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By Sunday Ani
President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Prof George Obiozor has said that the popular claim that Nigeria’s unity is non-negotiable is simply a historical fallacy.
He insisted that contrary to false claims of Nigeria’s non negotiability by some leaders, the unity of the county must be renegotiated for it to stand or survive the prevailing circumstances.
He stated this earlier today at a public lecture titled, “Nationalism and Nation Building in Nigeria History,” held at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos, which he also hosted.
He lamented that despite the best efforts of the past and present leaders to foster enduring unity, Nigeria’s unity is still not guaranteed. “It is simply, at best, an aspiration, and not yet an achievement. Consequently, the statement that Nigeria’s, unity is non-negotiable is simply a historical fallacy,” he stated.
The former Nigerian Ambassador to the United States of America expressed sadness that the country’s diversity has been turned into disorder and democracy into an invitation of incremental anarchy, noting that if the country was to be salvaged, the leaders must begin to face reality and stop the syndrome of self deception and delusion about Nigeria’s historical exceptionalism.
“For Nigeria’s unity and nation building to succeed, the leaders need to emulate the experiences of countries that did not ignore the element of pluralism in the respective countries and societies. Nationalism, including ethnic nationalism, is not about to disappear in the world generally, and certainly not in Nigeria, no matter how much we want to wish it away. It is still a potent force and all its advocates feel they have a strong case and that history is on their side,” he said.
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