I know that the rules of our church in this matter may not necessarily be the same with the position of other Christian churches. But I am here talking about our Catholic Church. By the same token, we might also raise issues about where Islam stands in this whole discussion. I imagined you may have been dealing with such issues for quite some time.
Let me conclude this discussion with a humble offer. I will be very happy to participate in a process of improving relationship between our church and the pyrate confraternity.
The state of the nation:
Now, let me turn to the topic assigned to me for this key note address namely:
The state of the nation.
This topic is both easy and difficult. It is easy to see where we are right now in the nation. But it is also difficult to understand how we have got to where we are and how we are to turn a better page in our development. I do not have to go to a lot of details about the problems of our nation. They are well known. But while we are justly worried about our plethora of problems, we should not ignore the rays of light in the clouds.
Our problems.
There may be a few people who are in and outside of government who may be quite happy with the present situation. Perhaps this may be because they are personally beneficiaries of the performance of our government. But I believe it is true to say that there is large scale grumbling on the part of the vast majority of Nigerians. The ongoing political campaigns are replete with catalogues of failures of our government, even from candidates in the present ruling party. This sense of dissatisfaction and grumbling is obviously not without reason.
The state of insecurity is making almost every aspect of our national life problematic. Worst of all is the fact that it appears that the state has no answer to how to keep our nation safe, while to do that is the most primary obligation of any government.
The situation of our social services that have been running down is affecting almost everyone. In particular, social services that are under government control have suffered major neglect, whether in education or health services, roads or sanitation. Often Nigerians have to fend for themselves. But there is a limit to how much individuals can cater for all their needs.
There is also the growing poverty in the land. We are being told now that we are the “poverty capital of the world.” All the usual statistics point to the fact that Nigerians are being progressively impoverished. This is not just a matter of dry statistics. It is a question of quality of life and level of livelihood, right down to the basic needs of our lives. What do we eat? What shelter do we have? How do we take care of health needs?
And undergirding all these negative factors, is the major issue of mass pervading distrust of government on the part of citizens. It is certainly a major problem if people can no longer trust their government to be looking after their interests. The government will need to do a lot to regain this trust which is necessary for any government to function.
The rays of light
But having said all the above, I cannot say that everything is all bad with our nation. Many people especially foreigners have been predicting that Nigeria will soon become a failed state. I do not believe that we have reached that stage nor do I think that we shall reach that stage any time soon. The flag of the nation is still flying even though it is dirty and tattered.
I am saying this because basic institutions are still functioning even though not at optimal level. Bad or weak government is better than no government at all. I do not believe we have reached a state of total anarchy.
We still have a police force and armed forces and other security agents, once in a while performing their duties.
There is of course the proverbial Nigerian resilience, constantly managing to survive under conditions that would appear unbearable.
We must not forget the many Nigerians who are working hard to plug the holes and fill the gaps left by bad governance. Most of them continue to do their duty with little or no recognition or reward. I believe these are those who are still keeping the rickety system standing.
We are hearing very wonderful news about our citizens abroad in the diaspora. They are easily now our most important foreign resources and assets, despite our just concerns about brain drain. Their brilliant performance gives us great hope that when our nation succeeds in organising itself well, the sky will be the limit for our citizens coming home from abroad.
Finally, as a man of faith, I cannot fail to mention that Nigeria has the great asset of men and women who sincerely have faith in God, believing in God and doing their best to do God’s will. That there are many charlatans in the market of religion in Nigeria should not be allowed to blind us to the positive impact of religion, Christian and Muslim and even our African traditional values in guiding the daily lives of our people.
New attitudes.
This for me is the state of the nation as it is. I believe that we should not give up hope. Rather our present situation on the verge of elections in a couple of months calls for a new attitude for the better. Among this is that we should have a basic trust in ourselves and in our leaders even if they have often disappointed us. We should accept the fact that Nigeria as one nation with diverse peoples has come to stay. This is a fact and like they say in Latin: “Contra factum non valet argumentum”, against the fact, there is no room for argument. There are those who are tired of this nation and may believe that going our separate ways is the solution. But as we can see, it is easier said than done. The examples of other nations that have split and gone their separate ways have shown that such a process is hardly ever achieved without serious and often bloody consequences.
Furthermore, there is need for us to believe more in ourselves and in our God giving resources. We need to believe in ourselves as Nigerians with tremendous possibilities and in the God given resources that are still in our nation, even though their management so far leaves much to be desired.
Finally, we need to try and avoid negative categorisations and group profiling. Enough of the “they” and “us.” We should try to see one another first and foremost as human beings created in the image and likeness of God and as human beings placed in this country called Nigeria. We have our diversities and differences but so do we have a lot in common. We should not allow our differences to tear us apart.
To be continued tomorrow.
Onaiyekan (CON), Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja delivered this as keynote address at the 7oth anniversary of National Association of Seadogs held in Abuja on December 10, 2022.
