The mistakes that Nigeria made is a wide ranging subject to deal with. Yet it is all important to know them for our survival as individuals, ethnic groupings, a country or a nation.
The wise are expected to learn from their and other people’s mistakes .
I must state that today’s Colloquium in honour of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, is well appointed. Pastor Ighodalo is a strong spiritual leader known for his commitment to a better Nigeria, high moral values, philanthropy and humanness which distinguishes him amongst his peers.
Ituah is one of our very best in all respects. We are therefore obligated at this Colloquium to point out the principal mistakes the country and Nigerians have made. And to lay bare how to contain, deflect and/or determine them by setting the course for dealing decisively with such mistakes so that the positive growth and development of the Nigerian nation and its peoples will be assured in perpetuity.
Some of the questions that require genuine attention are:
POLITICAL
Was the surrender of our forebears to colonial rule, a mistake? Was the 1914 Amalgamation of Nigeria, a mistake? Were the agreements by our political leaders (those we fondly refer to as our founding fathers) to continue with Nigeria as defined by the British leading to independence in 1960, a mistake? Were the 1966 January military coup and the July 1966 counter-coup, mistakes?
Was Gen John Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi discarding the federal structure for a unitary arrangement, a mistake? Was Gen Yakubu Dan-Yuwan Gowon’s reversal of Ironsi’s decree and the return to a quasi federal structure yet not totally jettisoning unitarism, a mistake?
Is Nigeria not being a true federation, a mistake? Is the culture of not making merit the basis of governance and business engagements in Nigeria, a mistake? Are the clamours for better accommodation by the ethnic nationalities within the Nigerian space, a collective mistake?
Is not granting audience to voices seeking better recognition and representation of their ethnic nationalities in what is today’s Nigeria, especially the call for renegotiation, devolution, and restructuring, a mistake?
Were the efforts made by various governments and organisations to find an agreeable basis for mutual and harmonious co-existence and share of our national wealth, a collective mistake?
Are the calls for renegotiation by the ethnic nationalities as to the kind of country they wish to belong, a collective mistake? Is adopting the presidential system of government, a mistake?
Is asking that we return to Parliamentary mode of government, a mistake?
Is the call for the restructuring or remodelling or rebuilding Nigeria to be a sustainable and enduring State, a collective mistake? Is not having the State/Local Police, a mistake? Is seeking to make Nigeria a Nation, a collective mistake?
Are the various military midwifed Constitutions, particularly the 1979 Federal Constitution albeit drafted by a group of civilians led by Chief FRA Williams and Professor Ben Nwabueze, which gave the central government extreme powers over the peoples and their resources(mineral and human); and, not subjecting the draft Constitution to a National Referendum before promulgation, a mistake?
Is the removal of the provision of Referendum from the 1979 and subsequent Constitutions of Nigeria, a mistake?
Nigeria we all know was carved out and amalgamated by the British in 1914; the deed was for 100 years and it expired in January 2014; was our unwillingness to renegotiate its continued existence as a country, a mistake?
ECONOMIC
Is embarking on the Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP, a mistake?
Is the liberalisation of the economy by successive military and democratically elected governments, a mistake?
Is over reliance on oil revenue and virtually abandoning agriculture and agricultural development, a mistake?
Is abandoning the completion of Ajaokuta Steel Plant and other steel plants in Nigeria by governments after governments, a mistake?
Is limiting the use of existing seaports, and not developing new ones to service Nigeria with a fairly extensive coastline, a mistake?
Is neglecting proper regulation of vital industries such as oil and gas, power and energy, communications, etc, a mistake?
SECURITY
Is asking for proper funding and equipping of our Armed Forces and Security agencies, a mistake?
Is asking Nigerians to relate to our security forces with a greater sense of responsibility in the overall performance of their civic duties, a mistake?
Is persistently ignoring the root causes of communal and ethnic tensions, and insurgency and terrorism by the government, a mistake?
Is the reluctance by the government to prioritise investment in modernising its security infrastructure and technology, a mistake?
Is not having a Total National Defence Policy, a mistake?
SOCIAL
Is taking over of schools from the missionary by governments at state and Federal levels, a mistake?
Is not teaching our history in our schools, a mistake?
Is our refusal to put our culture and social values at the centre of public policy, a mistake?
Is asking that more funds be made available to the education sector, particularly, for science and technology, a mistake?
Is setting religion apart from the State of Nigeria, a mistake ?
Is not safeguarding our Fundamental Human Rights, particularly regarding freedom of speech, freedom of movement, right of residency, right to vote and stand for election, freedom to affiliate with the political party of one’s choice, and adherence to the Rule of Law, a mistake?
Is the thinking that all is well with Nigeria as it is, a mistake?
MY TAKE
I believe that the solutions to Nigeria’s and its people’s problems will emerge when we candidly address and answer these questions and many more that will emerge from this Colloquium.
And I also believe, that, from these answers will come, quite easily, the will to do right by all manner of peoples and interest groups that form the main ingredients of the Nigerian State and country. The 2014 National Conference did. And that was the reason all the delegates by consensus made the crucial recommendations to salvage Nigeria. And I strongly recommend that we do not set them aside. Only by courageously facing the truth can Nigerians and Nigeria begin to heal from the mistakes and hurts of the past and commence the transformation to a better future. And perhaps, and indeed perhaps, will emerge the Nation of Nigeria where no one is oppressed, where the truth prevails, where all are equal, where fairness is upheld; where there is freedom of speech and association; where justice reign; and, where your gender or mode of worship gives you no advantage over your peers.
I again believe, that if we get the structure of the country right the rest will follow.
Drawing from my experiences in diverse contexts, I understand that defining one’s entity, identity and purpose is essential before determining the appropriate strategies, be it military or non-military, to defend or counter opposition. A nation in perpetual flux is inherently challenging to defend and project as a battle axe on the global stage, a predicament our country currently faces.
That said, I am confident that our lead speaker, our own Atedo Peterside distinguished for his scholarship, innovation, vision, and an econometrist; and, our equally matched distinguished discussants will illuminate the mistakes Nigeria made and proffer concrete solutions to them.
I expect them to set us forth on the pathway (or pathways), should we conscientiously stick to, that will ensure that we do not repeat earlier mistakes; avoid new and costlier ones; and, to collectively renegotiate and propagate and pursue a better Nigeria for our children and grandchildren, and generations after them.
It becomes, therefore, our binding duty to join well-meaning Nigerians in building a better, more inclusive, more tolerant, more accommodating, more law abiding, more safe and progressive country.
To do otherwise, would be a betrayal of our citizenship and generations after us.
General Ike Omar Sanda Nwachukwu,CFR, delivered this speech at a colloquium to celebrate the 63rd birthday of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo held Tuesday April 2, 2024 at Trinity Houese, Zion Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos
VANGUARD
