Nigeria did not birth democracy. We inherit it. On October Ist 1960 , the British handed a parliamentary system, first-past-the post election and a federation designed to manage regions, not to mold a nation.
Professor Wole Soyinka warned in January 2024,”A nation that does not interrogates its past is condemned to rehearse it”.
We have rehearsed it. Thirty years of military rule from 1966-1999 , taught Nigerians that power is taken , not earned. When civilian rule returned in 1999, we restored institutions, we never returned TRUST.
Where We Are Today:
Twenty-five years into the Forth Republic , Nigeria presents two realities: Institutionally, elections hold and power changes hands.
Economically, our GDP was $252.7 billion in 2024, according to the NBC. We remain Africa’s largest economy.
Socially, we are coming apart. By our research , the identity and TRUST in Nigeria as in (Afrobarometer 2024 metric 2015, 2024) we need to ponder on the data below;
Nigerians who identify first as ethnic group are: -61% while those agnostically inclined are 40%.
Trust in people of other religions– 38% while those in suspect -52%.
Believe country is heading in wrong Direction -67% while those in tandem-49%.
Religion is now an ID Card. Ethnicity is a campaign strategy. The old arguments of North Vs South, indigenes Vs settlers, young Vs old are louder because they are profitable.
Dr. Amina Salihu, Senior Director at MacArthur Foundation Nigeria, said at Chatham House in March , 2025:” When the State fails to deliver basic services, people fall back on the primary groups that protect them. That is how poverty weaponizes identity”.
When there is no electricity, no job for school leavers and graduates of higher institutions, no hospital beds, tribes and faith become your insurance.
The Role Politicians Play
Division is not a by-product . It is a strategy. The primaries of our political parties is with the slogan ”It is our turn” beat.
Appointments into offices are shared by quota , not competence. Federal Character has become a defense for mediocrity.
From the campaign grounds, to WhatsApp, opponents are framed as existential threats. CDD”s 2023 report recorded over 12,000 cases of hate speech and disinformation online during the elections. Hate speeches and foul languages are still in vogue in 2026 , now that another election is coming shortly in 2027,this calls for sober reflection!!!
In February 2025 , Vice President Kashim Shettima told the National Economic Council:”We must stop governing by sentiments and start governing by data. A divided people cannot build a productive economy”, he said.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was blunter at the 2024 Afenifere Summit:” We are fast becoming a country where those who should unite us are the ones dividing us”. The issue is that the incentive system still rewards the loudest divider, not the quietest builder.
Nonetheless , we must think for a better solution on how to reshape Nigeria and the system.
A cracked foundation cannot hold a tall house. The work starts in three places: the MIND, the ECONOMY and the INSTITUTIONS.
Our Minds and Perceptions are very vital in this matter. We should teach history with honesty. 1966, the civil war , June 12 should be taught as consequences, but not a a fable or folklore.
The Media must spotlight Nigerians working across lines: the Igbo pharmacist running a free clinic in Katsina, the Hausa Agronomist training rice farmers in Ebonyi, the Yoruba teaching in Borno for 20 years.
NYSC must be re-purposed, not only in terms of ”Alawee”(monthly allowance). As Prof. Soyinka said in 2024, ”National Service should break your tribe before it builds your CV”. Posting must be outside your State and tied to health , education and agriculture.
The Economy
We should not hide our feelings or deceive ourselves; Division grows where opportunity is scarce.
Let us examine these Data:
(Bank Credit by Sector-CBN 2024 Q.4)
Oil & Gas- 28. .4%
Manufacturing -15.2%
Agriculture-4.7%
SMESs-6.1%
This translates to mean that we must move from sharing revenue to creating wealth.
Nigeria must fund agriculture and SMEs with real credit , not press releases or empty national broadcast.
Also , we should fix the POWER and LOGISTICS. A factory in Aba should not pay three times more for power than one in Accra, Ghana.
Similarly, we should tie the federal allocations to results :School attendance, maternal health and jobs created.
When people see progress, they care less about who is in charge (whether old or young) Running the rat race will be jettisoned and people of impeccable character with fertile minds will come on board to build our nation.
Dr. Muda Yusuf , CEO of CPPE, told The Punch’ in January 2025:”You cannot cannot achieve national cohesion on an empty stomach. Jobs are the strongest glue we have”, he concluded.
Nigeria should also endeavor to do the following : Enforce the2022 Electoral Act, and employ open primaries. There should also be Real-Time Party funding disclosure and sanction hate speech without apology.
Nigeria is always referred to as ”Giant of Africa”. ”Giant of Africa”, must be a job description. Giant of Africa means a trader in Onitsha and a farmer in Osun or Sokoto , believing in the same future. It means celebrating what already unites us: Music, Nollywood , fintech and our athletes.
Chimamanda Adichie, speaking at UNILAG in November 2024, said ”The problem with stereotype is not that they are untrue , but that they are incomplete. We must complete the story of who Nigerians are.”.
In Conclusion, the British gave us a structure in 1960. For 64 years we have fought over who sits in the saddle.
The next decade must be about what we build inside it.
Nigeria will not be reshaped by one bogus speech or one election. It will be reshaped when citizens demand competence over connection. When voters reject divisive politics , hate speech. When leaders accept that a divided country cannot be well governed.
To build a nation starts in our homes. In the Association we belong to. In our WhatsApp groups where we verify before we forward to friends and loved ones. In Our offices , where we hire on merit , not by tribal sentiments. And at the ballot where we vote for ideas , not identity.
Idowu Akintunde is the Editor-in-Chief/Development Communicator
The Interviews Nigeria(Online Media)