet, the government is unwilling, unable and neglectful of the
importance of these preconditions! We should then begin alternatives by substitutions. We should move from plan A to plan B! As it does appear that our stipulated preconditions are not speedily occurring as we have demanded. The best and brightest, the smartest among us Nigerians should start to think outside the box! We should adjust our attitudes to meet challenges we face. National development must be seen as road-run jogging, it requires disciplined focus. And waiting for the perfect conditions is foolhardy. There is always an excuse not to run, it can be too cold, too hot, too humid, to snowy-messy, too rainy, too windy etc. But good runners know, after the first ten minutes the weather conditions are almost irrelevant, as a good runners at such point is already enjoying her road-run, notwithstanding weather conditions! Israel is developing despite wars and suicide bombing. Israel’s agriculture is booming despite water scarcities and desertification. A challenge can present opportunity for ingenuity, Nigerian ingenuities!
Poverty and scarcity, the desperate plunge for what is only available or rationed exemplifies differences in our diversity. It is as if everyone is rushing for the last bus-ride home! Mismanagement by what have passed as our political leadership, have in essence, created acute thirst in the middle of our clean body of waters. There is so much want and desperation wrapped in hopelessness in our nation of natural material infinite abundance.
This is the elephant in the room of our national existence. And this constitutes the clear and present danger and it remains an existential threat to our nationhood. The good news is that, we have millions of Nigerians with robust intellects who can tackle and eliminate eradicate, every the challenges which life may present to our nation. It just except that we have, and are still currently too distracted by irrelevancies of region, religion and other vagaries of bigotries and prejudices against fellow Nigerians citizens. And we can certainly do better that this. I know Nigerians can.
Nigerians want the same things! Same things, such as clean water, steady supply of electricity, optimum to full employment, good and safe motor roads, sturdy and sustainable public infrastructures. Graduate unemployment, power failure, scarcity of clean water, roads as death traps, and paucity of public infrastructures afflicts all Nigerians in most identical manners, regardless of region, religion, state, indigene, settler dichotomies! So why can’t Nigerians focus, singularly, on the things we share and the other things we all yearn for? Who are some of us really rooting for in all these? The ethnic champions, the ethnic flame-thrower bigots, the ones who says, only Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo can lead the Central Bank of Nigeria for the next one hundred years?
Nigerians at home and in the Diasporas ought and should, be rooting for Nigeria! There are abundant and enough resources for all Nigerians and then some. There is enough expanse of land for all Nigerians and then some. The only thing which Nigerians currently lack is the will, the discipline and focus on our national best interests. It is when, and not if Nigeria does well, Nigeria will do well, and when Nigeria does well, we, the infinitesimal component pebbles parts, will benefit and be entirely unconcerned how many more pebbles constitute or comprise or it takes to make the whole of the national corporate existence which will be forever known as our dear great country, Nigeria!
There are other articles titles supplied below, similar in themes, by the same author, previously published which can be linked through, and with the use of most web-search engines. Google, Yahoo etc.
Learn more and get details by visiting the following links:
1. The Benefits of Nigerian Unity and The Perils of Disintegration .published in 2003?
2. The Benefits In Self-Definition And Self-Assertion
3. Are Some Nigerians’ Psyche Damaged?
4. Are Nigerians Fatalistic And Doomed?
5. Nigerians In Diaspora Organization, As Nigeria Advance,
6. Comparing Diasporas: Asians, Jews, Irish with Nigerians.
7. Nigeria Is Worth Dying For!
8. Nigeria Is Full of promise! Nigeria Deserves Our Love And Loyalty
9. NIGERIA My Love
10. I Love Nigeria Just Because!
11. Minister Andoakaa SAN, AG, Nigeria’s Public Enemy Number One!
12. No Tears For Looters!
