The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has affirmed that nation-building cannot be left to politicians or intellectuals alone, but requires the active participation of every citizen in reimagining what Nigeria can become.
Governor Soludo made this submission at the recent discourse on the Platform during the nation’s Democracy Day celebration in Lagos, where he stated that creating a sustainable Nigerian nation requires what our post-independence leadership has largely lacked: purpose-driven organisations with a clear intent to defeat underdevelopment and foster national unity.
According to the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, what makes Governor Soludo’s thesis particularly timely is his call for this to become “the urgent everyday conversation by all Nigerians,” the duty of nation-building.
This requires what Governor Soludo calls “new Nigerians,” a make-up of citizens who transcend ethnic and religious divisions to embrace a shared Nigerian identity.
The governor asserted that this is not about ignoring our differences, as Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, former Premier of Northern Nigeria, wisely warned, but about building bridges across those differences. It is about creating institutions that work for everyone, developing an economy that provides opportunities for all, and promoting a culture of mutual respect and shared responsibility.
While Nigeria stands at this critical juncture in its democratic progression, Governor Soludo’s question echoes with increasing urgency: Have we had a nation? The answer may be uncomfortable, but it is also liberating. If we have never truly had a nation, then we are not rebuilding; we are creating, and in creation lies infinite possibility.
He said the national conversation has begun and will continue. Still, the governor put forward, “Are we ready to move beyond Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s 1947 declaration that ‘Nigeria is not a nation but a mere geographical expression,” towards the sustainable nation our anthem envisions, that ‘though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand,’?
Governor Soludo added, “Let this be the starter of food for thought in our hunger for a new Nigeria.”