Voice of Emancipation: Transformation Through Yoruba Nation (Pt. 5)

By Kayode Emola

In chemistry, when elements are added together and form a compound, we can observe that they bond together and start acting like a single material. In some cases, this chemical reaction is reversible and in others, it is not.

We may consider humans in this same manner. Having originated from one source, we have spread around the world and now show variations of features, languages, cultures, and so on. These differences mean that mixing one set of people with another is bound to result in a chemical reaction. This reaction brings forth a new product; some of these new compound people groups begin to behave as one entity. However, this is not always the outcome, especially in the case of Nigeria’s amalgamation.

Our disparate tribes clashed for centuries, yet the British attempted to fuse them together without any consideration as to how the mixture would react. The world has now been awakened to the failure of this experiment and, like many scientific mistakes, the question is now, how do we undo it? If a solution for reversal is found, will each constituent component revert to its original state, or will we see new components form? Your guess is as good as mine.

We all know Newton’s third law of motion: that for any action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Many people use this to describe two objects colliding with each other, although the law itself states that, when two objects interact, they exert equal and opposite forces on each other. It doesn’t state how each object will respond to the force it has experienced. Therefore, it is important to recognise that the two forces are acting on two potentially different objects.

Nigeria, like many other nation-states, was fused together to form one country. Some of these nations have reacted violently thus having to go their separate ways such as in the case of South Sudan/North Sudan, Eritrea/Ethiopia, former Yugoslavia (now Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Others have managed to not get themselves burnt but find a way to extricate themselves like Norway/Sweden, Czech/Slovakia etc.

The Nigeria situation is not dissimilar to all the previously mentioned nations above that have had to reverse their formation. All of those nations split because their cultural differences could not mix together to form a stable element (nation). Some reacted badly and many innocent people died in the process, whilst some reacted maturely and lives were spared. If the elders and elites in Nigeria realises that we have spent 60 years of independence hating ourselves whilst remaining as one nation, then the sooner we de-amalgamate the country, the better it will be for everyone rather than pretending that all will be well if we stick together.

There are many forces pulling Nigeria in different directions, meaning that the country will never reach a steady equilibrium. So often, each indigenous people group is quick to blame its woes on every other tribe apart from their own. The truth is, we are all culpable: from the Yoruba to Igbo, Ibibio, Igala, Hausa, Nupe etc. Every indigenous nation is to blame for where we find ourselves, but pointing the finger of accusation will not solve the problem. Resolution is predicated on diving deep into our past, to see where the foundations became faulty, as it is practiced in Nigeria, so that we can try to remedy it.

In an ideal world, every indigenous nation would sit down together to negotiate how they want to interact in a conglomerate. However, this discussion has not been permitted to take place. Instead, people continue to be pushed to the wall, a situation that will inevitably result in chaos and anarchy if measures are not implemented to avert this.

I am not writing today to argue that withdrawal from Nigeria is the only situation that will favour the Yoruba people. Instead, I would like to acknowledge that even an independent Yoruba nation will be replete with challenges. There is a high risk that the destructive elements of Nigerian culture might be readily transferred to the new Yoruba nation. Thus, we must ask, how do we avoid this?

Life in Nigeria has imbued nearly all its citizens with some degree of corruption. People are frequently willing to offer their opinion on how corruption can be tackled, but with a society that celebrates those who destroy good moral values and normalises of evil, none of these solutions will be able to completely change such people’s orientation.

One way to combat corruption is to create a permanent Ministry of Orientation. This Ministry will be charged with identifying deficiencies in our society, analysing the root causes and proposing strict interventions that will ensure such vices are eliminated from our society.

Currently, the societal celebration of people who have acquired wealth in a questionable manner has led to the widespread belief that defining aspect of a good life is making lots of money, without scrutiny as to whether that is legally or illegally acquired. Resultantly, many government officials steal state resources for their own personal use, and are supported in this by the civil servants. A Ministry of Orientation will deliver messages to the public at large that this is unacceptable and, indeed, reprehensible, thereby resensitising their consciences to what is right and wrong.

We, as citizens, must also recognise that we have responsibilities both to ourselves and to our nation. We must understand that when we give or accept bribes, we become part of the bigger problem. When we shirk our responsibility to turn up for work, or when the market person uses a false weight when selling their produce, we may think we are being smart, but the end result is decay that infects the entire system, undermining and extirpating even the most viable country.

We must also recognise the damage that religion as it is practiced in Nigeria has done to our society. Our people, rather than think critically for themselves, take as absolute truth whatever is declared by the preacher, the government or people in high office. We see people going to mosque on Friday or church on Sunday, still going out to commit atrocious crimes even the same day. We continue this cycle of immorality, yet expect a good nation to result from it.

The road to building a better nation is not merely wishing for it whilst continuing to do what is wrong. We need to be constantly evaluating whether what we are hearing and doing is aligned to the morally correct path.

That is where the Ministry of Orientation will come in. There will always be people who do wrong; but when society as a whole strives to be correct, morally upright and decent, and celebrates these attitudes in its members, the mind of a nation can be changed. Then, and only then, may we have a chance at building a successful nation.