Ethnic diversity and socio-moral recipe for anti-corruption war (1)

Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fall, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science.

THE above was one of the most profoundly effective verbal therapies that healed Europe and indeed the entire world from the devastating disease of Adolf Hitler’s totalitarianism of the early 20th century German government. The necessity, appropriateness and promptness of this Winston Churchill’s caveat at that time cannot be over-emphasized.

In fact, more than the totality of the power of arms and ammunition, much of the panacea that arrested Hitler’s sinister mission and collapsed the Second World War (WWII) were the spoken and courageous words of leaders at that period. There was general realisation that Hitlerism and Nazism intended no good for the world and thus must be brought to its knees. The response to this call by leaders was apt, prompt, fast and collective. Thus, the spirit of a collective battle against a peace-threatening ideology was awakened in the entire Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Governance in Nigeria since independence has been going through some similar regime of Hitlerism, a regime of economic and material profligacy, political totalitarianism, mental colonisation, and collective historical amnesia. Leaders, who, on the one hand, regard the people as mere audience whose duty is just to applaud the political actors or verbally condemn their stage error, have led these; on the other hand, the leaders perceive the people as mere ladder upon which the former trample towards the realisation of their ambitions. Moral ineptitude, hardship-inflicting policies, poverty-stricken citizenry, and a paternalistic-infant relationship characterise the ambitions. However, at some point in the past on this national voyage, some leaders have distinguished themselves in terms of character and integrity while most have failed the collective desire of the people.

The immediate lesson-consequence that greets the actions and inactions of these leaders is an evolution of a ‘new polity’ composed by citizens who could stand and question the unproductive and ailing status quo. Thanks to a return to democracy. There is a common awareness among the so-called ‘audience’ – an awareness that a time has come to rid themselves of the neo-slavery into which their leaders have for far too long plunged them.

Hence, there has been a growing mood and popular consciousness among Nigerians and Nigeria’s allies across the world that the pests on our development are basically the deep-seated ethnic suspicion, corruption and pro-corruption attitudes, and accidental leadership. If these snags are not rooted out from our system, then we are doomed for more troubled times ahead.

Ethnic suspicion is a function of a number of factors and issues. Sidesplitting, many have, using a lopsided logic, attributed the corrupt state of Nigeria to their claimed corrupt colonial act of 1914. That, since the Nigerian ethnic entities were fraudulently collapsed into one for the benefits of the colonial bourgeoisie, and the people ab initio do not have common sense of togetherness, it is therefore logical that the moral consciousness of the colonised people become skewed. One could only deduce high level irrationality and illogicality in the argument. As a fall-out, Nigerians become nostalgic of the long-standing idea that our merger or amalgamation was a fraud.

To many, if not most, since, in the first place, the coming together of the Nigeria peoples was nonconsensual, there was no basis for their co-existence, as though Nigeria is the only country fractionalised by ethnicity. Of the 159 countries analyzed and ranked by Fearon etal, Nigeria, with 0.805000 and 0.660000 of ethnic and cultural fractionalisation indices respectively, is placed 18th. Similarly, Alesina’s analysis puts Nigeria ethnic, religious and linguistic fractionalisation indices respectively at 0.850500, 0.742100, and 0.831600. These figures are clearly suggestive of the fact that Nigeria is not the first to be characterised by ethnic diversity. In other words, the country is still trailing several countries in the world (and more particularly in Africa) in terms of ethnic, religious and cultural heterogeneity.

Secondly, there is a shallow understanding of the power of diversity and number by many Nigerians, including the elite. Ironically, too, many organisations, particularly the inter-religious and socio-cultural groups, whose agenda is geared towards promoting national integration and consciousness, ensuring unity and mitigating ethnic preferences, are not doing much. They seem to be on the threshold of tearing apart (and some have melted) due to superimposition of ethno-religious sentiments, ideological differences, and fight for power and/or money. As a matter of fact, it is unarguably true that the immediate cause of the maiden coup in Nigeria, the subsequent coups and coup attempts, and the tragic Biafran war was fundamentally ethnic suspicion.

To be continued.
Alabi is a public affairs commentator and works with a subsidiary of Legal Blitz Limited. 2, Ayodele Fanoiki Street, Magodo Phase 1, Isheri Lagos.
jamesvivian911@gmail.com 08039696286.