I find the press release by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami,SAN, of January 14 on the security outfit of South-west very interesting. The minister could not find it dignifying to personally sign the press release on a weighty issue like that. He merely asked his media aide, Dr. Umar Gwandu, to sign the press release on his behalf. That has become the pattern of some top government officials particularly those in the central government these days. We have just marked the fifty years anniversary of the end of the civil war in Nigeria; a tragic war indeed. The anniversary should remind all of us especially top government officials on the need for caution in treating national issues. Less arrogance must be applied.
At the time we finished the civil 50 years ago, Mr. Abubakar Malami was two years old, so in effect he did not witness what led to the civil war. He is not alone. I leant he is very comfortable now and that his next ambition is to be the governor of Kebbi state, a land of equity, when the term of the incumbent, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu expires. The desired national unity in Nigeria, which has been fragile all these years, cannot be achieved through legal interpretation. The unity cannot be strengthened when there is master to slave relationship. If the idea of National unity in this country is still a dream, top officials of the central government past and present should share a greater part of the blame. By their actions and pronouncements they are polarising the entire country.
What I find strange is how an appointed official could talk down to elected governors doing the wishes of their people. The situation leaves no one in doubt that something is wrong with this type of Democracy forced on us by the military since May 1999. Those calling on the restructuring of the democratic process have valid points. It is the operation of an imbalanced system of government that could create chaos. Every Nigerian is a stakeholder in the Nigeria project. There is insecurity everywhere—a failure on the part of the central government—elected state governors want to ameliorate the situation in their states, the central Attorney-General of the federation and Minister of Justice says the action is illegal. I find it very difficult to understand.
Mr. Malami needs to be reminded like all others like him that there was a time in this country, in 1966 to be precise when there were four regions in Nigeria and the four regions had their separate constitutions. The regions were North, West, East and Mid-west. Although the regions were within the same country but their constitutions were not the same. The various constitutions reflected at that time their different challenges.
But above all Section 123 of Nigeria’s constitution states that the constitution shall have the force of law throughout Nigeria, and, subject to the provisions of section 4 of this constitution, if any other law (including the constitution of a region) is inconsistent with this constitution, this constitution shall prevail and the other law shall, to the extent of the ‘inconsistency, be void. 2. Nigeria shall be a federation comprising regions and a federal territory, and shall be a republic by the name Federal Republic of Nigeria. 3—(1) There shall be four regions, that is to say, Northern Nigeria, Eastern Nigeria, Western Nigeria and Mid-Western Nigeria. (2)The regions and the federal territory shall consist of the areas comprised in those territories respectively on September 30, 1963.
In his book titled “Nation Building”, Professor Andreas Wimmer, the Lieber Professor of Sociology and Political Philosophy at Columbia University asked a pertinent question “Why do some countries fall apart, often along their ethnic fault lines, while others have held together over decades and centuries, despite governing a diverse population as well? Why is it, in other words, that nation-building succeeded in some places while it failed in others? The current tragedy in Syria illustrates the possibly murderous consequences of failed nation-building. Outside of the media spotlight, South Sudan and the Central African Republic went through similar experiences in recent years. In some rich and democratic countries in Western Europe, such as Spain, Belgium and the United Kingdom, longstanding secessionist movements have regained momentum. Within our lifetimes, they might well succeed in breaking apart these states. On the other hand, there is no secessionist movement among the Cantonese speakers of southern China or among the Tamils of India. And why has no serious politician ever questioned national unity in such diverse countries as Switzerland or Burkina Faso?
Before answering these questions, it is necessary to define nation-building more precisely. It goes beyond the mere existence of an independent country with a flag, an anthem and an army. Some old countries (such as Belgium) haven’t come together as a nation, while other more recently founded states (such as India) have done so. There are two sides to the nation-building coin: the extension of political alliances across the terrain of a country, and the identification with and loyalty to the institutions of the state, independent of who currently governs. The former is the political-integration aspect, the latter the political-identity aspect of nation-building. To foster both, political ties between citizens and the state should reach across ethnic divides.
Such ties of alliance connect national governments with individual citizens, sometimes through intermediary political organisations such as voluntary associations, parties, professional groups, etc. Ideally, these ties link all citizens into networks of alliances centred on the state. In such countries, all citizens see themselves represented at the centre of power, even if their preferred party or political patron is not currently occupying one of the seats of government. Intellectuals, political elites, as well as the average individual will eventually see all citizens, irrespective of their racial or ethnic background, as equal members of the national community.”
I need not remind Malami that national identity is a collective phenomenon, irrespective of tribe and region.
Teniola writes from Lagos
