13th October, 2014
Funsho Arogundade
Photo: Osodi Emmanuel
Dr. Obiageli Ezekwezili, former Minister of Education, has urged Nigerians to demand a conclusive investigation into what transpired in the recent monumental $1.1 billion Malabu oil scandal indicting some Nigeria officials following the federal government’s inaction.
Speaking with P.M.NEWS in Lagos at the sixth edition of The Fela Debates, a symposium kick-starting the 2014 edition of the annual Felabration, the former World Bank Vice President said the recent happenings in the country ($15million illegal arms deal and the Malabu Oil saga) indicate a growing trend of impunity and the solution to this problem is for the citizens to demand for a sustainable solution.
“Recent happenings in Nigeria show clearly that we have very serious governance issues. We (citizens) need to demand for accountability, transparency and conclusive investigation of things that happen, and then ask government to tell us what remediation would be taking place thereafter,” Ezekwesili said.
According to her, Nigerians need to understand the power of eternal vigilance as that is the price they will need to pay for liberty, democracy and good governance.
“When a society suffers from this kind of systemic or what people call endemic corruption, what needs to be done is for the citizens to not just rely on government to supply solutions. Citizens should consistently and persistently demand in a sustained way that solutions be found, or else this impunity will continue,” she added.
Speaking earlier in her remark as the Chairman/moderator of the symposium, Ezekwesili commended the organising committee of Felabration for believing in the area of thought of bringing people together to have a civic debate, since such nourishes democracy.
She said this year’s debate theme: “The Amalgamation Of The Peoples Of The Niger Area”, which focuses on the Centennial anniversary of the coming together of Northern and Southern Nigeria, was an important topic and quite auspicious to continuously mark the hundred years of our amalgamation as a country.
The #BringBackOurGirls campaigner noted that Nigeria is not an artificial creation and the amalgamation was not a coincidence but an act ordained by God. “With all my education, I still have a strong belief in God. I believe that God created human beings and He creates nations of people…But that does not in anyway take away the fact that human agents was part of the process of making this happened.
“It was the mercantile drive of the British that led to the combination of the Southern and the Northern protectorates plus the colony of Lagos as trade outpost. They needed to bring us together under manageable construct to enable them continue their exploitation of our commodities that they needed for their development,” she affirmed.
Ezekwesili, a co-founder of Transparency International, expressed regret that we have not developed as a nation while pointing out that Nigeria’s multi-ethnicity nature must not be used as a reason for her failure.
The former minister however suggested that a society where equality of opportunities abound and everybody is allowed to be what they can be should be developed.
Also speaking at the symposium, Professor Sophie Oluwole, a retired Professor of African Philosophy and CEO, Centre For African Culture and Development, pointed out that the fusion of Nigeria by the British colonialists was never to unite the country but a profit-oriented motives.
The cerebral don emphasized that colonialism has not really helped Nigeria but rather entrenched rape of democracy and intellectualism, as well as engendered male chauvinism. She pointed out that the problem facing Nigeria is the inability to manage her abundance resources and the pervasive corruption.
Oluwole said since justice is the universal language, Nigeria will continue to grope in those challenges until issue of social justice and equality are addressed.
Emeka Edward Keazor, a lawyer and one of the symposium’ speakers, also took the audience into the history before and after the amalgamation. He gave a psycho-analytical submission and concluded that the fusion has not encouraged the nationhood in Nigeria.
“We are still suffering from mental slavery and the only solution is to fix the link that brought us to where we are now,” Keazor said.
Felabration is an annual week-long festival of music and arts commemorating the life and times of Nigeria’s foremost musical icon, late Fela Anikulapo Kuti.