By Fredrick Nwabufo
In certain social silos, it is common to hear uncomplimentary comments about Nigeria’s unity and the chances of bridging the fault lines. My position has always been that where leadership aspires to the loftiest of ideals, change is possible, even if it is incremental. In multi-ethnic societies like Nigeria, achieving homogeneity in ideas and absolute alignment on certain matters may be a push up the hill, but where there is leadership with the aptitude for managing complexities, the amplitude for national cohesion will resonate.
No nation is without discontents; hence, it is important to always properly contextualize disagreements among groups, faiths, and citizens in the broader conversation about Nigeria’s unity. That Moses and Ibrahim disagree does not imply there is a problem with our unity. Disagreement is a common human phenomenon, and as humans, we are generally complex.
It is also important to state that national unity does not imply everyone has to hold hands and sing Kumbaya. But it means every citizen must obey the laws of the land, defend its peace, work for its progress, and commit to its development. It also means supporting the leadership on causes, policies, actions, and programmes that are ordinarily designed for the public good.
So, what are the mechanics of national cohesion? What does it take to strengthen national unity? Are we more united today as a nation than we were at the start of this journey? What efforts has the administration of President Bola Tinubu made in forging a shared future for our nation?
I will attend to these questions carefully.
The mechanics of national cohesion are inclusive governance, economic integration, and equitable citizenship. Essentially, the balancing forces of national cohesion are governance and economy. We cannot discuss ‘’national unity’’ in isolation from the levers of leadership and the material benefits of governance. Therefore, to strengthen national unity is to ensure that public resources are delivered to all citizens regardless of faith, ethnicity, or social standing and that the government is fair and just to all.
This is where the administration of President Tinubu has achieved a sterling record. In applying the mechanics of national cohesion, the administration has ensured that the six geopolitical zones are equal beneficiaries of its programmes, initiatives, and projects, and indeed, all the accruals of governance.
The epochal Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), for instance, has over 1.5 million beneficiaries drawn from across all the zones, and with even more beneficiaries from the northern part of the country. By the same token, the CNG initiative, the presidential conditional grant for SMEs, and conditional cash transfers to vulnerable households are some of the many impactful programmes that have been implemented with utmost fidelity to the nation and the people.
No region is excluded. The legacy highway projects are spread across the six geopolitical zones as well: The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry SuperHighway, the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Kogi-Nasarawa-Abuja Super Highway, and the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Road.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway traverses Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states, while the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway links Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Oyo, and Lagos State.
These are not just road projects but bifunctional catalysts that will boost economic activity in these corridors, creating jobs and driving development.
In the South-East, there are different ongoing road projects like the reconstruction of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and the Enugu-Port Harcourt Road.
In the South-West, there is ongoing work on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Ibadan-Ijebu Ode Road dualisation, and Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway.
In the North-West and North-Central zones, projects such as the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway, Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina-Kaduna Corridor, Kano-Kwanar Hadejia Road, Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto Road and the Kano Bypass are in progress.
In the North-East, the Kano-Maiduguri Expressway, Maiduguri-Monguno Road, and the Gamboru Bridge rehabilitation project are some of the critical interventions aimed at improving security, trade, and economic integration in the zone.
Evidently, what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Inclusive governance is another gradient where President Tinubu has tipped the scales in national soldering. He appointed young professionals from diverse backgrounds at an unprecedented scale. For the first time in the evolution of Nigeria, young people are superintending strategic sectors of government.
Also, there was a time, not so long ago, when the ethnic composition of the service chiefs was often a sore point for controversy, but in his true form as an architect of unity, balancing competence and patriotism, the President put a good end to the concerns with wisdom.
It has been three years since his assumption of office, and President Tinubu has continued on the unifier’s path, stitching the national fabric, building a more cohesive nation and forging a shared future for us all.
I can confidently state that the national fabric has been made stronger by President Tinubu’s diligent, visionary, and masterful crotcheting.
*Nwabufo is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement
