The comments of Bode George are hitting on a painful yet ever-present fact about national identity in Nigeria: that all the most significant internal adversaries of the nation are not the foreign foes and the economic catastrophes of the land, but the long-standing division of tribe and religion.
The statement of his is a reminder and a mirror to many Nigerians: we are still grappling to come out of the colonial legacies that are still dictating our politics, our leadership decisions, and even our social relations. His listed divisions, tribalism and religious bigotry, have long defined the fault lines of the country, both in the appointment of each successive administration and in the policy discussion.
This fact is not new to a typical Nigerian. What is novel, perhaps, is the extent to which these divides have become established in the contemporary political rhetoric. The rhetoric of the so-called Christian-Muslim and/or North-South stories takes its toll even on the most banal conversation, making competency, prowess, and national solidarity look watered down.
By leaders and institutions bending into identity politics, the citizens become convinced that it is true and are encouraged to become cynical, believing that the allegiance to ethnicity or religious beliefs is more important than the allegiance to the nation. Unless there is a leadership that transcends such inherited prejudices, many Nigerians believe that no form of reform, regardless of how well-intentioned it may be, will be able to take root.
The real thing is that what Nigeria requires is a planned cultural reboot, one led by the ruling elite but belonging to the citizens. The schools need not only to educate students on civic matters but also on civic compassion; religious leaders need to use their platforms to construct bridges, not to bang walls; and political parties need to cease using identity as a short-term tool. It is more than a reflection, however, as it is a challenge from Bode George on the phone.
As long as Nigeria needs to mend itself, it needs to forget the biases it was taught over the centuries and find common values that could allow the country to coexist. Only then can we really make a nation that is not based on tribe and creed.
