STATEHOOD: A REFLECTION CONCERNING AGITATIONS FOR SELF-DETERMINATION.
Agitations for self-determination in Nigeria can be seen from the failures of leadership and the inability to eradicate parochialism, ethnic-clientelism and poverty of statesmanship in the direction of governance cum non-democratization of governmental institutions given rise to a dysfunctional Nigeria.
When leadership is lacking within a given Geo-political agglomeration disintegration would be the obvious political dimension open to agitators who perceive structural inequality as an existential reality and who do not see government taking proactive measures in safeguarding their wellbeing.
''Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains."-Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The Social Contract is a good pedestal to flesh out our discussion concerning agitations for self determination prevalent within the Geo-political space Nigeria.
Most agitations are a result of perceived inequalities in human society and failure of political leadership to address these fundamental inequalities in a purposeful manner is a function or remnant of what Jean-Jacques Rousseau described in his (Discours sur l'origine et les fondements de l'inégalité parmi les hommes) put differently the political leadership instinct for self preservation is a significant raison d'etre of inequalities in human society and Nigeria cannot be an exception.
Ours is not a philosophical fiction of political leadership instinct for self preservation rather it is a heuristic daily manifestation wherein those in leadership positions prefer to silence all agitations for self-determination because they have somewhat a straight-jacketed perception that it is a threat to their political hegemony thereby creating a culture of imposition of the will of the strongest on the populace a justification akin to Thomas Hobbes State of Nature.
My view here is that we are still in pre-civil society in Nigeria looking at our ''political administration'' and the absence of any social contract given the fact that the Constitution of Nigeria has no input from (We) the people and the constituent nations that make up Geo-political space Nigeria. Therefore, no contractual obligations on the part of the citizenry to accept any provision that can curtail their natural rights an intrinsic need for self-determination and agitations for statehood within Nigeria.
Nigeria is bereft of leaders with superior statesmancraft who can influence citizens toward the achievement of national integration and unity. This is obvious from their brutish self-preservation mentality and parochial orientation to governance. Inasmuch as we have leaders with ruptured medulla oblongata administering our political stratosphere in Nigeria we shall not get rid of agitations from ethnic nationalities for an independent state.
I am not preaching anarchy here and I am not in support of disintegration of Nigeria rather I am suggesting to those in leadership positions in Nigeria to adopt a social contract memorandum of political understanding with the citizenry in other to overcome this epidemy of agitations for statehood.
The political leadership of ethnic nationalities within Nigeria must resolve to programme themselves for socio-political contractual agreement by either adopting the recommendations wholesale from the national conference or develop a new morphology and architecture with accommodation of the aspirations of ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. The restructuring or devolution of political power under a social contractual arrangement that takes into consideration major issues of agitations should be sovereign.
"Self determination could mean independence, confederacy, federal and autonomy"- Jalal Talabani.
LONG LIVE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.
OTUNBA ADE ILEMOBADE IS A PHILOSOPHER.
TWITTER: @PEARL2PRINCE
When leadership is lacking within a given Geo-political agglomeration disintegration would be the obvious political dimension open to agitators who perceive structural inequality as an existential reality and who do not see government taking proactive measures in safeguarding their wellbeing.
''Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains."-Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The Social Contract is a good pedestal to flesh out our discussion concerning agitations for self determination prevalent within the Geo-political space Nigeria.
Most agitations are a result of perceived inequalities in human society and failure of political leadership to address these fundamental inequalities in a purposeful manner is a function or remnant of what Jean-Jacques Rousseau described in his (Discours sur l'origine et les fondements de l'inégalité parmi les hommes) put differently the political leadership instinct for self preservation is a significant raison d'etre of inequalities in human society and Nigeria cannot be an exception.
Ours is not a philosophical fiction of political leadership instinct for self preservation rather it is a heuristic daily manifestation wherein those in leadership positions prefer to silence all agitations for self-determination because they have somewhat a straight-jacketed perception that it is a threat to their political hegemony thereby creating a culture of imposition of the will of the strongest on the populace a justification akin to Thomas Hobbes State of Nature.
My view here is that we are still in pre-civil society in Nigeria looking at our ''political administration'' and the absence of any social contract given the fact that the Constitution of Nigeria has no input from (We) the people and the constituent nations that make up Geo-political space Nigeria. Therefore, no contractual obligations on the part of the citizenry to accept any provision that can curtail their natural rights an intrinsic need for self-determination and agitations for statehood within Nigeria.
Nigeria is bereft of leaders with superior statesmancraft who can influence citizens toward the achievement of national integration and unity. This is obvious from their brutish self-preservation mentality and parochial orientation to governance. Inasmuch as we have leaders with ruptured medulla oblongata administering our political stratosphere in Nigeria we shall not get rid of agitations from ethnic nationalities for an independent state.
I am not preaching anarchy here and I am not in support of disintegration of Nigeria rather I am suggesting to those in leadership positions in Nigeria to adopt a social contract memorandum of political understanding with the citizenry in other to overcome this epidemy of agitations for statehood.
The political leadership of ethnic nationalities within Nigeria must resolve to programme themselves for socio-political contractual agreement by either adopting the recommendations wholesale from the national conference or develop a new morphology and architecture with accommodation of the aspirations of ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. The restructuring or devolution of political power under a social contractual arrangement that takes into consideration major issues of agitations should be sovereign.
"Self determination could mean independence, confederacy, federal and autonomy"- Jalal Talabani.
LONG LIVE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.
OTUNBA ADE ILEMOBADE IS A PHILOSOPHER.
TWITTER: @PEARL2PRINCE
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