LIKE RWANDA, LIKE NIGERIA

Rwanda is an East Africa country colonized by the Belgian and dominated by two ethnic nationalities namely, the Tutsi and Hutu. The Belgian pursued a strategy of divide and conquer. They openly favoured the Tutsi, whom they considered superior and to be natural-born rulers and whom they instrumentalized to control the Hutu majority. Nigeria is a West Africa country colonized by Britain and defined by three ethic national identities namely, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo

. The British pursued a strategy of divide and conquer. They openly favoured the Hausa, whom they considered to be natural-born rulers and whom they instrumentalized to lord it over the Yoruba and Igbo. It is the division created by the Belgian that led to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, where about  800,000 Tutsi died in the hands of their Hutu kindred.

It is also the division created by the British that led to the Nigeria Civil war in 1967. There are many lessons for Nigeria from Rwanda experience, the transition from a country divided by two ethnic nationalities to one people. It is the ideology of one people Rwandan that led to a new Rwanda and a new leadership. There were specific policies implemented by Rwanda government to birth a new Rwanda namely, inclusive Rwandan identity policy, decentralization policy and regional policy.

Thus, Nigeria government led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu should set up a National Unity and Reconciliation Commission to drive an inclusive Nigerian identity and pursue the vision of one Nigerian and a new Nigeria. Take bold steps to ban ethnic group identification among public office holders and declare every state of Nigeria as a state for Nigerians and not an ethnic group state. Ensure passage of laws that allow all Nigerians to participate in electoral offices in any state of the federation having resided in such state for 10 years.

The government of Nigeria should set up a decentralization policy that is workable, and convert zonal intervention project fund of the National Assembly to National Local Government fund. Finally, the Tinubu administration should set up a regional development commission to drive regional policy that would help identify commercially viable investment projects in different regions and pursue a vision that would help states from each region attain financial independence from central government allocation. With Bola Ahmed Tinubu a new Nigeria and a new leadership of inclusiveness, unity and progress is possible on the vision of one Nigerian.

Pedro Ukokobili, Abuja