Former President Goodluck Jonathan has advanced reasons why the efforts of past leaders, especially those of the First Republic, to unite the country had not yielded positive results.
He gave the reasons in a paper titled “Lasting Legacy: Key to Nigeria’s Development Issues” at the one-year memorial lecture in honour of the late Captain Hosa Okunbo, in Abuja on Saturday.
The former leader asserted that past leaders did their best to also position the country for economic growth and development, but the attempts yielded more to centrifugal forces that reinforced ethnic cleavages.
He noted that at independence the crop of indigenous leaders inherited from colonial masters a country that was already balkanized into three regions and later four regions.
Jonathan said, “I believe that the legacy of nationhood and roots of unity were weak at Nigeria’s independence and not much has been done since then to strengthen the base of the union.
“At independence in 1960, the colonial masters handed our country back to our first indigenous leaders, many of whom played key roles in the crusade for liberation.
“The leaders did their best to position the country for economic growth and development. But their approach in the efforts to unite a fragile country from the standpoint of different ethnic nationalities did not produce the desired results.
“As the country progressed, it yielded more to centrifugal forces that reinforced ethnic cleavages.
“We inherited a country that was balkanized into three regions and later four regions. This probably prompted the political leaders at independence to concentrate more on their regions.
“Many countries, like Nigeria, are made up of different cultural and linguistic nationalities. The difference is that while many of these countries have overcome the negative manifestations of undue ethnic glorification, Nigerians have continued to exalt ethnic nationality over and above the country.”
The ex-President, however, admitted that the system operated by the heroes past worked well during their time because there were significant developments recorded in the regions.
He said, “The level of development that was found in the Western region headed by late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was tremendous. The free education policy, establishing the University of Ibadan, establishing the first television station in probably entire black Africa and other laudable developmental projects, were positive indicators of the viability of the regions.
“This clearly showed a strategic development trajectory. If we, as a nation, had continued with the regional administration policy, probably the problems we are confronting today would not have been there.”
He regretted that along the development trajectory, Nigeria lost focus and the system became conflicted, especially when the military overthrew the administration and decided to centralise governance, by creating a 12-states structure.
The former President however said that for any nation to develop, there must be political stability; adding that for a nation to grow, leaders at various points must deliberately make the necessary sacrifices that promote patriotism, inspire devotion and spur citizens to do their best for their country.
“I believe that there will be no meaningful advancement without good governance which provides the atmosphere for citizens to realise their full potential, based on the vision of their leaders.
“The decision to shift away from the regional arrangement to a national focus, where Nigerians would begin to see their country as their common heritage, needed a different orientation, planning, strategy and adaptation.
“Thoughts like this on Nigeria’s journey of nationhood and development trajectory bring to mind the enduring legacies left by some other foreign leaders whose vision for nationhood translated into a positive force for unity and national cohesion.
“Given the state of the nation’s development and the challenge of uniting the country, questions have continued to be asked on the impact of our aggregate political experience on our national aspirations.
“The brand of political leadership we showcase and the kind of acrimony that dogs our politicking do not support national unity, development and stability in governance.
“Sometimes, one is tempted to ask, where did we get it wrong, in terms of matching the performance of our political leaders with the aspirations of the people? In the 1960s there were so many expectations from Nigeria, given the nation’s considerable size,” he said.
Expressing optimism for a brighter future for the country, Jonathan advised that despite all that the nation has been through, Nigerians should lose hope in our country.
“Every political cycle provides us with the ample opportunity to take decisions that would help us renew our hope, restore what had been lost and rebuild our country
“Ahead of the 2023 elections, we are getting ready to be wooed and wowed at campaign grounds by various politicians seeking different offices.
“But these thoughts are beyond 2023. It is about Nigeria and the kind of leadership it deserves now and in the future to ensure that our country assumes its rightful place among the comity of nations.
“My charge to Nigerians is to be circumspect in the exercise of their voting rights. We must shift away from the politics of bread and butter and ensure that we do not elect leaders that will buy our conscience today and mortgage the future of our children and grandchildren. We should endeavour to elect only those that will leave legacies of unity, peace and development.”
In his presentation, former Edo State governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) former National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, lamented that Nigerians don’t appreciate leaders until they leave office.
Alluding to Jonathan, Oshiomhole said the former president left a lasting legacy despite some of his misgivings.
He said: “You (Jonathan) left legacies even though I had cause to fight because it is politics. The legacy you have left, no successor can afford to do less. But the logic of multiparty democracy is that even an angel can be defeated. You have set a standard that none of your successors can afford to go below.
“Part of your (Jonathan) legacies was when you launched the almajiri school and your thought was that no Nigerian child should be left on the street and also appropriated special funds.
“These ideas are not new but what we lack is the will to transform them into practice. We never know who are our friends until when we are no more. No one is appreciated until he or she leaves office,” he said.
On his part, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwase III decried the glorification of stomach infrastructure in Nigeria’s political culture.
Alluding the menace to the Esau syndrome, where one’s birthright is sold for a single meal, the monarch applauded Jonathan for not upturning the presidential elections in 2015 even with the state’s apparatus at his disposal.
He described the deceased as a philanthropist who has left good legacies and contributed immensely to the development of Nigeria.
“As a nation, we are in a situation of raw survival which fosters an environment that escalates grievances and creates social chaos. And before we know it, we are in a culture of deception and there is no peace where there is no trust. And there is no trust where there is no truth in words, which is why it’s easy for not just politicians, anyone really to just say something and they don’t believe in what they are saying.
“This is just simply so they can get something into their hands or their stomachs. The real lasting legacy doesn’t kick in until that seed has fallen, died or departed. And yes, I had mentioned, I would want to make a distinction. And everybody has made that distinction already, between inheritance and legacy. True legacy is about the greater good, that must outlive one’s lifetime. For those who attain it, there is an element of destiny, as well as an element of discipline and determination.”
Also speaking at the memorial lecture, former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili said the development would continue to elude Nigeria and other African countries if the political class does not invest in education.
Noting that politicians in Nigeria do not care to leave a lasting and good legacy, she expressed concerns that nine out of every 10 African children are not able to read and learn numbers at the age of 10 required of children of their age in other parts of the world.
The former presidential candidate in the 2019 election said the development portends grave danger for developing countries like Nigeria.
She said: “When you look at the parameters and issues in our country, especially the current data, it shows that the continent is in crisis and it has to deal with some of the things that the former president Jonathan said about society, It’s that nine out of every 10 Africans do not have the literacy and numeracy skills required of Children of their age in other parts of the world.
“That’s not only an emergency, it is a disaster because research also shows that the lack of literacy and numeracy skills, by the time a child is 10 is a predictor of lifelong poverty and we’re not paying attention to the fact that the foundational skills of nine children out of every 10 will remain poor.
“The political class has refused to learn from research and their failure has led to the obsession with natural resources but natural resources have never translated into lasting capital.”
