The recent Kaduna and Abuja mayhem following the commentary written by Isioma Daniel in the ThisDay, in support of the Miss World Beauty Pageants, has again put a question mark on the survival of Nigeria as it is presently constituted. She noted in the piece that "Prophet Mohammad" would have liked to get married to one of the Pageants. At the present state of things, Nigeria is uncertain where it is headed! For the nation to survive, the component parts must learn to live together harmoniously. The Nigerian world has for sometime now blamed the woes of Nigeria to the many years of military misrule. Undoubtedly, military rule was an aberration! But why is it that very little, if any has been achieved since the new democratic experiment? Is it because the nation lacks the necessary democratic values? Perhaps, that is the real trouble with Nigeria!

The article in ThisDay, which purportedly caused the religious riot, is not, in this writer’s judgment, enough reason to prompt any reasonable God fearing Muslim to riot and take innocent lives under the pretense of protecting one’s faith. Every group should keep its faith, but not at the expense of the happiness of others. The plan to host the botched Miss World Beauty contest in Nigeria was not intended to destroy the faith of any religious group, but rather to showcase the creativity and beauty of Nigeria. (The current Miss World is a Nigerian.) But instead of the diverse heritage of the nation to join hands and make it a resounding success, it was used to rubbish the image of Nigeria. The beauty pageant show has been in existence for about 53 years, yet the puritans in Nigeria perceive it as immoral! Why is everything about Nigeria different? Democracy, for one, lost its worth immediately it arrived at the shores of Nigeria! However, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. implores in The Dilemma and The Challenge (1962), "We must not allow…any force to make us feel like we don’t count…."

This writer believes that people should be sensitive to others feelings in their utterances (and that has to apply to all groups); but he finds it difficult to comprehend why the Muslims have always gone berserk at the slightest ‘provocation’ - real or imagined? It is certain that Christians would not have gone on rampage if a Muslim had written an article that portrayed Jesus Christ, God, Virgin Mary or any other name they hold dearly, in the same light as the ThisDay article did. What has happened to our sense of humor? If other religious groups in the society become so narrow-minded about other faiths (and their lifestyle), the nation would be inhabitable! Does Nigeria not belong to every Nigerian? It is only in a lawless Nigeria that people take delight in destroying human lives "as a religious duty" and go unpunished. This is an outrage!

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) controlled government again failed woefully by not ensuring peace and providing security to those whose lives were in danger during the tragedy. Instead of the federal government to accept the simple fact that it is incapable of providing good governance, it has now engaged in a face-saving strategy of blaming the foreign press for the primitive behavior of the rioters. Earlier, the government condemned the ThisDay writer who exercised her constitutional right of freedom speech and expression, and vowed to take all necessary steps to punish her for "making [a] provocative publication on the Holy Prophet." This writer has not been able identify what was ‘provocative’ about the article. Nevertheless, is Nigeria an Islamic society? Was the government suggesting that the society should write or engage only in activities that meet Islamic lifestyle and tradition? Is Nigeria not a secular and a civil society? What has happened to freedom of speech and expression in a supposedly ‘democratic’ Nigeria? It has been reported that Isioma Daniel has fled Nigeria for the United States for fear of her life. What a shame!

Can the constituent parts in Nigeria get along? Many people have written passionately on this and the uncertainty in Nigerian society. But there has not been a national consensus on how the society could remain together as one and accomplish a true democracy. For peaceful co-existence and for the survival of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious Nigeria, no group should be allowed to subject other groups to its whims and caprice, or adopt a narrow perception of religion and power as a tool for self or sectional aggrandizement. Nevertheless, if a married couple cannot live together amicably, what is the alternative? Divorce is a proper option! Nigerians must seriously decide what to do about this mess, and soon too, before other innocent lives and dreams are shattered.

Presently, the society has many pressing problems to contend with than pandering to religious conviction and sectional sentiments. Unemployment is growing, poverty escalates, political institutions -courts and political parties- remain corruption, leaderships are not responding to the nation’s problems, and majority of the follower ships are not enlightened enough to demand good governance. Thus, the government should intensify its efforts in reducing corruption, enlarging the economic pie and dealing with security (personal security and property security) and human rights issues, so as to reduce the general feelings of insecurity and desperation in the society. The continued existence of Nigeria and the future of its democracy-experiment (if the constituent parts resolve to live together) will depend on the development of a political system that gives the people control of the political process. What the recent Miss World Pageant crisis underscores is the need for a true federalism, in which Regions, States or Geopolitical zones would be free to conduct their own affairs as the constitution determines.

