Tribalism and Regionalism: How Division Impacts Governance in Nigeria

My country, Nigeria, is said to have been running a democratic style of leadership for the last twenty-something years, and yet it seems as though we're under a dictatorship style of governance, despite the fact that the faces of our leaders change every four to eight years, yet it's as though we don't have the power to bring in our desired candidate but to only make do with whoever the cabal installed to be our next president, and with this happening consistently, I can't help but have the belief that only a mass exodus in politics can help fulfill our heart desire.

Every citizen of a country wants the best for their nation, because, as the elder will say in my native language, the peace to the tree insinuates or indicates that there'll be peace to the bird, and that's why at all times we the citizens of our country clamor for a change for the better, because our voice isn't heard, we don't seem to have a say in deciding who rules us, we don't have freedom of speech, and the like, and this makes me wonder if we're truly running a democracy or something else at the moment.

Talking about what our democracy needs to work, I can't help but think far and near, and for us to find the solution, that means we must first of all recognize the problem; without identifying the problem, there's no way we can prescribe a solution to what we don't know, and so I'll first highlight the problem and alongside that prescribe the solution for better governance in our nation, Nigeria.

Personally speaking, which I also believe is the opinion of many, I believe one of the problems we're having as a nation on democracy is the set of people in politics in our nation. I believe most of them only join politics because of their own selfish desire to enrich their pocket and not to serve the people in moving the nation forward, and so, I believe a massive exodus in any way possible aimed at flushing these people out, including the cabals, that's one step closer to good governance.

Another is our mindset as a people; most of us the people are corrupt at heart, and one reason why this thrives and leads to the consistent habit of not having a say in bringing in our own desired leader is the idea of tribes and regions; these two entities have divided us and have been used by politicians to create misunderstandings between we, the citizens, on several occasions, and I believe the best way forward is to have a system where there's nothing like I'm of this tribe, and it won't be a criteria before employment or related stuff.

That way, we won't be plagued with enemity among ourselves; top world countries like the UK and the United States of America, despite housing people of different races, don't have such, and this kind of fosters unity and oneness amongst the people; everyone is an American and belongs to a state, but down here you've got us being Nigerian and then claiming states and tribes like Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba, which brings about division and ultimately leads to insurgency and a tool for politicians to fuel their political ambitions.

The electoral act also needs to be abolished and a new working one with a clear interpretation introduced to give room for transparency and justice, and I believe when all of these are put in place, then we're on our way to having good governance in our country, and most importantly, two other things must be done to put things in the right direction: one is removing the immunity of presidents and governors from being arrested or prosecuted for every misappropriation.

Alongside that, reducing the wages of politicians to the bearest minimum and placing a heavy judgment on whoever indulges in looting of public funds would help push out the bad eggs to a certain extent, giving room for those who want the good and progress of the nation the opportunity to run for office.

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All photos are taken and edited on canva.

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