What is it that makes us Nigerians? Have you asked a similar question before? North, West, East, South, or Central, what makes us Nigerians? Nigeria is not just a geographical expression any more than you are just a human being. But being a human being defines your purpose. Every so often I hear threats of dismemberment of Nigeria only because those making such threats are dissatisfied with certain people or actions and inactions in Nigeria. One consideration they seem to ignore is this: After that then what next? After dismemberment of Nigeria, what will come after? Have we not seen how dismemberment of Nigeria as an expected solution to Nigeria's problems is so petty and simplistic?
Nigerians will not suddenly be transformed after Nigeria is split into whatever number of minuscule countries. The vulgar will remain so; only that then, they would have to fashion out new vocabulary of vulgarity to deploy in discussing their new countries' affairs. The criminally-minded will not become born again just because they have won for themselves new countries. I stumbled on a post on a blog, where the blogger confidently opined that people like Shilgba from a "minority group" (by the way, she observed that from my name she concluded I was from a "Minority ethnic group" in Nigeria) would prefer to live in Nigeria rather than in a smaller country carved out of Nigeria. This is an unfortunate as it is an uninformed position to take. I am not sure, by population, the Niger Delta people are not part of the "minority" this lady referred to; yet, quite a number of Niger Deltans want their separate country from Nigeria for whatever reasons they believe in.
Who are Nigerians? We are the pure expression of black culture. We are not a country of immigrants like the USA; rather, we are representative of black art, black fashion, black music, black linguistic creativity and inventiveness, black diversity and plurality. That's who we are. We are the melting pot of Africanness. What defines us is not what the world says about us, but what we think of ourselves and say about ourselves. Join the discussion on the Nigerian Nationalists Congress (NNC) on this blog to find HOW.
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