Nat’l Integration, Development impossible without redefining Indigeneship-Chioke

The foundation on which the 1914 amalgation of Nigeria was held should be the premise of preserving National identity and committing to the tenets of its intergrity and unity by Nigerians.

A 1982 Alumnus of the Federal Government College Jos Mr Ike Chioke, made this known at the 16th National Convention of the School with the theme “Fostering National Unity”.

Mr Chioke who was the Guest Speaker at the convention dinner recalled that Unity Schools were established to raise a generation of detribalised Nigerians as well as unite the nation after the Civil war.

He lamented the current decay and division in the country which calls for an urgent need to restructure for the sake of equity.

Mr Chioke presented the need to include unity and citizenship into our laws while calling on the senate to pass the Omo-Agege sponsored bill for an Act to define who is an indigene of the state.

“…..That means that every Nigerian should have the right to become a citizen of the state in which they are resident – say after 5 or 10 years.

About two years ago, a bill titled, “A BILL FOR AN ACT TO ALTER THE PROVISIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, 1999 TO DEFINE WHO IS AN INDIGENE OF THE STATE” was sponsored by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege. The bill seeks to provide for indigeneship by application and the interpretation of the word “indigene” by amending Sections 31 and 318 of the 1999 constitution, with a view to conferring indigeneship of a state on any resident that has consistently lived in that state for at least 10 years.

If this bill can be passed into law, it will help us achieve the cohesiveness and integration that we need as a nation. That way, a Hausa man that has lived for the last 15 years of his life in Enugu will not feel alienated and could well have been running for election to the House of Assembly in 2023. A Yoruba man that has established a business empire in Kaduna and provided employment for many will be motivated to invest more in his “home” state rather than hedging his bets by taking the investment to his “state of origin”.

Such a bill will engender citizens to share a uniform dream about Nigeria. Vicariously, it could be like Nigerians are attending Unity Schools and being socialized with similar character, values and patriotic ideals. By so doing, we would have put teeth to the vision of our founding fathers. From thereon, Nigerians will recognize that our greatest asset is our diverse and talented human capital which once patriotically unleashed will propel the country into becoming one of the leading nations in the world. Our current challenges are not insurmountable. We must as a matter of urgency “amalgamate” our diverse cultures, tribes, and language, and build a collective sense of identity to protect the nation from disintegrating.

Without taking proactive and intentional steps towards closing our multiple divisions – ethnic, religious and political – and pursuing inclusivity, national unity will continue to be a fleeting illusion in Nigeria. We have once enjoyed the beauty and strength that comes from diversity. We need to retrace our steps and once again strike the chords of unity in the hearts of Nigerians to make our nation great again.”