NAL AND ETHNIC WAVES

 Ethnic diversity should be exploited for the development of the nation, writes VICTOR C. ARIOLE

Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) in its deliberations resolves that ethnic diversity in Nigeria needed to serve as “neutrons” for quantum development of Nigeria as against how it is currently used as “weapons” against socio-economic development, and expects political elite to rethink their wrong use of such positive values of Nigeria.

NAL pondered over how not to use ethnic diversity in Nigeria as weapon against socio-economic development in its 25^th convocation and investiture of new fellows held at University of Lagos with an advice by the representative of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ayo Atsenuwa, the DVC, that NAL makes its position on national issues to matter for better humanistic development of Nigeria and Africa in the current prevailing uncertainties, especially as they concern good governance and social justice.

“Histori Tends in the management of inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic relations in Nigeria”, was the theme of the deliberation. Professor Isaac Olawale Albert led the debate with his lecture that dwelled in the dialectics of “forget our differences and dwell on what make us strong”, and forage on our differences to work out what our strength is” as processes of development propounded by two of the foremost leaders of Nigeria’s fathers of independence. It was also seen as the analogy of the tree’s branches and the roots that enable either the beauty or the frail outlook of the branches and leaves.

In effect a tree with a tap root deep in the soil notwithstanding the fibrous roots as peripherals could remain stronger than just fibrous roots without a tap root, though roots start off as fibrous before a determinant one runs deep to keep the tree stable. So, it is high time Nigerians outgrow their fibrous roots and allow the taproot to keep the Nigerian state stable. So, also the contributions of Professors Florence Orabueze, Oyeronke Olademo and Lendzemo Yuka. Professor Orabueze sees Nigeria’s authors like Achebe, Isidore and Agary as worthy exploring on how not to use the divide and rule tactics bequeathed by the British colonial masters as further means of administering Nigeria if indeed Nigeria’s ethnic diversity is to be developed into a positive developmental tool and it is to be learnt in how nature exploits the diversity of the planet earth for the wellbeing of humans, whether in the food chain or biodiversity or human ecology of complementing talents and endowments.

Professor Olademo using the reaction of some Nigerians in relation to how Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala posted pictures during the recent gathering of world leaders in France as quite negative of how to relate to diversity and Okonjo-Iweala quickly reacted also to disabuse the minds of such negative reaction by proving that it was not deliberate as she posed in a photo with Nigeria’s president to debunk the insinuation that she, as Director General of WTO, was ignoring Nigeria’s president. Prof. Olademo also referred to the saga of insomnia and JAMB to expatiate what negative ethnic divide sentiment could do to genuine and positive development of a people in the process of developing to nationhood. She sees it as orchestrated by fickle-minded ones who always see the negative side of ethnic diversity and always clamour for loyalty to ethnic elite as against national progress.

For Professor Yuka, India must serve as a better way of exploiting ethnic diversity for the development of a nation as most of the over 1.4 billion Indians use Hindi as a national language while not ignoring the development of over 270 mother tongues as well as separately observing 23 official languages; that is state’s regions allow what to add as their local official languages out of the 29 states of India. English of course, still serves as the language that leads them to the outer world.

Professor Yuka in his study of different Nigerian language admit that the profuse borrowing of words by the languages among themselves gives the clue for a centripetal cultural observance which Nigerians ought to capitalize on to project a national culture or outline national values that give strength to their diversity as against approaching their diversity in instrumentalist way leading to sentiments of xenophobia, apartheid and racism.

So, intercultural studies among centered on Nigeria’s languages and subcultures have to be encouraged by Nigeria’s policymakers and political elite if indeed studying Nigerians’ differences towards spinning out waves that could lead to quantum development is to be realized as it takes great velocity to move the multiple cultural waves for the production of massive energy required to give happiness and wellbeing to the over 200 million people whose individual mass outlooks are craving for that binding force available in language construction as well as in political will of the leaders.

Ariole is a

Professor of French and Francophone Studies,

University of Lagos