Challenge of Ethnic Relations and Sustainable Development
By Tim Akano
There are many reasons why Nigeria will remain stunted.
1 No mega economic transformation can take place in an atmosphere of unbreakable political instability.
India is about 80% Hindu and 20% Islam plus others. Mordi, a foremost Hindu leader built a strong support base around 80% of the population to execute his transformation agenda
Yes, there are constant frictions between Hindu and Muslims in India but the latter can’t form a quorum, the former retains VETO POWER and Mordi uses it optimally. Therefore the Muslims in Kashmiri, Jammu, Lakshadweep have their say but not their way .
2 Similarly, in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait etc their leadership leverage Islam and Arab majority nationality VETO to carry out their transformation agenda.
3 The same stability exists in China (Han Chinese represents 92% of the population)- they have Votes, Veto and Voice. The 8% others has votes but no veto, no voice, no quorum
4 In America, Trump is bulldozing his way using the almost 70% Caucasians/Christian Veto power financially and culturally to implement his immigration and economic Agenda.
5 I am 101% convinced that the Nigeria LIMO CAN’T MOVE BECAUSE WE KEEP STRUGGLING for THE STEERING WITH ONE ANOTHER -especially the 5 major ethnic groups: Yoruba, Fulani, Igbo, Ijaw and Hausa
(A) When GEJ, an Ijaw won election in 2011, Atiku, a Fulani, said it publicly that We will make the country ungovernable for him Atiku’s WE of course were his own ethnic group. Buhari equally told GEJ not to kill the TERRORISTS, because it was the North they were terrorizing not Nigeria
.GEJ built Almajiris schools in the North – it was money wasted.
(B) I did freelance work (pro Bono) for Jonathan. I was constantly in the Villa, brainstorming with others,
I witnessed first hand how Nigeria is run
When Jonathan was chased out of the Villa by Buhari and El-Rufui Gang (El Rufia admitted openly that he paid N800m tax players money to the Fulani terrorists from West Africa ahead of 2015 election but they refused to leave Nigeria after their assignment was completed) – I went back to my Library.
I studied 50 countries dated back to the last 500 years including the Roman empire that was run as a Commonwealth, UK, a variant of Confederation, Switzerland a Confederation, etc.
For instance PBAT tax reforms is economically correct but politically wrong. Similarly, Nigeria would have been more cost-effective if CBN HQ were to be in Lagos, closer to all the banks HQ, if NNPC were to be in Port Harbour closer to Oil, just the same way NDA is in Kaduna.
Sadly enough, in all of Nigeria’s history, anytime there is a clash between common sense and Political correctness, the former always looses
I laugh when Elites keep making the same mistakes, thinking a time will come when one ANGELIC ELITE will descend from Elon MUSK Space to put Nigeria on the pathways of modernization.
It won’t happen.
What happened to past ANGELS like Angel Awololo, Angel Aminu Kano, Angel Balarabe Musa, Angel Chinua Achebe, Angel Gani Fawehimi will happen to future Angels
Therefore, as long as common sense is the looser, Nigeria can not be like India or Qatar
In Qatar for instance, there was a battle between Saudi Arabia and Qatar on OPEC quota. Qatar didn’t hesitate to exit OPEC to the surprise of Saudi Arabia basing her decision on Common sense not on shared Islamic religion and shared nationality
A month ago, I recommended to President Tinubu that Nigeria should exit OPEC, sell Oil in NAIRA based on common sense and the emerging New world order- but religion sense won, economic sense lost Tinubu chose the easier one – selling Oil in NAIRA. But where is the crude to sell against the backdrop of OPEC QUOTA CHAINS and previous 6-year forward sales of crude. The Naira sank deeper despite selling Oil in NAIRA. Why? No common sense but 100% political correctness
when I notice this paradox: the world’s wealthiest nation becoming the world’s poverty capital at the same time- I came up with my theory that: A heterogenous, plural society cannot witness Mega Transformation and peace when administered centrally. A heterogenous plural society must be decentralized for peaceful modernization to happen, save where there is a 70% hegemonic veto either religiously, culturally or by nationality
In conclusion, I can engage any Professor from anywhere in the world, history has not given us an example of a country in ALL OF HUMAN HISTORY that is structured the way Nigeria is and administered centrally and democratically that is free from underdevelopment and chaos. None
When people mention USA, they forget that the Caucasians maintain almost 70% hegemony culturally, religiously, linguistically and financially, which they use to Veto whatever, including unbreakable support for Israel!
The Latinos, Africans etc in USA are mere ethnic groups, they are not in America as NATION-STATES.
However, in Nigeria, we have more than a dozen NATION-States with a history of independence dated back to 1000 years that are struggling with one another like crabs in a jar of water on who controls the steering of the Nigeria’s Limo
The Bini was a Nation-state, likewise Hausas, Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw, etc . We can’t administer these strong hitherto independent NATION-STATES centrally successfully. Never, ever.
Each of this Nation-state must control their respective destiny, to a considerable degree.
Fulani nation can’t understand the Igbo commercial mindset. A Tinubu Yoruba all powerful President can’t understand the Fulani Livestock mindset.
Be that as it may, Fulani should control her own destiny and pay tax to Abuja. Ditto Yoruba, Igbo, Bini etc
If Bini Nation is restored, she can produce the furniture for the entire Africa which is a bigger economy than oil!
As presently constituted , Nigeria is UNWORKABLE: IBB, OBJ, GOWON, GEJ, Britain, France etc all know this hidden truth. But nobody is honest or bold enough to say so publicly
Though OBJ’s recent Saul to Paul conversion on restructuring road to Damascus is comforting
All told, the wealth of Nigeria, to a considerable extent, is in the hands of foreigners today: the Lebanese, Indians, Israel, America, China, Arabs, South Africa, French, British and now Turkish and Iranian and Pakistani ( the last 3 play in the military Space)etc.
This ugly situation will remain, I am afraid, as long as common sense remains elusive.
Nothing is fundamentally wrong with Nigerians genetically, intellectually and culturally speaking, we are as brilliant as any other race globally, but we are LATE DEVELOPERS or students you can categorize as SLOW LEARNERS, because the superstructure we operate makes fast learning an impossibly. Honest
