Nigeria at a crossroads: The need for introspection and conscientious proactive actions
By Sunday Joshua Wugira Esq
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, stands today at a critical crossroads – one that demands deep introspection, honest dialogue and deliberate collective action. The hatred, mistrust and ethnic tension that now define our national life did not emerge overnight. They are the fruits of seeds planted long ago by individuals and groups who placed personal ambition above national interest.
For decades, we have pretended that all is well, blaming one region or religion for our woes while ignoring the uncomfortable truth that we all, in one way or another, contributed to this decline. The bitterness and suspicion we see today were sown in homes, schools and communities long before they became political tools. What began as private prejudice has now grown into national dysfunction.
Related news
Nigeria, World Teachers’ Day, Nonviolence, Et Cetera
Fallacies of religion, No-man’s-land, and why Nigeria is unbreakable (2)
Alleged genocide against Nigerian christians: Exposing Trump’s follies
The Historical Roots of Division
Nigeria’s challenges are not just political or economic, they are moral and historical. The 1914 amalgamation by British colonial authorities forced together distinct peoples with different worldviews and systems. Through indirect rule and selective empowerment, the colonial system entrenched divisions that persisted after independence.
Rather than dismantle this colonial legacy, the political elite inherited and weaponized it. The First Republic was built more on ethnic loyalty than on national vision. The 1966 coups, the civil war and successive military interventions only deepened our fault lines. The creation of states and regions, though intended to promote inclusivity, often served as instruments for political control and patronage.
The so-called North, South-West, South-East, South-South, and Middle Belt were not natural administrative entities but constructs of ethnic and regional merchants. Over time, they have become identity fortresses, turning Nigerians into ethnic citizens rather than national ones.
The Present Crisis
Today, the Nigerian state faces an identity crisis. Ethnic mistrust has turned into hostility; religion has become a political weapon; insecurity, corruption, and poverty have eroded national confidence. Banditry, terrorism, and communal clashes have left citizens disillusioned and fearful.
Instead of addressing these issues collectively, we have retreated into our tribal cocoons. Political leaders exploit these divisions for electoral advantage, while ordinary citizens echo the same rhetoric on social media and in daily conversation. We blame “the other” while ignoring the complicity within our own circles. This cycle of blame and denial is the reason Nigeria continues to drift.
The Need for Introspection
The first step toward national healing is self-examination. We must all accept responsibility for the Nigeria we have created. Parents who teach prejudice, clerics who spread intolerance, and public servants who collude in corruption are all part of the problem. Politicians buy votes, and citizens willingly sell them! Both sides feeding a system that thrives on moral decay.
National rebirth requires more than slogans; it demands moral courage and a willingness to confront the truth. We must acknowledge that corruption, nepotism, and injustice know no tribe or faith. Until we see Nigeria as one shared destiny rather than a contest of regions and religions, progress will remain elusive.
Conscientious and Proactive Solutions
1. Moral and Civic Reorientation:
Nigeria needs a sustained value reorientation campaign driven by sincerity, not propaganda. Schools, religious institutions and the media must promote civic values — honesty, empathy, integrity, and patriotism.
2. Leadership by Example:
Leadership must be anchored on competence and character. We need reforms that make elections transparent, political parties democratic and public officers accountable. A morally bankrupt society cannot produce visionary leaders.
3. True Federalism and Devolution of Power:
Nigeria’s over-centralized structure breeds inefficiency and resentment. Real federalism — where states control their resources and drive their development — will promote innovation, equity and responsibility.
4. Equitable Economic Development:
Regional imbalance fuels anger. The North remains underdeveloped, the South-East feels marginalized, the South-South feels exploited, and even the South-West, despite its relative advancement, grapples with internal poverty and widening inequality. Government policies must pursue inclusive growth, focusing on education, industry, and job creation across all zones.
5. Justice, Reconciliation, and Boundary Review:
A nation cannot heal without justice. Nigeria needs a truth and reconciliation process to address historical wrongs, communal grievances and systemic injustice. Importantly, government must accept that part of the challenges it created stems from arbitrary boundary delineations that tore apart communities with shared heritage.
Take, for instance, the Uba people of Hong Local Government Area in Adamawa State and Askira-Uba Local Government Area in Borno State — one people, bonded by history, culture, and kinship, yet divided into two states for purely political reasons. No rational mind can justify such divisions. Similar examples abound across the country and even beyond our borders. Such artificial boundaries have weakened social cohesion and fostered needless alienation. Government must confront this reality and consider corrective administrative or cooperative frameworks that reunite these historically connected communities.
6. Strengthening National Identity:
Nigeria must rediscover its soul. Our anthem, symbols and civic institutions should inspire pride and belonging. Teaching history is essential to understanding where we went wrong and how to avoid repeating those mistakes.
7. Youth Empowerment and Inclusion:
Nigeria’s future lies in its youth. Yet, they are sidelined, underemployed and disillusioned. Including them meaningfully in governance, innovation, and policy-making is critical to breaking the old order of ethnic politics and paving the way for merit-based leadership.
Conclusion:
Nigeria’s challenges are man-made and therefore, they can be unmade. The hatred and mistrust that plague us were cultivated by human choices; they can be replaced with understanding, empathy and collective resolve. No region can stand alone. The North cannot prosper if the South burns; the East cannot grow if the West stagnates. Our destinies are interwoven by geography and divine design.
At this historic crossroads, Nigeria must make a choice: to continue along the path of denial and decay, or to embrace introspection and collective responsibility. The future of this nation depends on what we do today.
Let us therefore rise above prejudice and act conscientiously not as Northerners, Southerners, Christians, or Muslims but as Nigerians committed to redeeming the promise of our country.
And to the ordinary voter, let this truth sink in: you cannot collect money, rice and spaghetti from candidates during elections or vote for candidates because they are Muslims, Christians, from the South, East or West without being Competent and expect good governance thereafter.
As the Hausas would say, “duk wanda ya ci ladan kuturu, sai yayi masa aski” “he who eats a leper’s wage must be ready to shave his head.”
Sunday Joshua Wugira, a Lawyer, Public Affairs Commentator and Principal Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the Governor of Adamawa State writes from Mubi
