Nigeria, a buoyant tapestry of cultures, traditions and desires, stands at an unprecedented crossroads. One that has unleashed fever pitched acrimonious and combative encounters along ethnic groups. Ironically at the heart of it, all of Nigeria needs the same thing – sustained economic development -. Many Nigerians can at the drop of a heart rattle off the perceived opportunities and natural wealth the country possesses, the great capacity and capability of its citizens both domiciled at home and abroad. Yet in another breath lament the realities and plights of the same nation that has the potential to be great everyday but instead presents to many as an economic wasteland.
So the question becomes what then is the issue? To which again will be met by an emesis of words of affirmation, completely irreconcilable with reality. The solution to this cycle of nothingness is actually right before ours and the world’s watchful beady eyes. To truly unlock its economic potential, Nigeria needs a new paradigm – one that celebrates the unique strengths of its diverse ethnicities. This requires a shift towards a decentralised approach to excellence, to commerce, to development, to regional -nation building.
Strength in Unity, Power in Diversity:
Nigeria’s ethnicities are not liabilities, but wellsprings of profound cultural and cerebral wealth. Within these groups lies a potent mix of love, understanding, trust, and fervour flavoured with traditions. These deep bonds when fully expressed foster and flourish a sense of belonging and shared purpose, a powerful foundation for economic development.
Harnessing Local Ingenuity:
Imagine a Nigeria where each ethnic or regional group utilises its inherent knowledge and traditions to build a thriving local economy. Farmers, steeped in generations-old agricultural practices, could leverage their expertise to develop sustainable farming methods. Artisans, renowned for their intricate crafts, could build businesses catered to the global market. Groups with a flare for entrepreneurialism would build sustained industries. Groups will leverage their unique problem solving prowess to grow at a healthy pace, meeting community needs, creating commercial engines within and without its borders, leveraging its natural resources naturally, as a commander of its destiny engaging partnerships that are mutually beneficial.
Culturally Relevant Solutions:
This decentralised approach fosters innovation that is grounded in the realities of each region’s environment, needs and opportunities. Ethnic groups, with their intimate understanding of local resources and challenges, are best positioned to develop solutions that are not only effective but also culturally relevant and environmentally conducive. This will not tamp down prosperity, on the contrary it will unleash it in ways that are unimaginable because the wisdom of the most affected and most informed crowd would be applied. For example there is no wisdom in trying to fish every last fish from a river or pollute a whole population’s landscape just to sell as much oil as possible. The truth is that in that scenario, a cycle of poverty, disease and reduced land usefulness is by far the overarching outcome. Such is the reality today of the Niger-Delta region. Imagine if the region had been involved in the management and monetisation of the crude oil resource, they could have helped determine the most conducive ingress and egress pathways, designated appropriate and safe operational zones, harnessed healthy partnerships and welcomed the bounty of success for the region!
A Redeemable Balance:
By empowering ethnicities, Nigeria can achieve a redeemable balance of power, resources, and goals. This approach fosters a sense of ownership and accountability, where each region strives for excellence based on its unique values and aspirations. No longer would development be a top-down imposition, but a collaborative effort driven by the collective brilliance of its diverse people. It sounds simple doesn’t it? The truth is it is simple – the Biafra war was hard but the people persevered, they engineered and manufactured within the confines of what they had access to and needed. They refined and developed home grown technologies in order to sustain and achieve desired capacity within a short time under a literal and aggressive life threatening pressure. Imagine what is possible without a war in progress.
A Nation Fully Representing Itself:
Imagine a Nigeria where each region thrives, showcasing its distinct cultural identity through its economic success. Local delicacies become national treasures, traditional textiles turn into fashion statements, and ancestral knowledge fuels innovation. This decentralised excellence allows Nigeria to represent the best of what it values and desires for itself on its own terms at a regional, national, continental and global stage.
A well-designed decentralised system can engage concerns about regional competition. The lived out reality is that healthy competition breeds healthy economics -each ethnic group, growing at the speed of their desired goals. National infrastructure projects, educational initiatives, and knowledge-sharing programmes can be tools employed to ensure all regions have a strong foundation for growth. Inter-ethnic trade, cultural exchanges, and collaboration will naturally exist, creating a sense of shared prosperity. Eventually culminating in a Nation rich in curated Centers of Excellence – resilience!
The path to a prosperous Nigeria lies not in uniformity, but in leveraging its many terrains and peoples. The call to action is for ethnic groups to unite themselves as regional economic engines beholden to the land they have and people they are – a decentralised nexus. By empowering ethnicities to leverage their cultural strengths and local knowledge, Nigeria can unlock a future brimming with innovation, self-reliance, and a truly representative national identity. This way of being is organic to human nature and ensures sustained long term national stability.
•About Ngozi Bell
Learner and Educator, Ngozi Bell has both private and public sector experience from executive to practitioner, leading edge technology developer to end-user, and multinational to startups. She resides with her family and is encouraged by the inexhaustible possibilities!