There is no democracy in Nigeria until the people can exercise their constitutional rights of freedom of speech and expression without any group asking for their head. There is no democracy in Nigeria until the people can participate in the decision making process at all levels of government, and when individuals are held responsible for their actions. There is no democracy in Nigeria until people are punished (through due process) for infringing on the constitutional rights of others and the laws of the land are enforced to the letters. And there will be no democracy in Nigeria until government activities are transparent and accountable to the people.

To prevent the nation’s hard-fought and won civil rule from being mortally wounded again (and that those who gave their lives for this may not die in vain). And to avoid the society from coming apart again along ethnic and religious lines (but other options might not be available if the present ugly situation is not resolved amicably). The nation should begin to teach democratic values, which it lacks, to the citizens (especially to the youths since they are the leaders of tomorrow), teach them to obey the laws of the land and be sensitive to the feelings of others. Additionally, primary and secondary schools in the country should again begin to teach civics (tertiary institutions should make Nigerian Government and History compulsory subjects for graduation -the major notwithstanding), and create positive democratic culture in schools. Parents should again begin to teach good values in the homes, as there is no substitute for good parental education.

The media has an important role to play in the dissemination of necessary information to the public; but if the media is gagged (as it looks like at this moment in Nigeria) democracy dies. The people must be educated on how to protect their rights and to respect the rights of others, before they could function well in a democracy. The necessary democratic institutions must be funded and equipped to protect the people’s rights, lives and properties. More importantly, the people should not allow the smart and terminally corrupt and insatiably greedy political elite to manipulate them with sugarcoated tribal/regional and religious sentiments, as these are the main sources of social unrest in the society. The people should study the skills and values (principles) of their political leaders and those running for political office before voting for them. Because these have been noted as determinants for the survival or destruction of democracy in many societies.

The survival of Nigeria depends on political parties being ideologically rooted. This will enable political parties to support programs or deal with issues that reflect their philosophy (It will also help the society to keep track of the activities of political parties and to hold them accountable for their actions or inaction). What are the positions of the political parties and politicians on the beauty pageant pandemonium? It is unacceptable that political parties and politicians in the society represent nothing other than bribery and corruption! Nevertheless, the crisis in the society did not occur without reasons. Perhaps, some people are exploiting the ignorance of the less educated class for selfish political gain. Perhaps, the people are expressing their frustration, because sociopolitical instability and revolution are known to occur in a society when political actors no longer observe moderation. The circumstances in Nigeria where people no longer feel save to settle and invest at a place other than their State of origin are dangerous. For the nation to survive it must be restructured into a mobile society (a place where one could relocate to any part of the nation without fear). If not, ethno-religious crisis will continue to bedevil the society. Some of the crises afflicting the society are blamed on the government’s inability to adopt people-oriented policies to improve people’s living conditions. Perhaps! But the wanton destruction of human lives and properties is not justified under any circumstances!

However, it is unrealistic and practically impossible to expect a crisis-free Nigeria since the society has been dehumanized and robbed of civility by the many years of military misrule. Ideological conflicts are proper in great and real democracies; but mob actions, which are not new in Nigerian politics, are gargantuan challenges in the transition to true democracy in the society. True mass public education (designed to change the mind-set of the citizenry) will go a long way to solving the problem of ethnic loyalty and religious conflicts in Nigeria. Nonetheless, the government should adopt policies that would take care of the needy, and find ways to protect the constitutional rights of the people (and ensure that no group or section infringes on the happiness of others, or be allowed to disparage the image of Nigeria). Without that, there will be no peace and stability in the society! More importantly, the society must learn to revolt against incompetent and corrupt leaders so as to safeguard the democratic process. If Nigeria could observe this with new understanding, it would enable the people to build well ordered and truly a democratic society where no one (or group) is oppressed.

Dec 2002