On Nigeria’s unity

Nigerians are caught in the fervour of the 2019 general elections. The passion is understandable. It is the quest to effect a change in the general conditions of the country and make Nigeria a better or greater country. We strongly believe that Nigeria is destined to last, that this country is a nation willed by God, that in spite of our diversity, Nigerians will always stand in brotherhood and that neither war nor polls shall pull as apart. To the glory of Allah who has infinitely blessed our country, this historic election will strengthen our resolve to build a nation where peace and justice will always reign.

There is no doubt that since 1960, the Nigerian fabric has been threatened and indeed almost to be torn into shreds. We fought a civil war, we suffered ethnic crises and we have not been immune from many religious but politically-motivated disturbances. In the entire period,  we  have  in tangible terms been traumatised  by many development challenges, mostly out of the rapacity of corrupt politicians and conscienceless public officials while our authentic values have been with disdain desecrated by the obnoxiousness and obscenity of foreign influences in every aspect of our national and public life.

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In this miasma, we have experimented with many reform projects in awareness that our nation must not be allowed to disintegrate or trip into oblivion. Nigeria must rise and take its rightful place as authentic voice and giant of Africa and the entire black race. Indeed we have also made several attempts at constructing a true nation out of what national pessimists commonly called a contraption by left behind by the usurping colonialists. Indeed, we do not pretend about the unpalatable happenings in the polity since the country’s independence in 1960 neither are we shying away from the fact that the citizens including leaders and followers have inflicted upon the nation the worst political and economic carnage.

These are responsible for today’s crisis of development which political parties and candidates latch upon to seek votes or mandates from the electorate. Our concern is not the promises any politician offers in reshaping or redirecting the country. Rather, we look forward to the public service pedigree and fibre of candidates the parties push forward, their integrity and experience, and more significantly too, their commitment to national ideals and readiness to sacrifice for the nation at any level of responsibility. We see the 2019 general elections as a litmus test and the greatest opportunity to usher Nigeria into a new dawn, an opportunity to begin proper nation-building and an exercise to confirm our resolve for the indissolubility of the country.

Abdulwarees Solanke,

MPAC.