The objective has always been to keep Nigeria as one and indivisible country. Like other leaders who have presided over the affairs of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari appears to be battling to keep the country united.
Tendencies like religion and ethnicity are usually highlighted by especially politicians to attain selfish goals at the expense of unity of the country.
Keeping the country together, however, is a task that must be achieved. Thus, speaking, recently, the president expressed the strong determination of his administration to forge a strong and united nation from the diverse religious and ethnic communities in the country.
Receiving the Tijjaniyya Muslim Religious Movement at the State House, the president spoke about the need to sustain the current mutual understanding among the followers of the two major religions in the country, Islam and Christianity.
He said: “It is generally said that differences divide people. We in Nigeria understand that there is no way a misunderstanding can cause division among us. We are one people.”
The president, rightly, said that Nigerians need economic prosperity and peace to carry out their day-to-day activities. “The requirements of our people, whatever religion they follow, and to whatever ethnic group they belong in Nigeria is the same,” he said.
No doubt, the country faces some challenges in its attempt to provide peace and socio-economic welfare to citizens. But Nigeria has that historic capacity for survival. It survived the political the civil war (1967-1970), the economic mismanagement of 1970s, the civilian laxity and ineptitude of 1980s, the failed political experimentation of the 1980s and 1990s that led to the annulment of the presidential election and the challenges of democratic consolidation since 1999 and it will also survive its current socio-economic and political challenges.
Of course, the process of building a united Nigeria will be easier if there is a good government, patriotic citizenry, equity, justice and fair play and absence of corruption.
No doubt, building a great nation is a huge challenge for any country, especially Nigeria, where the diversities of religion and ethnic groups exist. Regrettably, until the coming of this administration, previous administrations have shown little willingness to strength our unity.
And because the country was founded along the fault lines of religion and ethnicity, participation in the socio-economic and political process and the allocation of resources have continued to be based along the fault lines.
Unfortunately, this situation has remain a major reason for undermining of the country’s attempt at nation building for each time somebody loses out in the process of resource allocation, such person easily mobilise his community to fight on his behalf, without regard for nation building.
Unfortunately too, ethnic groups have since independence locked themselves in acrimonious relationship as they competed for state power and resources while the development of national outlook has proved abortive, with ethnicity and religion shaping regional responses to national events and developments.
Consequently, hardly does a national government command national loyalty as people tend to view it from the prisms of ethnicity and religion of the leader.
Also, some previous governments, unlike the current one, have tended to maintain an ethnic focus, with the zones not producing the president nursing a feeling of marginalisation.
Ideally, federalism should promote healthy competition among the diverse ethnic groups, nations, regions and states, guarantees autonomy and preservation of their peculiarities and interests but in Nigeria it is hardly so.
In fact, it seems to be the opposite here as people only appreciate federalism if someone they consider as their own controls power at the centre. Of course, it is easy to understand why it is so. Here, the centre appears to be too powerful and control huge resources, often times to the detriment of states.
Regrettably, until the president came to power, those in control at the centre, like their counterparts in the states, selfishly administered the resources put under their care and lined up their pockets, albeit illegally, with resources meant for development of the people and their area of jurisdiction.
It is based on the need to bring this unwholesome practice, especially in the states, therefore, the vow made by the president to unite the country must be appreciated.
After all, federalism, such as the type practiced in Nigeria, must be made to be led by those considered to be good, honest and transparent people, like the president, who will work tirelessly to foster unity in diversity, oneness, cohesion, peace and harmony in at the state and national levels.
Therefore, Nigerians, like the members of the delegation from Senegal, should pray for the realisation of the best wishes and aspirations of President Muhammadu Buhari for Nigeria which include security, peace, unity and progress.
Understanding the IDPs peace nexus
Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari highlighted the urgent need to rehabilitate Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to become, once again, useful members of the society.
Otherwise, the president pointed out, the IDPs could become the country’s nightmare by constituting themselves into a big problem for the country, now and in future.
Of course, if problems occur, they will be multi-dimensional and difficult to handle because the IDPs are many and the reasons for their current state are diverse with many of them forced to leave their homes by the Boko Haram insurgents, bandits and other criminals and even natural disasters.
Like he used to do, the president, this time too, chose the right moment to speak. The occasion was also momentous. It was when the president received in audience the President of the 74th United Nations General Assembly, Nigeria’s Professor Tijjani, Muhammad-Bande.
Regrettably, the president said, the children of the displaced persons, who are also living in the camps, “do not know their parents, or where they come from.” Aptly, the president pointed out that “We have to look at the issue now properly rehabilitate them otherwise we will have a problem on our hands in the future.”
Rightly, the president urged the UN General Assembly President to make Nigeria’s challenges glaring to the world and the world body needs do so because Nigeria has significantly contributed to its developments, through mainly the provision of personnel to carry out its functions around the globe.
Therefore, the UN should, in turn, help Nigeria in this respect as well. However, tackling the issue of internal displacement and preventing future displacement is inextricably linked to achieving lasting peace. On one hand, unresolved problems of displacement may cause instability and thus threaten peace-building efforts. On the other hand, durable solutions, particularly return, cannot be achieved for internally displaced persons as long as there is a lack of security and conditions for sustainable solutions are not in place.
IDPs also often have particular vulnerabilities that distinguish them both from refugees and other war-affected civilians and that need specific attention in peace processes and peace-building.
The process of peace-building is multi-faceted, involving re-establishing security and law and order, reconstruction and economic rehabilitation, reconciliation and social rehabilitation, and political transition to creating more accountable governance structures and institutions. The ways in which IDPs benefit from these processes may well affect the success of country-wide peace-building initiatives.
For example, if the situation in communities of origin is not perceived as safe by displaced persons, they will not return. Or if they do return, they may move again if security is inadequate. Similarly, if reconstruction and economic rehabilitation are not sufficient to enable the displaced to resume economic livelihoods, return will not be sustainable.
In fact, experience has shown that IDPs who do return can play an important role in rebuilding their homes and communities and thus in contributing to the economic development of the country.
Hence, the way in which these issues are resolved will have a major impact on the sustainability of peace in the country. Helping displaced populations, as Buhari urges the UNO to do, can simultaneously address the root causes of a conflict and help prevent further displacement. Specifically, the return of displaced populations can be an important signifier of peace and the end of conflict.
After all, in many countries, whether willingly or unwillingly, some IDPs have become party to the conflict, and their inclusion in peace processes is, therefore, necessary for conflict-resolution. On the other hand, returns that are not well prepared and managed may trigger new tensions with local communities or cause returnees to leave again and thus become a destabilising factor.
