The psychiatric insolence called Nigeria and the panacea of referenda (referendums)

 

credit: guardian.ng

Disclaimer: I'm neither a political scientist nor a psychiatrist. This leaves me nothing to talk about here. But I'm a humanist, having studied the Humanities at the prestigious University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. I have also learnt some conflict resolution from the University of Massachusetts Boston. When I tell people that I studied Igbo (at UI) and Dispute Resolution (at UMass Boston), they think that I have done the unthinkable. They don't necessarily go hand in glove. Says who? Says every critic that I've had to interact with. Although both disciplines are in the humanities, people hardly find a connection between them. However, I do find the link between understanding Igbo (or the Igbo worldview) and conflict resolution, which is believed to be Western culture. Furthermore, you do know, however, that Nigeria has an Igbo problem and thus an Igbo dispute, and there should be need for the Igbo conflict resolution. So, tell me, who's the right guru to attempt any resolution of the Nigeria-Igbo problem than me especially since I didn't create it? Ehe? I wasn't present in 1960 when the Independence was done after its deliberations. I wasn't around or even born when the Nigeria-Biafra war broke out. I'm just an unfortunate heiress of the prestigious Igbo debt and liability in Nigeria. Worse, is the fact that Nigeria doesn't see that her problems have a panacea in possible referendums that would foster peace, trust and unity in the country or among the African peoples, if secession would solve our problem. 

A country can't survive above the sanity of its citizens. While I can't diagnose Nigeria's myriad psycho-political maladies, I'm here attempting an analysis of the possible prognosis of her malady. As a feminist, humanist and woman I'm most embarrassed by the harassment many a Nigerian faces while navigating each day, at home or abroad. Let's begin from the Genesis of it all, from the very beginning. History or legend has it that the name Nigeria came from a woman. Today, the feminine albeit feminist dimensions of Nigeria's problems are ignored. This leaves a vast majority of the Nigerian population ignored, harassed,(ab)used, and certainly sidelined instead of being placed side by side at the table of national decision making. It's rather foolhardy to ignore or obliterate the efforts of feminine actors on Nigeria's stage of nationhood. Most prominent women have been those who found grace and/or favour with the powers of the day. Some of them were girlfriends, wives, mistresses, courtesans, harlots, or family of those men of valour. They weren't necessarily women with commitment to the other, other than to self-serving purposes. What I have observed, has been a propensity to fight for vainglory. 

In classical times till date, wars have beleaguered the earth. For a time as now that's believed to be advanced, civilized, modernized, developed, sanitized, etc., it needn't be so. In the case of Nigeria, let's again start from the beginning with the naming of our nation by Flora Shaw then alleged girlfriend turned wife of a British colonial administrator, Lord Lugard, on January 8, 1897. When Nigeria was called by a name referring her to a river, little attention was paid to the metaphysical effect of the Niger River. In most communities on its banks, the river goddess was the item of worship and reverence. The River Goddess was the reservoir of wealth and fertility because out of her womb proceeded all the aquatic wealth replete with resources. 

Aquatic life replenished itself giving wealth and resources to mankind. The river also brought pestilence to the people who fetched from its bowels. It also brought death to many a greedy fisherman or ignorant swimmer who ventured too far and embraced its long arms. The ignorant and/or inexperienced fisherman/swimmer who didn't take know the depth of its domain could drown in its belly. Here, I compare Nigeria to the god(dess) of the River Niger for her fertility, as well as the wealth and ignorance/death that could proceed from her shores. Despite the name associated with a lady (Flora Shaw) and the significance of the river in African mythology, modern Nigeria has ignored the woman, the image of her existence. I should rather say, that modern Nigeria, has ignored the wholesome woman who has laboured day and night to bring succour to her teeming population. Nigeria's positive and negative aspects of nationhood have, in my opinion rested on the twin notions of fertility and wealth.

Fertility: The river is full of life and business. Aquatic life shows the many species of crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles and even birds of prey that feed off its banks. The seagulls know many river banks. Fertility suggest multiplication. While the river provides food, wealth and replenishes its future, it doesn't have the life gains of human existence. Nigerians who breed like aquatic life would find wealth when the children are grown not otherwise. Until then, fertility would be a problem and a source of pain to the Nigerian people. There's no two ways about it, poverty is not just fueled by scarcity of resources, its exarcebated by over population. Do you agree with me? If you do, then you would know that Nigeria has a problem with overpopulation. Perhaps, we need a referendum on the number of children a couple or woman is allowed to produce in order to access government facilities.

