Professor Emmanuel ‘Gbade Ojo, former Chief of Staff to the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, has urged Nigerians to fully embrace the “federal spirit” as a vital pathway toward justice, equity, and sustainable national development.

Ojo, a scholar in the Department of Political Science, University of Ilorin, made the call while delivering the university’s 291st Inaugural Lecture titled “The Worship of an Unknown Deity”, in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

The professor lamented Nigeria’s consistent struggle to internalise the core tenets of federalism, despite its formal adoption of a federal structure, describing the country’s approach to federalism as largely superficial and poorly understood.

“Nigeria has found it extremely difficult to imbibe the tenets and basic canons of federal principles and practices. Nigerians lack the federal spirit to accommodate one another, a major obstacle to national integration and development,” he noted.

Ojo argued that the absence of this federal spirit undermines efforts to create a just and equitable society and attributed the situation largely to the country’s deeply plural nature.

“It is imperative to understand the plural character of Nigeria to appreciate the enormity of the challenges we face with national integration. Like many other segmented and post-colonial societies, Nigeria must contend with the complex task of integrating its diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious groups,” he said.

To address these long-standing issues, the political scientist advocated for a new governance model, one that includes a rotational presidency among the six geo-political zones. According to him, this would ensure balanced representation and a sense of inclusion for all regions in the federation.

He also underscored the importance of mass mobilisation, insisting that the active participation of citizens is crucial to achieving both integration and development.

“Not much can be attained without the masses, who are the real catalysts for national unity and progress,” he said.
Prof. Ojo emphasised the need to redefine and properly conceptualise federalism in the Nigerian context. He warned that without a pragmatic and shared understanding of federalism, the country risks continued disunity and underdevelopment.

“It is equally imperative that we properly conceptualise federalism as a realistic and effective mechanism for integration. The earlier this is done, the better, so we can all understand how best to ‘worship the deity’ and attain the national integration we earnestly desire,” he added.