By Prince Marcel Nnah
One nation, one destiny, simply implies that every individual or person within the geographical location of this nation shall thrive from the destiny that this country holds. It goes a long way in explaining the fact that we are all born equal, as well should be protected under the same law as provided by our constitution in which in it, lay our sovereignty.
Leadership been orchestrated in follower-ship must find its merit in the followings; 1. Qualitative policies. 2. Free press and 3. Political Wills.
The expression of our confederation at all times must not be doubted, a true federation must be our watch word, hence, true federalism and genuine implementation of all acts must be sacrosanct among the administrators of our time, with a sound intention and should at all times remain transitory as much as nature can offer.
Sovereignty is the main ingredient of every nation world over. But it must not be approached internally with the idea of mirage, rather, it should always be used to march the terms of external environment or applied for our good among the states of nations.
Democracy as a dividend can only be entrenched through observations and applications of law (s) as enshrined in each nation’s constitution, whether written or unwritten as in many nations of the world today. But looking at it from the point of understanding and consummation, every nation that practices true democracy must be seen as a free nation, as long as her citizens or individual’s actions does not impede or infringe on another person’s right, off-course something must be said among the component states that made up the nation as in USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA and BRITIAN, etc.
But in the content and context of what this article is meant to serve, one will observe that at sixty years of Nigeria as an independent country, we Nigerians can not say that we have indeed practiced true democracy, among the citizens or true sovereignty within the continent of African sub regions, Africa or at the international theatre.
Drawing our lessons from the past sixty years as an independent nation, Nigeria has not yet lived up to her expectations in terms of upholding the action (s) of one nation or of her destiny in all ramifications.
The actions of 1966 cuop-de-te was orchestrated by both corrupt practices of our then nationalists, in conjunction with nepotism of their time which ordinarily ought to have been fissile out or filliped over by now.
Again, the thirty sixty years of military rule have its own consequences on us and on the coexistence of our nation and her economy both local, regional and internationally.
The inadequate tendencies associated with the current dispensation or fourth republic at her sixty (60th) years anniversary as a country clearly point to the fact that all the vices of democratic system of governance in the nation are still much in existence and have blinded us all not to approach our destiny in a true sense of purpose.
To worsen the situation, the elites as we speak are yet to come together in accepting that a serious mistake has been made and that the polity will remain the same if nothing is been urgently done to address the situation on ground, which in the general view of the citizens is our constitution itself, rather, they continue to engulf the entire nation in a blame game theory.
In another front, we must realize that we have come of age and at the same time must face reality as pretence or whatever sharp practices we may dub it can never assure us of any face left in this contemporary world, in other words, is a matter of no choice now for us to retrieve our steps backward in other to regain an effective energy to march forward in the mist of the new technological world.
At sixty (60), in a nation of this size, we are Still speaking of nepotism, corruption, state of origin, internal boundary adjustment, non-alienation of landed properties, ethnicity, language barrier and what have you, without any sound and effective solution to address them is totally unacceptable, as well as shame to both the leaders and the lead because other nations within the African sub region like Rwanda with President Paul Kagami, has demonstrated in its fullness what rule of law in a democratic setting should be, with high regard to the constitution of their land.
While it should not be wise to use a word like ashamed of ourselves, it will equally be noteworthy to borrow leave from such a conception as to what made Rwanda standout in a modern day Africa and the world.
To buttress my points and draw a conclusion on this piece, I must state it categorically here and now that we must not by hook or crook continue in this direction as it stands not to benefit anyone that brings us to the question of, WHERE DO WE AS A NATION GO FROM HERE?
We must put the issue at hand on the table for proper address, and again what is that issue, if I may ask?
Unequivocally, it’s our constitution, we got it wrong from onset and to admit it now is the way forward. So, for once we must do everything possible to get right so that everything will fall in place, and we must again admit all it’s false in full, in terms Of original and as amended from whenever till date.
It’s the simple way to go, simply binding on truth and reality of the day as it involves.
Simply, we Nigerians need a fresh and new constitution as it’s the only way to advance our cause (s) efficiently as a nation and not of diverse cultures.
One nation, one destiny. Long live Nigeria @60. Long our President.
*Prince Nnah is the National President, 1ODFN and lives in Abuja
