Abdulrazaq Hamzat Lists Ingredients Of Nation-building Lacking In Nigeria

HARRISON IYOHA

An Executive Director of the Foundation for Peace Professionals, Mr Abdulrazaq Hamzat has faulted Nigeria’s approach to nation-building, noting that intellectual dishonesty is one of the major instigators of crisis in the country.

The peace professional and crisis communication expert also list out, what he describes as 3 ingredients of nation-building that is currently lacking in Nigeria.

While speaking at the weekend, during a program hosted by Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigerian Youths in Abuja, Hamzat maintained that historical and intellectual dishonesty has not helped Nigeria create cohesion that is needed to unleash the potential of the country.

According to him, “The academia, politician, media and the civil society have all not paid enough attention to the important ingredients of nation-building, which is unifying historic narration, purposeful vision and learning from experience”.

He explained that Nigeria’s history has focused solely on the amalgamation of 1914, which is not supposed to be so.

“Prior to 1914 amalgamation, several amalgamations had taken place in Nigeria before the northern and southern protectorates were formed”.

“The 1914 amalgamation just happened to be the last and final amalgamation done to cement the several amalgamations done earlier by the colonialist”.

“Unfortunately, we have focused on the last amalgamation, which seems to encourage the false narrative of North against South that has hindered the creation of a unifying historic narrative, he said.

Hamzat also stated that individual leaders may have created a sound and purposeful vision for the country in the past, but such vision cannot translate to national vision because the first ingredient, which is “unifying historic narration” had not been put in place and reinforced as a mandatory requirement, which has to be vigorously enforced. The country has allowed a distorted personal opinion, disguised as truth to take priority in its national conversation.

“Purposeful vision without unifying historic narration would also create a conflict of direction. Hamzat said.

The peace professional also maintained that Nigeria must learn from its history and allow the knowledge to lead its path.

According to him, the difference between the old and young is age and experience.

“Nigeria should be bold enough to identify what has worked and what has not worked in its historical experience and institutionalized what has worked as its value while avoiding what hasn’t worked”.

He maintained that governance and nation-building is not a popularity contest. What works will continue to work irrespective of who is against it, while worth didn’t work won’t work, irrespective of who is encouraging it? So, we must therefore stick to what works and continue to propagate it. He said

For those who continue to hammer on the need for justice as an important ingredient of nation-building, Hamzat agreed with them.

However, he noted that, justice doesn’t exist in vacuum, it must be accompanied with responsibility and honesty, arguing that those who desires justice must be ready to do justice to others and also take responsibility for the justice they desire.

“Until we all as individuals learn to take responsibility and do justice in our sphere of influence, it would be difficult to expect leaders of the country to be different from us”.

He concluded that those who do not do justice as private citizens cannot do justice when they get into government and since we are in a democracy where everyone and anyone could become the government, it is very crucial for us to focus on building just and responsible citizens so that when they become the government, they will simply be themselves and everything will be alright.