Since the return of democratic governance to Nigeria in 1999, the country has witnessed a succession of
attempts by the political class to chip away the very fabric that holds the Nigerian society together. Like
all politicians the world over, Nigerian politicians across all political parties have mastered the art of
exploiting the nation’s fault lines as leverage to gaining political dominance over their opponents. The
danger in this is, with our unique and diverse social make up, the nation stands the risk of being
fragmented into so many segments that the task of putting it back together would be a difficult one.
With regards populism as a political strategy, comparisons can easily be drawn because humans are the
same the world over. The rhetoric to sell is dependent on what fault lines are targeted for exploitation.
With humans being emotional by nature, politicians have mastered the psychology of almost every
demography of the electorate, as sentiments often overthrow logic and reasoning at the ballot. In the
run up to the 2016 US elections that produced the Trump Presidency; religion, immigration, race, and
social class disenchantment were the major factors that polarized the American electorate. In Nigeria’s
case, in the just concluded 2023 Presidential elections; anti-establishment rhetoric, religion and
ethnicity dominated discuss in the run-up to the elections. Post-elections, the nation has ended up being
deeply polarized along those lines.
Nigeria’s diversity which ordinarily should be seen as an asset to be harnessed for positive gains is often
exploited by the political class for selfish gains. This political strategy is not sustainable; it’s a sure path
to self-destruction. My maternal state of Adamawa is home to over 100 indigenous ethnic groups,
making it one of the most heterogeneous states in Nigeria. This in itself is a tourism goldmine and
research haven for anthropologists from around the world. Our leaders need to focus on the nation’s
potentials and future beyond crude oil.
While growing up in the mid-90s to early and even mid-2000s, jingles produced by the National
Orientation Agency (NOA) dominated the airwaves: from local radio stations to television stations.
These jingles were produce not only in English but also in many of Nigeria’s local dialects. Those were
state policies aimed at social re-engineering towards building a sense of national pride, patriotism,
discipline and unity amongst Nigerians. The question now is: what deliberate attempts have the current
political class made towards fostering national unity?
During plenary of the House of Representatives of March 16 2021, the member representing
Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency of Oyo State, Hon. Shina Peller moved a motion:
‘Need to re-invigorate the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for Impactful Discharge of its Mandate’.
The member noted: “The National Orientation Agency was established in 1993 and by virtue of its
enabling Act; the agency is established to re-orientate Nigerians and encourage them to take part
actively and freely in discussion and decisions affecting their collective welfare.” The member further
spoke on responsibilities of the agency as including, “re-orientating Nigerians on their general attitude
to waste and affluent lifestyle. To also propagate the need to eschew all vices in public life such as
corruption, dishonesty, ethnic, parochial and religious bigotry.” While concluding, the member laid
emphasis on the challenges and failures of the agency: “By virtue of the National Orientation Agency
Act, the agency is required to have presence at the Federal, State and Local Government levels for
optimal performance; these have financial implications. The strategic plans for the National Orientation
Agency 2017–2021 reveals that statutory allocation to the agency in the past years is inadequate for
optimal performance. As it is presently bedeviled by poor statutory allocation, poorly motivated staff,
inadequate vehicles and other public enlightenment equipment.” One of the member’s prayers was for
an increased allocation to the agency in the 2022 budget. As laudable as such interventions are by some
of our legislators, what follow-up actions have the Nigerian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) taken to
ensuring prompt action is taken in making sure vital government agencies like the National Orientation
Agency (NOA) function to their full capacity? Governance cannot be left to politicians and bureaucrats
alone. That is why we are where we currently are as a nation.
Understood, various agencies of government are battling with budgetary constraint due to unavailability
of funds to run government business, as is evident by budget deficits running into trillions of naira every
budget year. This has the Nigerian government often resorting to procurement of local and foreign loans
to take care of re-current expenditure, as well as some capital expenditure with line items like
computers that usually should have a 3-4 years life span with regular maintenance appearing every
budget year. I believe some unnecessary line items can be taken out to free up funds and reprioritized
objectives to make these agencies more efficient.
