In commemoration of Nigeria’s 57th Independence anniversary yesterday, October 1st, 2017, the Senate, last Thursday during plenary, devoted considerable time for critical assessment of the ‘Nigeria project’ in the last 57 years as the senators unanimously called for unity among Nigerians of sundry divides. TAIYE ODEWALE captures the session.
Setting the ball rolling for general debate on the Nigerian nation at 57, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP Enugu West), who came through orders 42 and 62 of the Senate standing rules for the special session to be taken, said though the country’s journey into nationhood within the last five decades and seven years has not been totally smooth but Nigeria has recorded improvements in several sectors despite its challenges.
“Th e journey of nationhood for an independent Nigeria within the last 57 years has recorded both positive and negative moments, but the fact that the country is still one entity today being run on constitutional democracy, calls for Nigerians across the various divides to be more united for the needed peace, progress and genuine development or better put a developed and united entity where peace and justice reign.
“I can recollect at independence, we had only one university, but as at present, Nigeria has over 200 universities across the country, same goes for every other sector of the economy, meaning that, in togetherness as Nigerians, we can defi nitely achieve more in the journey of development – driven nationhood”, he said . Also, the Deputy Leader of the Senate, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC Kebbi South), submitted that: “what the country needs now, for required acceleration in its journey of nationhood, is unity among her peoples”.
According to him, a marriage of 57 years with attendant quarrels here and there between the husband and wife but without breakup cannot be considered as a failed marriage and defi nitely will have results to show as it is with Nigeria at 57 going by nationhood – driven milestones in terms of results or achievements it has recorded across the various sectors since attainment of independence in 1960.
“Yes, we could have developed more than this if problem of unity or oneness was not there from the beginning but the fact that we have remained an indivisible country up till now even despite the civil war within the fi rst 10 years of our journey into nationhood and even in the face of various agitations being made across the divides, shows that Nigeria is a success story so far.
“What is only needed for her to gain more acceleration in the direction of genuine development is for Nigerians to be more united more than ever before as well as channel whatever reservations or grievances they have about the nation through constitutional means and notviolence in any way as exhibited by the Boko Haram people in form of terrorism and violence -driven hate speeches by members of the now proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB). “No country or nation is a perfect entity for peoples inhabiting it but adherence to collectively made laws of the land as obtainable with provisions of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in expressing reservations felt on any issue or channelling grievances help not only in making such territorial entities great but making people inhabiting them to be more united and patriotic and invariably having a great Nation where peace and justice reign.
“Th erefore to me, all agitations inthe land by whatever name called and by whoever is, or are championing them, should be channelled through constitutional provisions of the land and not hate speeches or demonstration of superior wisdom or idea in quote in anyway,” he said.
Responding directly to the Deputy Leader’s coded submission bordering on agitations for restructuring of Nigeria’s model of federalism, the Senate Minority Leader , Senator Godswill Akpabio ( PDP Akwa Ibom North West), supported the agitation and called on the senate to key into it by putting in place legislative process to that eff ect by way of revisiting the clauses on devolution of powers, which was rejected by the two chambers July this year when they voted on 31 items presented by their committees on constitution review .
According to him, restructuring is not about dismemberment of Nigeria as presently constituted but re-jigging its failing structure or system internally along the line of fi scal federalism between the centre and the federating units (the 36 States) in taking resources and enormous responsibilities of governance to where they belong for the needed results . “Without restructuring, there is no way Nigeria can get to where it supposed to be as Nation enormously endowed by the Almighty God for greatness in all ways.
“It is through it that justice to all can be practically achieved and productivity encouraged generally and also feeling of marginalisation substantially eradicated with attendant technical knockout for all manner of agitations in the land,” he explained. “Never again should Nigeria see another civil war, because no nation can survive a civil war twice. We must not attempt to press down any section, because it is the feeling of marginalisation that leads to agitations,” he added.
However, Akpabio saluted the current and past leaders of the country for keeping the country one and declared that it pays all Nigerians for the country to remain one and urged them to be more united, saying “ since it is generally believe that our strength lies in our diversities as a nation, unity as the needed weapon should be embraced by all Nigerians in activating the strength in her diversities through the spirit of togetherness and patriotism”.
Toeing similar line of submission on the need for unity among Nigerians was Senator Abiodun Olujimi (PDP Ekiti South), who said despite that Nigeria’s unity has been tested several times within the last 57 years it has remained resolute as one indivisible entity. She admonished the leadership of the country to take an introspective look into how to resolve the challenges bedevilling Nigeria and Nigerians.
“We need to congratulate ourselves, because lesser nations would not have come this far,” she stressed. Other senators like Shehu Sani (APC Kaduna Central), Bukar Aba Ibrahim (APC Yobe East), Sam Anyanwu (PDP IMO East) etc, also anchored their contributions on the need for continued peace and unity among Nigerians. But the debate took a spiritual dimension when Senator Joshua Lidani (PDP Gombe South), made his own contribution though Nigerians are religious, but regretted that it has not had a positive impact on the day to day attitude or relationship with others and by extension in the running of the country, saying ‘vices such as robbery, kidnapping and others remain daily occurrences.
“We claim to be a religious people, but we lack the requirements of religion. We should go back to our maker so that God will have mercy on us. We should pray for forgiveness”, he stressed. Th e Senate President, Bukola Saraki in his own remarks, declared that Nigerians across the divides must continue to sue for peace despite the challenges the country is going through, saying ‘the task to make Nigeria greater, is a collective responsibility of every citizen”. Th e debate lasted for close to two hours before the senate moved to other items on the order paper for that day, from the foregoing, was no doubt one of unity song for Nigeria at 57.