Association Of Nigerian Authors, Lagos Chapter, Charts The Way Forward For Nigeria At 64
On October 1, 2024, several Nigerian authors met online to discuss the good, the bad and the ugly status of Nigeria. Professor Femi Osofisan, a well-known dramatist, was in attendance, as was the President of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Dr Usman Akanbi and the General Secretary, Dr Dame Joan among other writers. Dr Olatunbosun Taofeek moderated the meeting.
Olatunbosun Taofeek: With Nigeria at 64, what exactly constitutes a gain for the masses? I mean an accomplishment that can be attributed to the government.
Dagga Tolar: Whatever can be referred to as excellence has been achieved by the effort of the working people on their own. All Nigerian positive news and achievements may be credited to the unique heroes of Nigeria. This can be seen in the state of complete ugliness, sadness, and all negativity you can find around.
After 64 years, it is difficult to think of anything pleasant or developmental that occurred during this time. Interestingly, this is a time to hold this discussion, and the ultimate goal of this discussion must be how to determine the role writers may play in saving Nigeria as today’s protest has been dubbed National Survival Day. Can this country continue to survive based on this current trajectory of the neo-liberal capitalist policies that government after government, regime after regime, military, and civilians have continued to impose on all of us? These are the same policies dictated by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. They keep suggesting to our politicians what they should impose on us.
In 1982, Shehu Shagari regime commenced such policy as the Austerity Measure that led to nowhere. The Babangida regime continued with a new name—the Structural Adjustment Programme. We continued that agitation and enormous attempt to bring the military dictatorship to an end. We then got into a situation where the same policies were packaged and launched in the Fourth Republic when Obasanjo returned in 1999. This was referred to as privatization. The fundamental point is that these policies have not been able to develop the Nigerian economy, and nothing has changed. The same policies under Babangida devalued the currency. Let Nigeria have the right to employ its wealth and resources as the fundamental basis on which our economy will be developed. As writers, we must pose this critical question.
Our education is key. The question is what is the state of education in Nigeria? Can Nigeria survive if the production of skills is handed over to private capitals and we have a regime whereby under the neo-liberal programme that has commenced the process of commercialisation and privatization of our higher institutions so that people will not be able to afford it and the illiteracy rate in Nigeria will continue to grow? And based on that situation, it will worsen the state of our development. As writers, we have the legacy to point at things—Christopher Okigbo is an example, Wole Soyinka is there, and Chinua Achebe. Some of them were active in the People’s Redemption Party in the Second Republic pointing out that as writers we have no excuse to think that our business is done and gone when we have written our texts or stories. This is not to say that our stories are not important, but these are fundamental instruments for creating another level of consciousness among the masses. We must welcome this because action speaks louder than words.
Nigeria is at a critical stage where all the best hands as writers, lecturers, and teachers, must bring our personalities to become a force in this process of reorganizing Nigeria for a better form. We can start from our neighborhood. Let us begin to provide leadership in our neighborhood. We must have Nigeria organized. We must write to defend and condemn the harrowing conditions people are living in this country. We must write positively to point out to people that if we become organized, we are capable within the strength of our hands and ability to reorganize society, and this is where religion is part of the problem to consciousness. As long as people think there is a heaven to go to and a better place exists elsewhere the strength to organize themselves will be extremely weak. This country can be different as we mark 64 years of Nigerian independence. A hundred and ten years since 1914 yet there is practically nothing that has changed since 1914. The Nigerian state continues to serve private capital. You can call it colonial leaders; you can call it nationalists who took over power from the colonialists down to this present regime.
Olatunbosun Taofeek: Do you think that Nigeria’s lack of unity stems from the plurality of ethnic groups with diverse traditions? Again, countless times, Britons have been accused of consummating an unholy marriage known as Nigeria; how true is this after 64 years of marriage?
Prof. Chris Anyokwu: Thank you for those questions! When we talk about tradition, we need to know what you mean by tradition. The coupling of strange bedfellows in 1914 brought about what we have today as Nigeria. Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and other minority groups have their autochthonous paradigms of life but for political convenience, Lord Lugard coupled these disparate units and called it Nigeria. His girlfriend, Flora Shaw was the one that named it Nigeria derived from the Niger area. So, “Nigeria is a collection of fragments held together in delicate claps.” When you foreground the word fragments you would realize what the word Nigeria is because we have been fractured. After all, there isn’t anything organic about our togetherness. Even one of the so-called founding fathers dismissed the entity and based Nigeria as “fraudulent togetherness.” Another one talked about Nigeria as a “mere geographical expression.” Another one said something to the effect that after independence “Nigeria is just an estate of a particular region of the country.”
