Independence Day Keynote Speech: Nigeria, Beyond Ethnicity

 By

Phil Tam-Al Alalibo

To: Members of the Assoc. of Nigerians for Better Governance (ANBG)

Toronto, Canada

Saturday, September 30, 2006

(Abbreviated version of a longer speech)

It would be the greatest lie if I claim that I am deserving of the fine introduction and accolades so generously heaped on me by Professor Amaka Chukwu. I believe someone else should have risen to the podium at the end of that introduction. As I stand here, my friends, I accept it with the utmost humility and with profound gratitude. However, while Professor Chukwu has done a fine job, I must protest vehemently the fact that she did not mention to you my most celebrated accomplishment to date; the fact that while I was in primary one, I was voted, almost unanimously, as class monitor and after serving one year, I won reelection without rigging the following year, still as a primary one student. Please do not attempt to ask why was I still in primary one the following year. But suffice me to state that I am vexed at this moment that she omitted such important accomplishment (riotous laughter from audience).

I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to the executive board of this new association borne out of the need for responsible governance in our beloved country, The Association of Nigerians for Better Governance (ANBG) and its esteemed members for the unique opportunity to discuss the project called Nigeria. Words are truly ineffable to describe my humility that in your very first meeting commemorating our 46^th independence celebrations held in this lovely lakeside city of Toronto, you asked me to address you and I accept the honor pledging to do my best to meet your expectations.

As I set on my journey yesterday to be with you, I thought about the prism through which many of us are apt to viewing Nigeria; the prism of ethnicity. Today, I will address ethnicity in the context of policies in Nigeria and its antipathetic effects on development. It is often said that one can view the glass as half full or half empty. Similarly, one can view the audience here as either Yorubas, Ijaws, Igbos, Udomas, Hausas or simply as Nigerians with no ethnic affiliations. The former view, in my opinion, is the bane of Nigeria’s problems. Let us consider for a moment the politics of ethnicity and the costly impact on the process of policy formulation and general administration. When ethnicity, not merit, becomes the consideration for promotion, award of contracts and employment, the nation collectively suffers from the dearth of productivity and when this practice is duplicated across the country what we have is a decline in productivity on a larger scale. If this is the case, we need no soothsayer to tell us that economic stagnation will be our lot.

President Olusegun Obasanjo attempted to address the issue of ethnicity when in 1999 he sacked most of the top military personnel whom he alleged did not merit their positions. While it could be argued that this was politically motivated rather than an action soused in the need for equity, what is not debatable is the fact that the military as an institution is reeked in the politics of ethnicity, perhaps, more than any other institution in the country. There is little doubt that northern officers under the regimes of the various northern dictators rose rather quickly through the ranks. This was a measure motivated by the need for self-preservation by the rulers, as it is often believed that one's kinsman was more apt to protecting one’s interest better than others. Ironically, Obasanjo currently plays to this ratiocination with his appointment of southern officers as military chiefs. This might explain why we have generals who can hardly articulate themselves in public and have proven to be very unwitting even in their specific spheres of command. The question thus is; how did they become generals in the largest army in Africa? What were the considerations – ethnicity or merit?

You will agree with me that often times most Nigerians do not identify as Nigerians, but rather as an ethnic body renting the Nigerian space. In this context, to the Nigerian, he is first an Ijebu man, then a Yoruba before he alludes to Nigeria as an after thought. This is not by any means limited to the Ijebu native but pervasive throughout the land. There are several damaging implications as it is suggestive of a fundamental flaw in the psyche of the Nigerian and further suggestive of the seemingly ingrained apathy that is often a commonality amongst Nigerians when the issue of citizenship is raised.

Accordingly, there are three main variables to consider – the first is the lack of a national identity. This brings to fore the fact that there are hardly any unifying factors amongst Nigerians. For example, what does an Igbo woman have in common with a Tiv woman besides the womanhood they share? What does an Ijaw man have in common with a Hausa man? The answer, my friends, is simply – nothing. But in Kenya for example, a Kenyan from the Luo ethnic group shares the commonality of language with another from the Massai ethnic group – the Swahili language. The scenario in Ghana is similar to that of Kenya where the Twi language has become an unofficial national language spoken by a majority of Ghanaians. Each one in this hall tonight must answer this question sincerely– what unifies us as Nigerians?

We will do well to remember that it was President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana who introduced the idea of Pan-Africanism where the identity of the nation-state will be de-emphasized in favor of a larger monolithic concept of statehood. On a microscopic level, borrowing Nkrumah’s rationale, if pan-Nigerianism were to be effected, what would be its rally points? It is no longer fashionable to assert that one is a Nigerian – a more appropriate assertion should be – what are the values of being a Nigerian? More importantly, what are the benefits of being a Nigerian? Recently, I attended a conference on the environmental degradation of Africa when the question was asked; why do African leaders allow Western countries to deposit their waste in Africa? One visibly angry participant answered the question – he simply noted that African leaders were yet to take ownership of Africa. That is why when they eventually retire they go to foreign lands where they have prepared for their retirement. The respondent was not far from the mark; when we begin to take ownership of Nigeria we would begin to realize the value of citizenship. But how can we accomplish this?

