National Issues
Nigeria’s key problem is political leadership not ethnicity nor religion
Religion and ethnicity has a long standing tradition and formative principle of the old. Its one thing that in actual sense united mankind and formed a mutual pattern of relationship. Taking religion and ethnicity out of play will distort what i call “the perfect plan”, thereby throwing the entire universe into a state of disorderliness. Every single problem Nigeria has had over the years has a pigment of tribe or religion in it. These two words on their own are NOT capable of generating conflict, but the improper application of it by selfish politicians whom without them cannot form a proper sentence or make headway in their political ambition, always fall back on them when every other thing fails.
Professor Chinua Achebe in his famous book “The Trouble With Nigeria” said, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate…”. In truth, there is nothing wrong with the Nigerian character, climate, land, air, water, religion, tribes etc. The only wrong that has made all this look like they are the problem is the content residing in the minds of our leaders. Majority of political leaders feel that the best way they can beat their opponent is through the instrument of tribe and or religion. If the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo had not corrupted the minds of his people by stealing the leadership of Western Nigeria from Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, things might have been different today, politics might have been played differently today and maybe, just maybe, the dreams of our fathers and fore-fathers would have come to fruition.
Politics can be played without bitterness. It can be played without hate, deceit, dependence on negative application of religion or tribe, it can be played without struggle or stain, only if we know how. Nigeria’s problem is political leadership and not ethnicity nor religion, it has never been. We call on our political leaders to do the right thing in order to transform Nigeria for good.