THE BURDEN OF BLOOD AND BOUNDARIES
Olukemi Badenoch, the Nigerian-born leader of Britain’s main opposition, the Conservative Party, has been copping a lot of criticism from Nigerian authorities since she was elected to the post.
First was the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission which criticized her for snubbing it when it reached out to her. Recently, Kashim Shettima, Nigeria’s Vice President, weighed in with the strongest criticism of the MP yet when he accused her of constantly denigrating Nigeria, ending his criticism by suggesting she could change her first name.
In this bizarre attempt to force patriotism down the throat of a woman, the Vice President completely missed the point.
Unlike citizenship which flows in the blood, patriotism is often an intangible product of power-personal power in this case – the kind of power that comes from debt, when one feels indebted to another, in this case, a country. Genuine patriotism can never be forced. It freely builds up when citizens of a country recognize how much they owe their country which must have in turn given them quality of life.
When there is no patriotism, people have been known to take the extraordinary step of renouncing their citizenship. That appears to be what Badenoch has done.
While the VP thinks Nigeria is one of the greatest countries on earth probably because he sees the country from the vantage point of Aso Rock with all its lavish perks, Badenoch has spoken of the “hell” she lived in Lagos with rampant insecurity, and without constant running water.
Because there is a clear riot of perspectives, the VP cannot expect more than she is willing to give. His experience as a privileged Nigerian who has been governor and vice president with all the security that comes with it in an otherwise hellishly insecure country contrasts sharply with her experience as one who practically had to flee the country. Would the VP dictate to her what she experienced? Does he reserve the right to ask her not to let her experience of the country colour her opinion?
It Is a mistake to think that anyone in Nigeria is more ‘Nigerian’ than others. It is also dangerous to conflate palatable patriotism when the going is good with genuine patriotism that shapes the kind of withering criticism that can reset a country. Perhaps, the VP should listen to Nigerians on the streets of Nigeria and take a few home truths with him to the next Federal Executive Council meeting
In a country of more than two hundred million people, and hundreds of thousands of others in the diaspora who identify as Nigerians, it cannot be that the majority hate the country or are deliberately going out of their way to denigrate it.
Many Nigerians are not dual citizens like Badenoch. Nigeria is all they have. What will they gain by denigrating the country? Yet, they paint a far bleaker picture of the country than Badenoch can ever do. Why? Because that is the reality they live daily. Is it what makes the VP so uncomfortable?
Badenoch has spoken of ‘hearing neighbors in Lagos burgled and beaten’ while she was still in Nigeria. What has changed now? Are things not even worse? Rather than vilifying her or trying to force some pseudo patriotism down her throat, the VP should concentrate on utilizing his exalted office to make Nigeria better.
Nigerians would appreciate that far more than misguided attacks on someone whose criticism they not only agree with but are willing to adopt.
With the rate of young Nigerians fleeing the country never to return, Badenoch’s snub is just the beginning for a country that continues to lurch from disaster to disaster while those charged with its affairs prefer to go cap in hand to other countries rather than on equal footing.
It must become impossible for anyone to snub the world’s must populous Black democracy and economy. But this cannot be achieved by weightless reactionary salvos fired because one is reeling from being snubbed. This self-respect must be earned at the grindstone of international development which hands countries the keys to international prestige.
Kene Obiezu,
keneobiezu@gmail.com
