‘Benue, Osun, Abia; poor Nigerians are the same everywhere’ — Baba-Ahmed

Former Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Office of Vice President Kashim Shettima, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has stated that poverty and socio-economic realities transcend ethnic and regional divides, saying poor Nigerians are the same everywhere.

Baba-Ahmed made a strong case for a fundamental reorientation of Nigeria’s national identity.

In a recent interview with Nigerian Tribune, Baba-Ahmed lamented that political elites continue to exploit Nigeria’s pluralism, keeping citizens disunited for their own gain.

To counter this, Baba-Ahmed emphasised Nigeria’s reality: “Yet the Kanuri poor are the same as the poor in Benue, Osun or Abia.”

He noted that struggles faced by impoverished Nigerians are universal, regardless of their ethnic background or geopolitical zone.

Baba-Ahmed argued that the nation’s historical trajectory, influenced by its colonial past, has fostered a system where “we are treated as a country of ethnic groups in competition, not of citizens with equal and enforceable rights.”

He criticised how every Nigerian constitution has seemingly reinforced the assumption that the country is merely “a collection of ethnic groups and regions,” a framework that political elites have consistently manipulated to “acquire and retain power.”

He emphasised the tragic outcome for the majority of the populace: “Poor citizens, the vast majority of our fellow citizens, have been conditioned to believe that their identities and geographical locations determine their welfare and destinies.”

“Let us build a nation of citizens who have rights and privileges, reinforce those rights under the constitution, protect them by laws, structures and institutions and you will see how identity and geography will decline in terms of influencing our fortunes in our country,” he urged, advocating for a system where collective rights as citizens supersede ethnic or regional affiliations in determining individual and national progress.

READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE