DOUSING ETHNIC TENSION IN NIGERIA
By Olusegun Adeyemi HOSEA.
The theme above is a selected topic been discussed on the Nigeria Television Authority as part of their daily programme titled: Good morning Nigeria. The writer of this piece has decided to x-ray the concept and is able to put together some words that are worthy of academic reading for our audience from analysis made by the invited guests.
DEFINITION OF THE KEY WORDS.
The practice of making something or someone wet by throwing liquid over them could be referred to as dousing. To stop a fire from burning by pouring water. While Ethnic can be a group of people that sharing a common and distinctive culture, religion and language in a country. It can also be seen as a population of subgroup within a lager or dominant national or cultural group. Tension is the state of being stretched tight that can lead to mental or emotional strain. It can also be a feeling that is produced in a situation when people are anxious and do not trust each other, when there is possibility of sudden violence or conflict.
However, the emergency violence in the country has its causes or factors linked to so many reasons. The first among these are poverty which is the bane of communal and ethnic conflict in our country. A hungry man is an angry man. Majority of the citizens in the state are not sure of their daily three square meal and where it will come from if at all there is going to be one. For this reason, some of them may decide to fence for themselves in a violence manner with an empty stomach. When this happen, there is possibility that a rift may occur within them and other group of people they are trying to exploit. The crisis that happened in Shasha Market between the Hausa / Fulani and their host – Yoruba in Oyo State can be seen as a result of poverty and lack of love as well as intolerance among the people living together in that community.
POLITICS: This is another factor to be considered when it comes to the subject matter of discussion. Every ethnic groups are trying.to dominate especially if one consider themselves powerful than the other in time of dominating the affairs of political corridor in the country. There is tendency for such group that have the upper hands in the realm of politics to try and have controlled over the other powerless ethnic tribe. As the latter are trying to be in control, the incapable one will as much as possible strive hard in order to resist the forces of the domineering and when this happen, violence is bound to occur.
Similarly, democracy which ought to be the government of the people by the people and for the people has turn to be the system of ruling among the political Elites. The poor masses are not benefiting from the democracy the way it ought to be. Dividend of this type of government has become the inheritance of the children of the ruling class. Their wards get better employment and hold good post in the government while the common and menial jobs are reserved for the poor. The masses are suffering from the hands of the political class that have monopolized the benefits of democracy thereby left the children of the peasant to suffer. All these factors are some of the things that are trigger conflict within our society.
LACK OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONSTITUTION.
In the same vain, lack of implementation of the Constitution of the nation as it’s for the benefit of the citizens is another issue that is causing Ethnic tension. The law that ban a chimpanzee is the same rules that restrict a monkey. But in a situation whereby one ethnic group is given preferential treatment at the expense of other, calamity is sure to manifest. Where people’s rights is being violated and abuse by the security personnel and in some cases they get away with it due to the impunity, such country where this occur will definitely experience chaos from time to time.
Indeed, lack of rule of law and none accountability can fuel violence in the country. Some ethnic groups are bidden by the law in ensuring that peace reign while other tribes are violating the rules of the laws by causing mayhem in the country. They kill and kidnap at will without anybody condemning their nefarious activities or prosecuting them. In some cases ransom are been paid in order to secure the victim and some died at times before the money is being paid. When people raise an eyebrow about this, the message is that people are free to live in where ever they choose to stay in the country”, of course, nobody is stopping anybody from residing in anywhere but if your residency is causing security treat, embarrassment and inconveniences to your landlord, he has rights to weed you out within their community since you have refused to make peace. The national resources meant for all the citizens are not been accountable for by our leaders. Distribution of the national wealth are not share equally among the citizens. For instance, the host community of the crude oil are demanding reasonable percentage from the petroleum industrial bill (PIB) and 2% share has been proposed by the government while the host Communities are clamouring for 10% share from the bill. This aspect alone is capable of causing or set the whole nation on fire. In fact, the argument over this formula sharing generated heat debate and eventually resulted to physical blow among the representatives during the public hearing of the bill in the National Assembly at Abuja.
LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS
Leadership at all levels of government also have their own cup of blame in this matter. Starting from the Federal level, the system of operations we are practicing does not reflect true federalism at all. There are too much power concentrated at the centre and this is not helping the development in other regions. Also, the leadership style being administered in the ruling of the affairs of the nation in which tribalism and nepotism are been placed above competency are some of the reasons while we are having Ethnic tension. To hold a position in any Federal or State or Local government in the country now, Ethnicity and colorization must come into be. Our leaders always favour their kinsmen than any other citizens who are not their tribes when it comes to the appointment into public office. In other words, competency and efficiency are been compromised while nepotism and tribalism are given priority.
HATE SPEECH.
The concept of hate speech can also trigger tension among the people in the country. You see, the primary objectives of government is to feed all her citizens and secure them. But when they fail in this responsibilities, the latter will experience hate speech and worst messages from their subjects. Any times this happen, their kinsmen who are benefiting from their administration directly or indirectly we like to defend their actions by altering hate speech as a form of reprisal to those that are abusing the government they are benefiting from. In this wise, ethnic tension is bound to happen if not properly checked.
SOCIAL INJUSTICE.
Alas! Lack of social Injustice can lead to ethnic tension. An injury to one is an injury to all. When there is no proper social Injustice for all the citizens, it is obvious that crisis will loom. By this concept, we mean the view that everybody or everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. In Nigeria today, there is lack of social injustice among the regions than others. Some ethnic nationality are claiming that the corridor of power belong to them and their generations ” and this is causing rancor among other citizens.
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT
In this present democracy, some Ethnic groups enjoy economic opportunities than other. Likewise the development of the infrastructural development and social amenities are more concentrated in some areas in the country than another. For instance, the Niger Delta region who produces bulk of the resources or wealth of this nation are poorly develop in time of social amenities and other capital project. The level of development in Abuja and other major capital cities cannot be compared to the Niger Delta region. Yet they are the golden hen that laid a golden egg for this nation. The social Injustice is one of the major reason that is causing hullabaloo among the ethnics in the country.
ELITES PERSPECTIVES
From the words of Professor Joy Ezeilo – (A Prof. of Public law) from the University of Nigeria Nsuka, she talked about lack of love which a time normally created Ethnic tension in the society as all of us are mutually vulnerable. From another angle, Prof. Biodun Adeniyi (A Professor of Mass Communication) from the Bazed University Abuja, said that no country that is completely homogeneous and heterogeneous on its own. According to him, management of diversities is what we need. He cited example of countries such as Germany and Italy managed their own diversities to the development of their own nation. He concluded, by saying that crash ignorance about disbelieve of life and lack of understanding of value of life are some of the key factors that are making people involve in Ethnic tension.
In the opinion of Dr. Garba Abari- DG National Orientation Agency – NOA” (now former) argued that country is passing through devastating period. He went further that lack of investment in human security and empowerment can as well bring about the Ethnic tension. The propagation of fake News on social media can also cause this crisis. To Prof. Jubrin Munzali, he sees the Elites as the manipulator of the masses in order for them to achieve their political objectives and agenda.
SOLUTION TO DISABUSE THE MIND OF THE YOUNG ONE FROM ETHNIC TENSION.
To dousing ethnic tension among the young one in the country, the following points needs to be addressed.
Leadership need to behave well by showing good example before citizens can follow.
Those who perpetrate evil must be punished for causing violence in the society.
Let there be human security as in freedom of people.
Security and welfare of the people must be attended to.
Any Injustice must be condemned in respective of whose Ox is god.
There should be equal treatment of each other with dignity and stop stereotype.
Let there be sincerity of purpose among the leaders and the followers.
Sharing of the national resources equally across the citizens must be considered.
Traditional Rulers should not be an agent of evil in their domain.
Let there be an enlightenment campaign across the country about the need for tolerance and respect for lives.
Appointment into the Federal job should follow Federal Character.
Let there be unity and tolerance among the people living in the country.
Let there be decentralization of power among the three tiers of government.
Recruitment of the leader personnel into the system should be allowed to emerge by circumstance.
Electoral reform and building on our existing Constitution should be encouraged.
Let us have electronic voting as it’s been practiced in India.
Let competency and efficiency top our priority in the selection of our leaders into an office.
Conclusion, Ethnicity is part of our democracy and this is preventing development in all sphere of life. The way and manner we manage them will go a long way in dousing ethnic tension in Nigeria.
Mr.Olusegun Adeyemi HOSEA.
Journalist, Public Relations Practitioner, Evaluator, Publicity Secretary-Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria–APBN, Secretary OndoNUJ Digital Media-DM Chapel Akure, Founder and CEO: Exponent News-A production of Ewi Exponent Rendition Communication. Writes from Akure, Ondo State Nigeria.
