THE QUEST for UNITY

Nigeria is a deeply diversified state. It is made up of about 250 ethnic groups. Apart from diversity in ethnicity, the country is also divided along religious lines. The northern part is principally a Muslim area, while the southern part is predominantly Christians. However, in both parts, there are pockets of adherents of traditional religion.

Since the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria in 1914, the polity has been battling forces of disunity including leadership by example, ethno-religious crises, and recently, terrorism, banditry; and the minority question. Public office is basically an avenue for selfless service to the people as exemplified by Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto, Alh. (Sir) Abubakar T Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. In order to address the challenge of disunity, successive governments of the country have put in place pro-unity measures such as national policy on education that would engender unity, National Youth Service Corps Scheme, physical infrastructure, mass mobilization, ethnic balancing in the country’s public service and north-south secondary school exchanges program.

Ways to foster unity in the country
Since the civil war, crisis has been a recurring decimal in the country. Nigeria is at a crossroad today; its ethnic diversity is not even a static phenomenon. Ethnic groups change through time in complex ways. Of course, it is natural to belong to a category or group of people that are considered to be significantly different from others in terms of culture (dialect or tribe, traditions, religion, etc.) and even physical characteristics (body shape, colour etc.), however, it is necessary, within the nation, and in the interest of unity, survival and goals, to suspend chauvinistic views to truly understand larger issues affecting the interests of all of the diverse groups that have been wedded together by God (geographical and re-settlement of people within the location), and of course by a deliberate union of marriage (inter-marriages) in such a location. Therefore there is the need for consensus bridges of understanding, tolerance and cooperation in the whole of Nigeria if people are to re-model their future and that of their children. The founders of the great nation wrestled with that understanding and concentrated on that which united them and not that which divided them although the younger generation has tended to neglect it. Successful countries today, were those whose citizens, at one time or the other, under strong and unselfish leadership, rose above personal, sectional or religious differences and worked together to build a viable nation to guarantee the welfare of its citizens in a New and Improved Ways.

Northern Position

Every Nigerian living in the north is a Northerner. That person, irrespective of his or her background, social class, tribe descent, ethnicity, religious belief and even political affiliation has the right to live in peace and harmony; and go about his/her legitimate businesses without fear. No matter the complexity of the challenges the region face, ACRD has the capacity to tap from northern resource persons and partner with Universities and other institutions within the region and away

THE WISDOM OF DIFFERENCE
By origin, mankind were a single people created from a single pair of male and female and made into nations and tribes so that we may get to know and cherish one another, but not to despise one another. That being so, God could have kept us all alike, with one language, one kind of disposition, and even one set of physical conditions (including climate) to live in. But in His infinite Mercy and Wisdom, He gives us diversity in these things, not only at any given time but also in different periods and ages. This tests our capacity for togetherness and accentuates the need for unity and self-esteem. The days of ignorance were the days of tribalism, intolerance, feuds and selfish accentuation of differences in man and the falsehood of trying to forget these differences rather than understand them. Those days unfortunately are not yet over. We must do all that we can do where we are. Lack of action today is far more dangerous tomorrow. We can advance only by being larger than in our present place. Meaning, mastering our destiny and the economic development of our place, and establishing economic, social and spiritual harmony between our peoples and strengthening the inter-ethnic relationship. And, no man is larger than his present place that leaves undone any of the work about that place. Only those who more than fill their present places advance the world. And those who do not do their part to fill their present places are a dead weight upon society, government, commerce, and industry. They must be carried along by others at great expense. The progress of such a place is retarded only by those who do not fill the places they are holding. They belong to a former age and lower stage or plane of life. Their tendency is toward degeneration. No society could advance if every individual fails to do his part because social evolution is guided by the law of physical and mental evolution. In the animal world, evolution is caused by an excess of life. When an organism has more life than can be expressed in the functions of its plane, it develops the organs of a higher plane, and a new species is originated. There would never have been new species had there not been organisms, which more than filling their places. The law is the same for us. The control of our economy and politics largely depends upon our applying this principle to our affairs. Every day is either a successful day – reconciliation, friendship, economic ventures, peaceful coexistence etc., or a day of failure – hatred, betrayal, social/religious upheavals, envy etc. And, it is the successful days, which get us what we want and eventually take us where we want to go. If every day is a failure, we can never attain economic and political growth; if every day is a success, we cannot help but control our destiny.

If there is something that may be done today and we do not do it, we have failed insofar as that thing is concerned. And, the consequences may be more disastrous than we can imagine. God does not change the condition of a people unless they try to change their condition. We cannot foresee the results of even the most trivial act. We do not know the workings of all the forces that have been set moving on our behalf. Much may be depending on our doing simple act; it may be the very thing which is to open the door of opportunity to great economic possibilities and harmony. We can never know all the combinations, which God is making for us as a group and even as an individual in this world. Our neglect to be responsible, law-abiding or failure to do some small thing like the struggle for a better life legitimately may cause a long delay in getting what we want or even cause us to lose it altogether. Let’s do, every day, all which can be done that day. However, there is a limitation or qualification that we must take into account. We are not to overwork or rush blindly into economic reforms, business ventures, or device policies that befit the aspiration of the people to do the greatest possible number of things in the shortest possible time. We are not to try to do tomorrow’s work today or do a week’s work in a day. It is not the number of things that we do, rather the efficiency of each separate action that counts. Every inefficient act is a failure, and if we spend our time addressing issues that divide us, our whole life will be a failure. The more things we do, the worst for us, if our acts are inefficient ones (that goes for individual and even in economic policies). On the other hand, every efficient act is a success in itself, and if we concentrate on those things that unite us (and only understand our differences); our whole life must be successful. Reaching the 2020 economic target of Nigeria will largely be due to either inefficiently doing too many things or not efficiently doing enough things. It is self-evident that if we do not do any inefficient acts and if we do a sufficient number of efficient acts, we will become economically rich and politically strong, and will have sustainable development. If we can make sufficient efficient acts, we can therefore see that creating wealth and achieving economic stability is reduced to an exact science, like mathematics. The issue now, then, lies on the question of whether we can collectively make sufficient unanimous, efficient declaration of unbreakable unity, stand by our declaration, rally behind common goals and support our chosen leaders even during rough tested-rides; to take us away from that false mental attitude, towards the true attitude of unity, and if our Faith was certain (and not merely a matter of words), God will guide us to that unity, progress and the promise of that One Nigeria, prosperous and strong; and among the 20 most developed nations by 2020.