Time they say heals wounds. But does it, really? Historical evidence does not appear to answer that question in the affirmative. For me, I should contend that time does not heal emotional wounds; rather, it is the conscious mental exertion of the wounded that heals. If we assume that this perspective passes universal scrutiny, then l believe it is time, we, the citizens of Nigeria, a potentially great global economy, told ourselves some bitter truths about our country. The need to so do now seems palpable. Nigerians, irrespective of geo-political zones, religion, gender, or generation, have suddenly grown restive about the state of union. A keen sense of insecurity and diminished patriotic confidence now pervades the landscape.

From the Northeastern fringes of the country, the nihilistic terrorist group that calls itself Boko Haram exerts an inwards thrust with the aim of establishing an expansive Caliphate within Nigeria. From the South-south and Southeastern axis inconsolable militant groups exert asphyxiating pressure on Nigeria’s vulnerable economic infrastructure with the purpose of appropriating ownership of a better part thereof. In the North-central and part of the Southwest, AK47-weilding herdsmen, at will, goad their cattle into private farms, maiming and killing, as though the latter were government subsidized ranches for indiscriminate grazing.

And, across the six geo-political zones, kidnapping for ransom and dare-devilry armed robbery have escalated into a mega industry in quick successions. While ordinary hapless Nigerians blame the sitting political leadership for their dire state of being, the latter, rather than provide effective solutions to established national problems, spend a better part of their tenure lamenting the perceived sins of past administrations. Even unscrupulous politicians have dragged the twin volatile issue of tribe and religion into the blame game, further intensifying mutual suspicions between Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities. (Hate speeches, a rising major national concern, draw their oxygen from such unconscionable politicians)

The recurring word “restructuring”, dreaded by some sections of the country, is a part of the manifest consequence of all of the above. Today, no political party worthy of the name can afford to omit restructuring on its Agenda. It has become a must-do for Nigeria. Actually we should commend ourselves for being able to form a consensus (saving two or so seeming confused voices) on the crucial issue of re-jigging Project Nigeria. It is not often that Nigeria’s variegated tribes speak with a tongue, even on otherwise routine matters. So, congratulations Nigerians; but more importantly though, the would-be re-jigging exercise has to be a complete success for us to be worthy of the commendation. So, we are thus presented with a delicate situation. Why? We shall explain.

Restructuring requires that we do a lot of looking back, if only to save ourselves from repeating past mistakes. Indeed it is necessary to look back in order to move forward progressively. The operative word here is progressively; because a converse scenario is also possible: looking back in a manner that discounts forward movement relative to not looking back; that is, looking back retrogressively. This is as much true for the individual as it is for a country. As individuals, it is easy to recall how frequent recalls of past hurts to our persons have hindered our overall growth. (It’s not my purpose to stir up better forgotten memories, for we all have them; so please pardon my taking liberties with you, my esteemed readers) For a country, such frequent recalls of past hurts not only inhibit national developments, but as often as not ignite the processes that culminate in a civil war. Examples are not in want.

Therefore, peering into a country’s past with a view to improving her economic efficiency, calls for superior statecraft. In Nigeria, looking back at past wounds has become a culture. Unfortunately we seem to be looking back retrogressively, with covert or overt vengeance for the most part. The result: no ethnic nationality trusts the other. For example, the Middle Belt still betrays signs of hurt from the core Hausa North’s highhandedness on her in the early 1960s; just as the core Hausa North still begrudges the Igbo Southeast for the January 1966 assassination of her leaders. In like manner, the Igbo Southeast talks painfully of the post-1966 pogroms and their aftermaths; while the Yoruba Southwest talks now and again about her presidential electoral injustices. This trend even trickles down into the sub-tribes following their centuries of inter-communities clashes and sundry other disagreements.

And, instructively, this culture is often graphically demonstrated during plenary sessions at the National Assembly. As stated elsewhere, l seldom watch NASS sessions, but when l do, l often come away with the impression that our elected representatives do little else, whenever they have the floor, than recount perceived injustices against their respective constituencies. Some notable representatives exhibit this culture with undue passion. And by the by, this trait is not peculiar to the Legislature; the Executive is just as infected. Recalling past collective wounds to whip up tribal or religious sentiments appears to be a handy currency in Nigeria’s political market place. What’s more, many a local politician have become larger than life merely by playing up that cheap emotional blackmail at the expense of Nigeria’s unified development. Virtually every other Nigerian politician follows that model – an unsavoury model that is likened to the proverbial burning of a candle at both ends.

After decades of constantly getting unduly emotional about yesterday’s wounds, Nigerians have suddenly grown too old for tomorrow’s work. Nigeria cannot survive much longer as an entity in her present state; the exhibited restiveness in the citizenry speaks eloquently of the strains at her regional seams. It is time to move on; a paradigm shift has now become a desideratum, for all the obvious reasons. One of the more obvious is: no point is served crying over spilt milk; getting unduly emotional cannot restore our losses. Therefore, we must stop dwelling on past wounds. Secondly, we should substitute our negative emotions with creative thinking, as enjoined by the Holy Writs. The envisaged resultant electorate must be of the quality that will insist on a Nigerian political space that is ideologically driven, and where candidates are chosen purely on merit. To do less is tantamount to an open invitation to foreigners to take over our country.

Indeed, there is emerging evidence that foreigners are already aggressively encroaching into sectors traditionally reserved for Nigerians (!) Arise o’ compatriots; diligently obey Nigeria’s call; and do not let yesterday’s wounds make us grow too old for tomorrow’s work… So help us God. May this form part of our national resolution in 2018.
Compliments of the season.
Afam Nkemdiche is consulting engineer, wrote from Abuja.
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