Nigerian Academy of Letters Proffers Solution to Challenges Facing Cultural Commonalities in Nigeria’s Heterogeneity @ Convocation, New Fellows’ Investiture

By Razaq Bamidele

Dateline was Thursday, August 11, 2022. The venue was the J. F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium. And the event was the 24th Nigerian Academy of Letters’ Convocation, Investiture of New Fellows and Induction of New Members.

Introduction

The Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL), an autonomous, non-political body of scholars in the humanities, held its 24th Convocation and Investiture of New Fellows, and Scientific Session on Thursday, 11th August 2022, at the J.F. Ade. Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos. The theme of the Convocation was “Cultural Commonalities in Nigeria’s Heterogeneity.”

Setting the ball of the event rolling was Professor Simeon Olusegun Ilesanmi, of Wake Forest University, North Carolina, USA with the Convocation Lecture titled; “The Republic of Dignity: The Nigerian Common Humanity in a Culturally Heterogenous Nigeria.”

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Three other papers were presented during the Scientific Session, one by Professor Egodi Uchendu of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, two, Professors Emmanuel S. Dandaura and Gideon Sunday Omachonu, both of Nasarawa State University, Keffi while Professor Abayomi Akinyeye, delivered the pre-convocation dinner lecture.

During the discussions that followed the well-researched papers from the distinguished scholars, some observations were raised and recommendations suggested for perusal.

Under the Observations:

The scholars lamented that:

1. Undue emphasis is placed on the factors that divide rather than unite Nigerians as profiteering party politics takes the gaze away from identified commonalities that unite Nigerians. The political class continues to fan the embers of ethnic division and divisiveness along the fault lines of ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, and gender, among other factors that segregate;
2. Different ethnic groups within the Nigerian polity shared commonalities before colonialism. The colonial encounter and its aftermath have entrenched consequences for our commonality. These are among the major and it is one of the factors fuelling poverty, hostilities, and contestations over land and other resources in this government;
3. Material and non-material cultures like language have been manipulated for political and economic domination to sponsor and widen dividing lines, through the polarization agenda;
4. There is an unfortunate problem in the management of the diverse human and material resources in Nigeria, which constitutes a stumbling block to building a stronger nation and consequently encourages internal conflict and insecurity. Therefore, Nigerians fail to enjoy the benefits accruable from common humanity;
5. The absence of the political will to deal decisively with the internal sponsors of conflict, banditry, insurgency, terrorism, abduction, wanton killings across Nigeria, and threat to the Nigerian state for different reasons is a clear deficit in governance;
6. Corruption remains a challenge to be surmounted rather than tolerated or treated feebly and unenthusiastically by this government;
7. The present impunity and disregard for human dignity, the rule of law, and federal character as witnessed on the national front is tantamount to a lack of respect for humanity and national goals; and last but not the least;
8. The humanities continue to be marginalised by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

Recommendations

It was against the background of the foregoing that the egg heads, in a communiqué issued after the event recommended that, “from the imperative for government to exhibit the political will to address the problematic of human dignity, common humanity and nation-building despite the cultural heterogeneities in the country, that the Federal Government of Nigeria, as a matter of urgency, should:

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1. Put an end to the attachment to money politics and crass consumerism that place a low premium on values, the right to life and dignity of the person to forge a country of dignified people towards free, fair and credible elections in 2023; the challenges constituted by internal and international migration, and the menace of armed banditry, insurgency and ethnic dissonance; leverage the positive means of disseminating cultural values and promoting nationhood through cultural means;

2. Discourage the negative socialisation of young Nigerians in the disparaging and derogatory use of linguistic tags, stereotypes and disdain for other cultures;
3. Forge national identity and ideology through policies and philosophies that highlight the shared commonality and oneness of Nigerians and refrain from laws, policies, and ideological inconsistencies that have grossly marred citizenship roles and responsibilities, as well as the gross abuse of the Federal Character Principle as enshrined in S. 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended);
4. Resolve the protracted strikes by the staff unions in all the tertiary institutions in the country. There is an urgent need to revamp the deteriorated educational resources and infrastructure at all levels;
5. Deliberately reduce poverty and bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in the face of inflation and dwindling national resources with more matching capacity for production; and
6. Investigate the nepotism and disregard for inclusiveness, major factors contributing to the systemic disintegration of Nigeria, resulting in weak federating units and monitor the outcomes from the appropriate treatment of the national question, federal character and values that build not just a country, but a nation where every citizen has a sense of acceptance.

The well attended ceremony was attended by at least 84 professors from different Nigerian and overseas universities. The President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Professor Duro Oni, FNAL, presided over the Convocation and Investiture of New Fellows while the Vice President, Professor Sola Akinrinade, FNAL, presided over the Scientific Session.

Other key dignitaries in attendance were Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Research), Professor Bolanle Olufunmilayo Oboh; the Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, FNAL; and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Professor Abubakar Rasheed, FNAL, represented by Professor Godwin Sogolo, FNAL.

Other dignitaries present included Professor Umaru Pate, Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, and Professor Yakubu Ochefu, Secretary-General, Committee of Vice-Chancellors/Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities. Thirty-five (35) new members were inducted, while six regular Fellows, one Overseas Fellow, and two Honorary Fellows were admitted to the College of Fellows of the Academy.