Wealth: Wealth is sought and harnessed after due diligence and due process. Nigeria's many federal ministries have since Independence worked on her diverse human and material capital and wealth. We are not a poor people but we do have a problem with wealth management. With dwindling oil wealth, efforts have been made to diversify the wealth creation into other areas such as agriculture, industry, commerce especially entrepreneurship and youth development. But this is not enough. I think that Nigeria needs a referendum to determine whether our curriculum serves us well or we need a change. A typical Nigerian spends six years in the primary school, another six years in the secondary school, four years in higher education, one year in the National Youth Service Corps and yet another year in the N-POWER programme. That's some 18 years of inactive economic service and existence. This doesn't include all the years spent at home writing and rewriting the West African School Certificate Examination or the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. Hmmm...Nigeria. We are either a nation or an experiment. A nation experiments to build, an experiment builds to examine phenomena. In the former, we are the direct recipients of the discourse and the troubles with the results forging a better future. In the other, phenomena are explored with informing a third party of what's likely to happen to their own human existence. Hmm... ejikwa m ogu o.

Referenda/Referendums: While we sit and contemplate our nationhood I would list the possible referendums that Nigeria need to consider in the near future:

1. On fertility: how many children should a couple have? How many children should a woman, a man have? This should include, how many marriages is a man or woman allowed to initiate or participate in?
2. Wealth: Public declaration of assets. Should every adult declare his or her assets and at what age?
3. Prostitution/Harlotry: The last time I checked, prostitution/harlotry, which is sex in exchange for money and/or gain, was criminal. Should Nigeria legalize prostitution and at what age or in what way? Prostitution could be compared to smoking of cigarettes, every adult 18 years old and over can smoke cigarette but there are restrictions and regulations that determine use and location. Maybe prostitution is a worse vice, but some countries such as Israel, the Netherlands, etc have legalized prostitution. My opinion? I think every adult has the right to live right and I condemn harlotry/prostitution. I don't smoke cigarette even though it's still legal to do so as an adult.  Enough said.
4. Repeat offenders: Should repeat offenders get life sentence or life jail or what's the maximum punishment for repeat offenders?
5. Secession: Should Nigeria be divided into two, three or more states/nations/countries? What are the criteria for separation? With possibility of reuniting or never reuniting?
6. Religion: Should religion be removed from all formal forms for public use? Should it be an offense to require Nigerians to disclose their religious affiliations?
7. Next of kin: Should the next of kin be replaced with Emergency Contact, which really explains its use in many formal contexts? Should it be an optional part of any formal engagement?
8. Employment: What constitutes employment? Should 'student' be a form of employment, and why?
9. (Re)Naming: Should Nigerians rename their country? By what new name shall it be called? A vote on the letter of the new name is also imperative. 
10. Gratuitous sex: Prosecute people for requesting and/or granting gratuitous sex for any interaction be it social, political, technical, economic, religious etc.
11. Welfare: What constitutes adequate welfare for Nigerians and youth? 
12. Civil Service: What's the fate of the Nigerian civil service especially at the local government level? Should it stay or be scrapped for its lack of productivity and transparency?

I think there are other referendums that Nigerians need to talk about. While many of these are supposed work for the National Assembly, I'm thinking that a referendum where necessary should be held to determine public opinion. Recently, I learnt that Scotland was going to hold yet another referendum asking to be removed from the United Kingdom in order to rejoin the European Union because of the Brexit. If Scotland could hold a referendum, which allowed her to remain in the UK and now could vote again to leave the UK in years, why hasn't Nigeria every ventured towards holding referendums? I think that every leader has tried to steer from the murky waters of a vote. But this rather insensitive if not lackadaisical attitude hasn't saved anybody's hair. We are beset with problems that are possible to be resolved with a simple vote. So, my suggestion rests in the hope that such an exercise to be administered by the National Identity Management Commission, the National Orientation Agency, with other identity granting entities such as the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Independent National Electoral Commission would provide much needed succour to Nigerians. So, with the national identity card or slip providing each Nigerian (15 years old?) 18 years old and over a national identity together with any of the international passport, driver's license or the permanent voter's card the chance to participate in the vote. I rest my case here.