Author: PositiveNaija

The Purpose Of Nigeria! By Victor Femi-Lawal

Judging from a cursory glance, it does not seem difficult for one to imagine Nigeria as a gallimaufry of sorts. After all, from nature to culture to religion, the country exhibits a wide range of variegations: its terrain stretches from vast, arid, savannah to lush forests teeming with wildlife; its peoples, Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Efik, and some hundreds more, exhibit a remarkable prodigiousness in language, belief systems, festivals, food, and values. In short, the socioeconomic amalgam that is Nigeria is composed of peoples whose origins differ as much as black does from blue. So, the question arises — Why? What is the purpose of Nigeria? Why unite us under a common polity? Why are we in this arduous race of nation-building? A brisk perusal through the books readily reveals the reasons why political entities in general are established: to maintain law and order, direct the affairs of the people, provide social amenities, and the like. This, apparently, does not satisfy the rapacious explorer. This question, stripped to its bones, is one that concerns the ‘higher’ purpose Nigeria fulfills; her uniqueness in society; and her relevance in the comity of nations.

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The Purpose Of Nigeria! By Adu Michael Adeyemi

Far from that time in 1947 when Chief Obafemi Awolowo said in his Path to Nigerian Freedom that “Nigeria is not a nation, it is a mere geographical expression”, the same phrase can no longer be said to hold water. About 104 years ago when the Northern and Southern protectorates were merged to create the entity called Nigeria, it was – in truth – purely for economic and administration reasons. Sixty (60) years after independence through a lot of turbulence, the country still remains as one ‘indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God.[i]

It is now even truer for Nigeria as a country that:

Geography has made us neighbours; history has made us friends; economics has made us partners; and necessity has made us one… What unites us is far greater than what divides us.[ii]

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The Purpose Of Nigeria! By Olawale Lekan Christopher

“Our country is the largest single unit in Africa… we are not going to abdicate the position in which God Almighty has placed us. The whole black continent is looking up to this country to liberate it from thraldom.” (Jaja Wachuku, Nigeria’s first Minister of External Affairs.)

When the fetters of colonisation began to break in the late 1950s and 1960s in Africa, there was a need for a big brother nation to emerge among the newly independent African countries that would lead the way in the political stability and economic prosperity of the newly liberated continent. Due to its size in population and resources, Nigeria seemed to have been a perfect fit for the role. And as soon as it gained independence in 1960,  Nigeria began to lead, offering political, military and financial supports to African countries in need.

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