Nigeria still grappling with morbid tribalism, insidious corruption, election malady, says former NPA Director

From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi

Irked by what he described as morbid tribalism, insidious corruption and election malady, with no end in sight, former Executive Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Okey Chidolue has cited the Rwandan experience as a model worthy of emulation.

He described Rwanda as the world’s poster child when it comes to tourism and investment destinations. A feat he said the country achieved by being true to themselves after a genocidal tribal war that destroyed all aspects of their national life.

The lawyer said it would be remembered with horror that while the two major ethnic tribes of Rwanda, Hutus (85%) and Tutsi (14%), were mindlessly killing themselves, that the world turned a blind eye. He added that when the dust settled, when the killing fields could take no more dead bodies and when it dawned on Hutus and Tutsi that the world could care less about their folly, that Rwandans as a whole, including smaller tribes, decided to tell themselves the honest truth. That truth was, and still is, according to him, that peace begets prosperity while insecurity begets poverty.

Dr Chidolue said: “Rwanda, unlike Nigeria and most African countries that went through tribal civil war, made a conscious decision to build a united nation through genuine peace and reconciliation. And, today Rwanda is the pride of Africa and an envy of the world.

“More than fifty three years after Nigeria-Biafra genocidal tribal war, Nigeria is still grappling with morbid tribalism, insidious corruption and election malady, with no end in sight. We learnt nothing from that unfortunate war and those that feel that Nigeria’s commonwealth is their birth-right are still holding the country hostage. And, ordinary Nigerians cannot breath!!!

“With this backdrop, Nigerian Governors, partially sponsored by United Nations Development Programme (UNDA), recently went to Kigali, capital of Rwanda, for a development retreat. According to one of the proponents of the Retreat, ‘a traveller is more knowledgeable that a white-haired old man’. Not at all, where the context is profoundly different.

“For most Nigerians, the problem with the Governors’ retreat and choice of venue is that of intellectual dishonesty. From the antecedents of past federal, state and local government retreats, nothing positive will come out of this retreat because the participants don’t mean well and Nigeria, as a country, is not yet ready to confront her past and chart a new course as Rwanda did. The last time I checked, History of Nigeria is no longer thought in our schools and new generation Nigerians are confused about who we are, except when our National football team (male or female) is playing a regional or world tournament.

“Therefore, it is only logical to conclude that our Governors took advantage of UNDP partial funding of their ill-conceived venture, not that they actually wanted to achieve any measurable goal. I said ‘partial’ because the contribution of tax payer’s money by the Governors’ Forum is deliberately undisclosed.

“Be that as it may, in Rwanda their streets are clean and safe. And, as a bus Tour Guide reportedly told the Governors, ‘there are no tribes in Rwanda’. These are the economic and political drivers of Rwanda and, am pretty sure our ‘performing Governors’ don’t give a hoot.