So, when you look at the vibes coming from the so-called founding fathers you realize ab initio that they didn’t believe in the vision although we mouth some of these so-called platitudes inscribed and enshrined in our national anthem. I mean the former anthem like the confession of the labour of our heroes’ past shall not be in vain. Then you ask if they believe in the vision themselves. History has shown that they were right in not believing in what they embarked upon because when they were going to London to negotiate the country they were more interested in how to make themselves rich and powerful such that when Wole Soyinka wrote A Dance of the Forest in 1960 he mirrored that situation stating there isn’t any hope for Nigeria, and this has been proven right 64 years down the road. We have been kicking the can down the road seeing how Nigeria can be together, but the elites have only been interested in spreading their nets which is why we are on this path that we are now as a nation.
You ask about the Nigerian elites. If you want us to departmentalize the elites in Nigeria you can talk about the political elites, religious elites, and the intellectual elites. The dangerous one of them is the political elites—the political class. Our politicians are our nightmares. There isn’t much difference between our erstwhile military dictators and the politicians. It is so difficult to describe any one of them as a leader. One is closer to the truth by characterizing them as rulers. Yoruba people will call them ojelu(those who eat up the country) which is different from oselu (those who fix the country). The people ruling us from 1960 till date have all been feathering their nests leaving the people dry. They keep telling us it will be better and now 64 years nothing is getting better rather it is like we are in a ghost town. Every year appears as if our best days are over. It is so sad that whether there is hope for this country is something beyond anyone to answer.
Olatunbosun Taofeek: You have been in Nigeria, and now you are away, comparatively, what exactly do you think is the problem with Nigeria?
Iquo Diana Abasi: I don’t think there is one specific problem with Nigeria. The one that stands out the most is governance. It is all for nothing that it is being said that when a fish starts to decay it starts from the head. I think if governance is well carried out in Nigeria things would have been better. It is not just about formulating policies or paying lip services it is to be genuine. I was in Nigeria in July and August and was almost in tears seeing how people are struggling. People are finding it so difficult to eat or move around. In fact, in Uyoback home, I am from the Niger Delta region it is so difficult to get fuel despite the crude is from the Niger Delta and the people there cannot afford it like Lagos. It pains to see how the people there suffer. How does a tricycle move around? Especially the environmental degradation and pollution in return to the people. I am scared because the more frustrated people get the more there is a breakdown of law and order. It is sad to be there in Nigeria and you wonder how people are coping and managing. To compare the cost of living in Nigeria and other parts of the world is like asking the question of the economic power of the people. The cost of fuel has gone up in Nigeria but has the purchasing power of the people also gone up? That is the question. If petrol was bought N450 months ago then it is N1000 plus it means the value of what you have before has diminished. And the ease of making the money has not increased. This is what it means to the people. Everyone ought to earn a living, but this is not commensurate with what you have in Nigeria because the value keeps going down. In Nigeria, the value of salaries is not what it used to be compared to some years ago with what you have today.
Olatunbosun Taofeek: The younger generation blames the older generation for the problems in the country. Their stance is that “The older generation is the main problem. They led us to this disaster.” Do you believe they are wrong?
Prof. Hyginus Ekwuazi: I belong to the old generation, but I am very much involved with the young generation as a father and a teacher. Yes, the older generation had all that it takes to succeed but the younger generation is deprived. I know there has been this argument that the older generation foisted this suffering on the younger ones. That argument is sustainable but then why that argument keeps coming up is because of the tense political climate. For instance, when I was in school it was not because there was enough for everybody to manage irrespective of the divides you are. Now it does matter, and we blame the older generation for this. So, the argument is that if they had it so good why haven’t they been able to create the same situation? The counter argument is that the younger ones who have gone in have not proven to be better than the older ones. The older ones are also caught in the same cesspool as the younger ones? The younger ones have been socialized within the same mess. They are not coming from outer space they are part of this mess. They are part of the tribe; they are part of the religion. The only difference is that they have a longer fight in their hands. They have to fight, they have a longer fight, otherwise their lives will be frittered away before them. The older generation has had it good for some time and then they are on their way out. Whether the younger generation likes it or not the fight is theirs.
We are all victims. The problem is that everybody knows the problem with Nigeria it is when we come to the solution, we start going our different ways. The problem is political, and the problem can be solved politically. And as soon as we begin to demystify the issues of tribe and religion, we might be able to see the problem. But as long as these things play out anytime there is an engagement, we can’t get out of it. See what happened during the last election. Issues of tribe and religion were predominant. They were very recurrent even among the elites. I belong to the University of Ibadan Staff Club, immediately there is an argument it is going to be polarized based on religion or tribe. Ethnicity and religion exist in other parts of the world but the problem with Nigeria is that this is geographical and overheated. That creates a different dimension entirely. If you go to the Southeast, you can say you are dealing with the Christians, upper North you are dealing with Muslims. You come to the Southwest you are dealing with Christians and Muslims. It looks geographical and thus become an intractable problem. And these problems are political which can only be solved politically. What will be the solution? Make the country equal? I think that should be the right way to go. You must make sure there is peace for us to be together. But given the idea of lopsidedness the way it is coupled with religion and tribe, there is no way that problem will not persist.
