Nigerian Nationalism: We Need a Cultural Revolution

Key Terms

Sectionalism: refers to loyalty to the interests of one's own region or section of the country, rather than to the country as a whole. It is not the same as separatism; Sectionalism is often a precursor to separatism.

Nationalism: refers to loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially: a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all other regional/sectional interests and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those sectional groups.

Key Quotes

“Somalia is a timeless example which shows that having the same language or religion is not the basis for the creation of a nation” – Governor Nasir El-Rufai

“The current state of South Sudan shows that personal interest is the real enemy of progress and not Ethnic diversity.”

In the life of every multi-cultural nation, there comes a time when it has to redefine it’s values and sense of identity. This usually comes after a period of conflict sparked by Sectionalist sentiment. In Nigeria today, we are aware of the role sectionalist sentiment has played in creating ethnic tensions before and after our Independence from British rule. We usually hear people say:

“…Nigeria was created to secure British economic interests… Nigeria should be separated because we have different cultures and values”

This is true but most Nations were created artificially; Nigeria is not the only country (China, India, United Kingdom etc.)

It is also important to note that interaction and cultural exchange existed between the various cultures in the Nigerian territory before the British conquest of Nigeria.

• Historical evidence points to the fact that the Benin Empire exchanged cultures with other great city-states such as Oyo and Ife; there is proof that Prince Ekaladehran/Izoduwa of Igodomido (The last King of the Ogiso dynasty) was the first Ooni of Ife (Oduduwa).

• The Sokoto Caliphate under Usman Dan Fodio conquered territory in Modern day Northern Nigeria. This caliphate stretched as far as modern day Kwara. There is also proof that even before the rise of the Sokoto Caliphate (1807), a diverse culture of people (from Northern and Southern Nigeria) lived along the River Niger, river Benue and Lake Chad.

With such facts readily available, I find it shocking that agents of division always fail to highlight the shared values most of our diverse cultures possess. In the US civil war of 1861-1865, Sectionalism created ideological, cultural and economic tensions between north and south. The political analysts of the day stated that the people of this great country could not live side by side due to contrasting values and cultures. This was the same at the foundation of the British Union in 1707; the Scottish, Welsh and Irish refused to accept a common British identity with the English. In both cases one can see that it took over a century for Sectionalism to be replaced with Nationalism (Tensions still exist today, however they are minor and peaceful).

Nigeria needs a cultural revolution, which will give birth to a nationalistic set of principles, that will unify our diverse cultures; our founding fathers failed to accomplish this. In a speech answering the question “Why is Nigeria disunited?” Governor El-Rufai stated:

“Every Nigerian can claim to be marginalized… I think we got here because of a series of failure of leadership… The first mistake of our founding fathers is that they did not build a nation, they did not even try, and they just replaced the British colonialists without changing the structure they inherited… Our founding fathers maintained the regions, maintained the divisions because it benefitted them politically… They maintained what they found and benefitted politically from it… Instead we built an entitlement culture”

The statement from El-Rufai is a very accurate description of the root causes of Nigeria’s disunity. Do not believe individuals who blame this on ETHNIC tensions. It is true that they exist but this has been fostered by the corruption of the elite on all sides. This mindset of disunity even found it’s way into our constitution with the creation of the Federal Character Principle.

I will describe my generation as the last hope for Nigeria. I hold a grudge against my father’s generation. They could have done more to address the issue of disunity, which can even be seen in our generation today. However I can’t stay angry and not try to fix it; future generations will look back to our time; they will try to define what makes them ‘Nigerian’. We must give them the answers so we can avert future ethnic conflict. It is up to us (The Youth) to make a choice: Do we want to be a lasting example? Do we want to prove to the world that an African Nation can get it right? If we do then we have to unite and understand that every region plays a part in the progress of Nigeria. Our cultural differences should make us stronger; we should be able to learn the best from each culture while discarding what will drive us apart.