In the process of restructuring Nigeria, several fundamental issues should be addressed. I will briefly talk about the lopsidedness in the Nation’s nomenclature tagged as “Nigeria”. Let me start with the rhetorical questions of; Why the name “Nigeria”? When did the name “Nigeria” surface? Where did it evolve from? And how did we come about the name “Nigeria”? You think it was named after a river! That’s naively wrong; you will find the answer in one of the subsequent paragraphs.

To start with, a country’s democratic system is built on the culture and tradition of the people with respect to the country’s history and immediate or past political experience. The neglect of our cultural values and traditional institutions in the respect of a borrowed culture has over time resulted in drastic degradation of our value system in Nigeria and has affected the full-flowering of democracy as a viable tool for national integration. The British colonial masters neglected Nigeria's traditional institution and culture since 1960 after her independence. Meanwhile, England practices a Monarchical system of Democracy that recognizes the traditional institutions and culture of the British people. Disappointingly, on the other hand, the British colonial masters inhibited into Nigeria a Westminster type of Parliamentary Democracy upon her independence which led to regionalism, marginalization, hegemony and divisive politics in the nation since the first republic till this fourth republic of US presidential system of democracy. All the democratic systems were experimental and the subsequent ones were built on the immediate or past political experience.

The only time the importance of the Nigerian traditional institutions were recognized was when the Colonial masters needed to exercise indirect rule system on the Nigerian people during the colonial era. Also, all the present issues being faced in Nigeria today are all traceable to the nature of the British contacts in the Northern and Southern Nigeria before independence, and most especially amalgamating the diverse ethnic groups together for their selfish interests; administrative, economic and political interests without considering our differences, cultures, value systems, traditions, perception and unique identity.

Let’s not take it too far, even from the country’s Name “Nigeria”; history told us that Nigeria was named after a river called the River Niger! I totally disagree! My question is that; “who named the river - River Niger?” The answer is just that both the River and the present country called Nigeria were named after the British company called The Royal Niger Company (Part of the first set of the British companies that were established in Nigeria). Some of these indigenous British companies are still operating in Nigeria till today with a changed name. I am not against foreign investment in Nigeria, I am only fostering Nigeria’s restructuring by exposing her citizens to certain fundamental issues that should be tackled.
I can therefore conclude that Nigeria is a product of European Imperialism and yet to be a true nation which entails all her hundreds of ethnic groups recognizing the strength in their diversity for being the most populous black nation, synchronizing together as a beautiful rainbow nation in the pursuit of national prosperity and a sustainable national development agenda.

If Nigeria will truly be restructured, these critical fundamental issues should be addressed by correcting the foundational lopsidedness in her original structure.

The task is hanging on us like a sword of Damocles.

Jawolusi Oluwaseun Solomon.
PediakAuthor

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