With the proliferation of private media companies (television and radio), these establishments can make
it part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to dedicate at least 1 minute everyday of Primetime
slot to accommodate jingles produced by the National Orientation Agency (NOA). This would help the
agency meet its mandate of fostering national unity and patriotism without incurring huge costs. This is
a win-win situation, as these private media businesses require an atmosphere of peace and stability to
make profit.
The unholy alliance between politicians from the major political parties, some clerics in the two most
dominant religious groups and also the traditional institution in Nigeria, around electioneering campaign
period is a landmine that has the potential of ripping the nation apart if not carefully managed. This is in
no way playing down their role in holding the society together at times like this; I believe the National
Peace Committee (NPC), led by the former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd) has a lot
more responsibility to the nation than pre and post-election peace management. The current state of
division and bitterness in the polity requires the committee taking extra responsibilities towards healing
the wounds of the just concluded Presidential elections. It is the appropriate body for this task as their
intervention during the suspenseful 2015 presidential election has earned them some level of trust
amongst peace-loving Nigerians. There needs to be an interfaith intervention by the committee;
bringing together leadership of the two religious groups and traditional leaders from across the nation,
towards charting a way forward for the sake harmonious co-existence between followers of both faiths
and the nationalities.
Asides dialogue, there needs to be a strong state policy to be championed on a bipartisan or citizens’
mandate. Nigeria needs a strong legislation governing the conduct of politicians, religious and traditional
leaders against inciting or pitching one religious/ethnic group or social class against the other. A large
percentage of Nigeria’s political class has clearly failed in creating a harmonious and secure society. The
Nigerian private sector, civil society organizations, and all well-meaning Nigerians (in the Senate, the
House of Representatives and the Executive branch of government) need to come together to make
such a law see the light of day. Section 92 of the 2022 Electoral Act (Prohibition of certain conduct at
political campaigns) outlines the following:
92.—(1) A political campaign or slogan shall not be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly
likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings.
(2) Abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language or insinuations or innuendoes designed or likely to
provoke violent reaction or emotions shall not be employed or used in political campaigns.
(3) Places designated for religious worship, police stations, and public offices shall not be used—
(a) for political campaigns, rallies and processions ; or
(b) to promote, propagate or attack political parties, candidates or their programmes or ideologies.
(4) Masquerades shall not be employed or used by any political party, aspirant or candidate during
political campaigns or for any other political purpose.
(5) A political party, aspirant or candidate of a political party shall not retain, organise, train or equip any
person or group of persons for the purpose of enabling them to be employed for the use or display of
physical force or coercion in promoting any political objective or interest, or in such manner as to arouse
reasonable apprehension that they are organised, trained or equipped for that purpose.
(6) A political party, aspirant or candidate shall not keep or use armed private security organisation,
vanguard or any other group or individual by whatever name called for the purpose of providing security,
assisting or aiding the political party or candidate in whatever manner during campaigns, rallies,
processions or elections.
(7) A political party, aspirant or candidate that contravenes any of the provisions of this section commits
an offence and is liable on conviction— (a) in the case of an aspirant or candidate, to a maximum fine of
N1,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months ; and (b) in the case of a political party, to a fine of
N2,000,000 in the first instance, and N1,000,000 for any subsequent offence.
(8) A person or group of persons who aids or abets a political party, an aspirant or a candidate in
contravening the provisions of subsection (5), commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of
N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of three years or both.
This question is: are the penalties commensurate to the crime? Knowing the perpetrators of such
electoral offences are in the elite strata of the society, the fine options of the penalty are like a slap on
the wrist. These parties/individuals can keep aside funds to settle these fines long before the infractions
are even committed. I think Nigeria needs a stricter law with harsher punishments for people of
influence regarding their conduct and utterances in the run up to every election. We don’t always have
to threaten people to behave themselves by inviting prosecutors from the International Criminal Court
(ICC) during every electioneering campaign; we just need to make our local laws bite.
Yohanna Bwala, an Environmental Geologist, writes from Calgary, Alberta
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