At 61, Nigeria has fully come of age, after six decades of socio-political success and turbulences, and after over 100 years of Nationhood.
Of greater importance is the value of Unity, built on the nation’s diversity, population, status, intelligentsia and nascent democratic governance.
The import and Constance of unity in the life of a Nation, the size and complexity of Nigeria need careful appraisal based on its historical realities.
When and where the issues of politics, religion, education, economy, health, food, transport, resources generation and resources distribution could not be managed adequately, there is greater possibility of disorder, disunity and national insecurity.
The Unity of Nigeria must therefore take centre stage in all political discuss and committed patriotism.
No nation is great and successive where the major issues of peace, cooperation, unity and political stability are not appropriately managed to avoid prolonged insecurity and threats to national security and solidarity.
This precisely has been the main focus and preoccupation of the democratic leadership currently being championed by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinibajo.
Unfortunately, in a climate of fear, crime and criminality, the survival and success of all the nation’s socio-economic activity is threatened, unity of the collectivity becomes a mirage while peace and stability become unattainable.
Local and foreign investment automatically receives a setback. The situation of a bleak economy and national security provides a serious premise for government intervention and strengthen Executive as well as Legislative commitment.
The need for collective security, unity and political stability calls for the support of the citizenry, from all walks of life to join hands and help combat crime and criminality, fight corruption, banditry, thereby committing the citizen to unity & collective- survival.
When there are political tension, thuggery orchestrated kidnapping, collective intolerance, private or official misconduct and confrontation from local, state and national political actors, vis-à-vis the Centre, national unity is imminently threatened.
To these constants, the unflinching commitment of the political leadership at the Center becomes the invaluable key and strategic positive response that must command the country’s security, unity and stability.
On this logic, the present administration rolled out three basic weapons of policy namely: Fight against corruption on all its ramifications, strong efforts at sustaining the economy to stimulate local and foreign investment and a serious commitment to build and sustain intra structures for national development.
Consequently, Agriculture and Food Security; Health and the basic infrastructures; Social welfare, Family and small-scale financial support including the youth & school children got greater attention from Federal commitments.
All these including environmental protection and defense of national resources, meant to stimulate national economic pursuit at both public and private sector are directed towards providing unity, security, stability and development in a clear response to constitutional imperative of the welfare and security of the citizenry.
The Boko Haram, children kidnapping, insurgency, banditry, crime and criminality have been tackled headlong and serious commitment in terms of human, policy, material and financial resources have been largely implicated meant for sustained action towards peace, security and national unity.
In sum democratic governance, upon which any government directs its responsibility, provides a mechanism for converting public chaos and groups disorder towards collective success for the actualization of the nation’s destiny, status and leadership in the comity of democratic nations.
Such must be, and has been the national political ambition, that for unity and security, all hands must be at the deck to confront all cancer of divisionism, abuse of the rule of law, suspicion and socio-political disintegration inimical to the tenet of the nation’s foreign policy commitments and national interest.
In the best tradition of political expediency and transparent statesmanship, the leadership must collectively work together, shun all forms of divisive tendency, put the larger interest of this nation targeted at the sustenance of unity, peace, security, stability and development in the forefront. Nigerians cannot afford to fail.
Written by Ibrahim Gambari