I read from
Professor Tunji Olaopa when he quoted what Azikwe once said to Sarduana, “Let us forget our differences”. Sarduana replied, ‘No, let us understand our
differences. I am a Muslim and a Northerner, you’re a Christian and an
Easterner. By understanding our differences, we can build our Country’…
This is instead of the Politics of Tribalism in our dear
Lagos state surrounding the forthcoming gubernatorial election. It is no gainsaying,
however, the media has been circulating speculations concerning the Tribal play
of Politics in Lagos from one opposition party and they feel they are also part
of the settlers of Lagos, they would levy on that to overthrow the sitting
Yoruba governor. This assertion has been met with heavy criticism and rejection
from the former because some sections of this party who are Yoruba do not find it welcoming, while amongst the Yorubas,
some do not care, but there’s a need to address the Politics of Tribalism in
Lagos state.
There is a deep ancestral connection between Lagos and Bini,
that’s why some sections in Bini have a Yoruba ancestry and that doesn’t
suggest that Lagos is less Yoruba, if the ancestral connection between Lagos
and Bini gives credence to the “No man’s Land” argument of Lagos, then you can
equally say that Old Oyo empire which has an ancestral connection to Jebba,
Nupe and Minna is equally a “No man’s land”. Owu is in Egbe but Owu has an
ancestral connection with Ibadan and Osun, which doesn’t suggest that Owu is
also a “No man’s Land”. But the agitation for restructuring has become another
political rhetoric in Lagos State, and the Campaigning narrative deployed by
the opposition class to achieve political relevance and accommodation in the
power-sharing formula is erroneous. Traceable to Nigeria’s history, the
Nigerian political landscape too over the years has been marred by ethnic and tribal
bigotry, and we have over time tried making it clear to ourselves that our true
spirit of Nigerians is defined by our Nationality, you’re first a NIGERIAN
before anything but our mental configuration is lopsided. Apart from
institutional dysfunction in the Nigerian state, Nigeria’s multi-ethnic
configuration constitutes to many of our predicaments, and the problem with my
generation is that our historical narrative is based on assumptions and
alternative facts, it is not based on deep interrogation and curiosity. That is
why many make hasty conclusions on issues without having an understanding of
historical underpinnings.
In the evaluation of good governance, the questions should
be on the successes and the achievements of an administration, then what is the
solution?, until then can we begin to say if it’s change we want or stability,
but it is very ludicrous, that we’re still swimming in the pool of poor in tribalism
which will not make our economy or political life better.
Lagos is a cosmopolitan city which means that diverse
cultural colouration will be very visible and the role of cultures and
diversity is very integral to the development of a cosmopolitan city like
Lagos. It will be difficult if not impossible to eliminate the impact of
external culture in the affairs of a cosmopolitan city which make the political
contestation in Lagos which is taking an intertribal outlook understandable.
The management of differences and diversity is the hallmark of development in
any cosmopolitan environment.
Cosmopolitan politics must be inclusive for it to be
effective, whoever doesn’t consider the multiplicity of factors in cosmopolitan
politics will battle with avoidable issues. What can’t be debated in relation
to Lagos state is the fact that Lagos is an admixture of cultures and diversity
of cultures particularly in the area of commerce, commerce plays a vital role
in the development of Lagos, unlike other states in the southwestern region of
NIGERIA.
Due to the peculiar nature of Lagos, everyone sees Lagos as
home unlike other states in Nigeria but that doesn’t suggest that Lagos is a no
man’s land. Lagos “Eko” has a deep ancestral history like all other states in NIGERIA,
the historical background of Lagos gives credence to the fact that there were
women and men who dwelled in Lagos and their origin and background is
retraceable, they also have generations who can lay claim to their ancestry in
Lagos.
The claims that Lagos is a no man’s land don’t take away
the fact that Lagos is the entry point of civilization and commerce which makes
Lagos state different from other states of the federation. Everyone sees Lagos
as a land flowing with milk and honey which makes it congested even with its
small landmass. The politics of integration makes it very difficult for anyone
to underplay the importance of diversity in Lagos. In the political composition
of Lagos, particularly in the fourth republic, non-indigenes have gained a foothold in the politics of Lagos, the dominance of both intra and inter-tribal
dominance which is peculiar to cosmopolitan cities world-over.
Projecting the adverse effect of the Politics of difference
and the politics of unhealthy accommodation in Lagos, it is more political than
economical. It’s political because non indigenes who have the cognition that
Lagos is their home and they’re entitled to all privileges and opportunities
Lagos has to offer also want to have a say in the affairs of the state Particularly
in the area of politics and administration, they want to play an active role in
the leadership composition of the state, they want to have a voice in
government and that disposition doesn’t sit well with those who may not be the
indigenes of Lagos themselves but because of the intra tribal affinity, it is
easy for them to easily connect with the power structure in Lagos and lay valid
claim to their ancestral connection to Lagos. The fact is that Lagos can’t help
her cosmopolitan outlook, but it shouldn’t give credence to tribalism but the
politics of accommodation must be constructively adopted in Lagos because with
it Lagos can’t be on the pedestal of relative development.
Addressing the Politics of Tribalism in Lagos State Ahead of
Gubernatorial Elections
In the lead-up to the gubernatorial elections in Lagos
State, concerns have been raised regarding the role of tribalism in the
political process. While some opposition parties have sought to leverage their
status as settlers of Lagos to challenge the sitting Yoruba governor, this
approach has been met with criticism and rejection from some Yorubas who do not
find it welcoming.
It is important to address the issue of tribalism in Lagos
State. While there is a deep ancestral connection between Lagos and Bini, this
does not suggest that Lagos is less Yoruba. The agitation for restructuring has
become political rhetoric in Lagos State, and the campaigning narrative
deployed by the opposition class to achieve political relevance and accommodation
in the power-sharing formula is erroneous.
Nigeria’s multi-ethnic configuration has been a source of
many of our predicaments. While institutional dysfunction in the Nigerian state
also plays a role, it is crucial to remember that our true spirit of being a Nigerian
is defined by our nationality, and we are first and foremost Nigerians before
anything else.
The hallmark of development in any cosmopolitan environment
is the management of differences and diversity. Lagos is a cosmopolitan city,
and diversity plays a vital role in its development. The political contestation
in Lagos takes an intertribal outlook, but it is important to remember that
cosmopolitan politics must be inclusive for it to be effective.
Lagos has a deep ancestral history like all other states in
Nigeria, and everyone sees Lagos as home. However, claims that Lagos is a no
man’s land are inaccurate. Lagos is the entry point of civilization and
commerce in Nigeria, and its small landmass means that it is a congested city.
The politics of integration makes it difficult to underplay
the importance of diversity in Lagos. Non-indigenes who consider Lagos their
home also want to play an active role in the leadership composition of the
state, but this has been met with resistance from some who may not be indigenes
themselves.
It is important to remember that the adverse effects of the
politics of difference and unhealthy accommodation in Lagos are more political
than economic. The dominance of intra and inter-tribal politics is peculiar to
cosmopolitan cities worldwide, and diversity must be managed effectively for a
cosmopolitan environment to thrive.
In evaluating good governance, the focus should be on the
successes and achievements of an administration, and solutions to existing
problems should be identified. Until then, we cannot say if it is a change we
want or stability. It is important to move beyond tribalism and focus on the
development of Lagos State as a whole.