The second variable is the negative attitude of government towards citizenship. The value of citizenship noted above is intricately interwoven with the actions and reactions of government. When the federal government is unperturbed about the abuses of Nigerians by foreign governments such attitude is bound to have an adverse effect on the morale of Nigerians. We are all well aware of how Nigerians are treated by Western embassies and at airports around the world. Yet Western visitors to Nigeria are treated with unmatched hospitality and warmth while the Nigerian government has refused to re-enforce the value of being a Nigerian. Just a few weeks ago, I heard on the news how the Canadian government reacted by quickly evacuating its citizens from Lebanon during the brief Israeli-Hizballah war. Many of those evacuated, fifteen thousand in all, were very grateful to the Canadian government and they were certainly proud to be Canadians.

But by contrast, when the government diminishes Nigerians by its actions, it leads to another cogent problem, the lack of faith in government accentuated by the all too familiar shabby treatment by government. We see all over the country police brutality of innocent citizens, we see the wanton interruption of education, the gross lack of employment and security. Many years ago, I was traveling through Logan International Airport in Boston when I saw a sign on an airline counter warning passengers traveling to Nigeria of the volatile nature of our society and the unsafe conditions of our main airport in Lagos. At that moment, to be honest, Nigerian citizenship did not occupy the highest priority in my estimation. All these are contributive to the diminishment of citizenship and the accentuation of ethnicity.

The third variable deals with the ill reputation of Nigerians in the international community. Today, Nigeria is known as a haven of corruption and criminality. When international media outlets, BBC, CNN and Reuters cover events such as the arrest and escape of a Nigerian governor, it only goes to tarnish further an already tarnished image. It was not long ago when CNN aired a program titled “How to Rob a Bank”, a documentary unflattering of Nigerians in the Houston area. Was it deserved? Certainly not; Was it the truth? Certainly not; But the news have been consumed and not too many would care about the truth or a retraction. While I will not dwell on this for long as it is unrepresentative of the wholesome contributions of Nigerians in the US, here in Canada and the rest of the Diaspora, I will be remiss not to note that all three variables so mentioned are instrumental to the pronouncement of ethnicity. When the state fails in its fundamental duties ethnicity becomes a rallying point, it becomes relevant to the individual, as it never fails.

Thus, the question before us is; how do we raise above ethnicity for the greater good? How do we see ourselves as Nigerians instead of bodies of ethnicity? How can we share a common bond as a people? How can we marshal our diversity to enhance our unity? And how does Nigerian citizenship become relevant again? I believe I have provided some answers to these questions but let me restate for the sake of clarity;

·       <!--[endif]-->First, we must cultivate a national identity as a unifying factor;

·       <!--[endif]-->Second, we must witness an attitudinal change in government towards citizenship as a concept and in reality; and

·       <!--[endif]-->Third, we must launder our image for respect is synonymous with pride.

My fellow Nigerians, each one of us must play a crucial role in the re-engineering of our country. This is one responsibility we cannot punt away even if we have assumed citizenships of our host countries, let us not forget that we remain Nigerians at the end of the day. We can effect change through direct participation; through financial assistance to agents of change on the ground; through positive contribution via the media and through productive alliances with persons in Nigeria. Additionally, we can based professional decisions on merit rather than ethnicity in the interest of efficiency and equity. That is how a nation forges ahead, that is a nation progresses and that is how a nation moves from the developing chart to the developed chart. My friends, as we celebrate our 46^th independence, let us seek to uplift Nigeria to its former glory, let us use our ethnic polarity to our advantage, but not at the expense of unity, probity and responsible governance. But above all, let us seek to take pride in citizenship once again.

May God bless Nigeria.

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 The Association of Nigerians for Better Governance (ANBG) was formed six months ago by well-meaning Nigerians in Canada primarily to influence governmental policies in Nigeria through direct lobbying of leaders and politicians and through educational seminars and workshops by members for civil servants and government leaders. Membership is open to Nigerians of all ethnicity and professions. For more information, please contact its executive board at anbgexecutive@gmail.com.

Robot  Villager

# 1 Independence Day Keynote Speech: ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 05.10.2006 03:38

akuluouno  Villager

# 2 Sir, There is indeed nothing new in your key note speech, with due respects and if I am allowed to crave your indulgence. All interested Nigerians are already aware of all that you have said, but like I always say, the question begging for a timely answer is who will bail the cat. Tribe, religion and culture, good as they are in themselves, have been abused by leaders of thought, prophets of all religions (except the traditional ones, because their deities do not tarry before breaking the neck of hypocrites), tribal champions etc. The way forward which must be agreed upon by all stakeholders in Nigeria is the only way out of the quagmire. This way remains the adoption of a confederal constitution of six regions at the first instance with derivation as the basis for revenue distribution. This is my comments for now. Posted by akuluouno| 05.10.2006 07:13