Ifeoma Dike
"We have been robbed of meritocracy, excellence and unity, we are still battling favouritism, federal quota, zoning, catchments areas, state of origin in a world that is consistently getting smaller through globalisation and the need to fight a collective cause(despite the hypocrisy and shared interests)." Dickson 2011
Words that are so true they almost throw themselves at you. Words that have become the bane of our society, the cause of our social malaise, ineptitude, unbridled rivalry, disingenuous and malappropriate discrimination on the grounds of who you are, who you know and where you come from.
Surely ones place in a society should be predicated on ones capabilities and competencies rather than on ones ethnic affiliations. In a society where ones life outcomes are increasingly being judged on ones ethnic origins, social progression and the d-mystification of these entangled web of social injustice can only exacerbate a degenerative apathy towards the State by those who have the most to give but have been so denied of such contributory access. Conversely, the links that exists between the political actors, the ruling classes, the civil service and ethnicity is bound to the wound up in the State being denied of the best of breed i.e. by Meritocrats or Technocrats (the new Italian Govt for example).
This dysfunctional and mythical creation will in itself and over time disenfranchise those who have the most to give who in an attempt to keep their sanity may well flee to foreign lands in an attempt to seek solace and also be able to function as a more less equal member of their host society. The resultant effect/impact on the Nigerian State thus become real especially as the investments made in developing and embedding such ethnicity becomes counter productive thereby resulting into the State run and managed by less capable, ill equipped and puppet driven political and public service actors.
Added to this is the cancerous act of nepotism and political god fatherism. The flagrant execution of such discriminatory acts on the grounds of knowing some one or being related to some one or even knowing some one who knows some one means that intelligence, capability and competence will at all times in the Nigerian State continue to play second fiddle to those who are so well connected but may lack the intellectual capacity to execute the tenets of the office that they have become vested.
... and then there is bribery and corrupt practises but then again this very act also seeks to perpetuate and legitimise those who already have against those who can ill afford in becoming heirs and heir apparent to a commonwealth that should legitimately belong to every one - rich or poor, royal or commoner, Ibo, Hausa, Yoruba, Efik, Edo or Ijaw.
So where do we go from here? is there a panacea or even a recipe that can guarantee success for Nigeria? should this be home grown? or is there a pro recipe that can be copied or even tailored to meet our contextual circumstances? Does the intellectuals at home and abroad have a role to play in gradually tearing apart these unethical fabrics that have come to define our very own Nation? is there a silver bullet?
I am not sure that any one can truly answer any of these questions, but one this remains true to form, the revolution that is sweeping through the Middle East right now may never take route in a place like Nigeria, we are scared shit less to challenge any form of authority especially those have guns and ammunition, the Nigerian values life more than martyrdom unless of course the Boko Harams.
An evolutionary process that can take root may gradually and over time provide a platform for such egalitarian access for all regardless of ones ethnic origin, religion, rich or poor, connected or not. The University Professors must stop taking bribes or being nepotic in giving University Admission places - it really should be done on merit with those able and capable being afforded places. we must also begin to lay the foundations of vocational education, decry ill gotten wealth, promote excellence whilst supporting the less able with identifying appropriate and engaging opportunities for them.
A society with few elites and a huge mass of the down trodden will over time precipitate and combust.
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