Nigeria, a country of over 200 million people consisting of 774 Local Government Areas and 371 tribes, should ordinarily belong to the circle of the most advanced countries of the world, in view of the added value of the potential that abound in it.
While countries like India, China and Indonesia with even larger population make use of their huge numbers to their advantage, the reverse remains the case in Nigeria, as its population potential, rather than unite the country, only disintegrates the citizens.
As bigger as these countries are, it doesn’t cost them anything to speak with one voice and objectivity when issues that bother on national unity are put on the table for them to debate.
This virtue is again absent in Nigeria, owing to retrogressive reasons ranging from tribalism, endemic corruption, selfishness, religious bigotry, marriage of inconvenience between the political class and the elites aimed at dividing the average class who are in the majority, among many other reasons.
Little wonder why Nigeria, despite the natural wherewithal it is endowed with, has little or nothing to show, except sentiments and emotional biases aggravated by religious and ethnic connotations.
In Nigeria, when national issues come up, the majority, no matter their level of education and exposure, rather than view such issues with objective binoculars, often intentionally use either tribal or religious sentiment to interpret such national issues.
This retrogressive attitude which has become the bane hindering the country from taking its rightful place amongst the comity of nations, has unfortunately spread to all spheres of the society, leaving out not even the so called elites. As long as these shenanigans continue, it may soon become impossible to catch up with even smaller countries who cannot boast of half of the potential Nigeria has.
This brings to the fore the ongoing controversy the recent directive by the Federal Government, through the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), to commence the relocation process of the organisation’s headquarters back to Lagos, almost three years after it was hurriedly and unjustly relocated to Abuja by the former minister of aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika.
Sirika, like a military commander, ignored all entreaties from different key players not to relocate the headquarters of FAAN and other aviation agencies without following the due process or weighing the financial predicaments such will have on the sector.
Amongst the reasons put forward by many stakeholders then was the imminent consequences of relocating the head offices of the agencies from Lagos, where more than 80 percent of aviation activities take place. Another concern was the fate of workers who were suddenly ordered to move to Abuja without the provision of proper accommodation and even offices to carry out their duties.
Despite these concerns, the former minister stood his ground and ensured his reasons prevailed without recourse to the subsequent crisis that may happen as the decision was accomplished few days to the end of his tenure.
Now the confusion his actions created has again complicated the challenges bedevilling the sector, many of which were caused by the unpopular policies he foisted on the sector.
With a new sheriff in town, it is expected and not binding on the new minister to take it hook, line and sinker all the policies of the former government which may contradict his own vision and mission.
Therefore, it was not a surprise to many when the present minister announced the plan to move FAAN head office back to Lagos, a decision he made after deliberations with stakeholders and having considered the negative financial implications of the policy in the first instance.
While this is not the first time a new government would have to reverse any policy of a previous government found not to be in the interest of such a new government, what continues to baffle many is the outrage coming as reactions to the directive from different interest groups with different motives.
From all indications, while a few may have genuine opinions, majority of those condemning the corrective policy have been found to be doing so based on either tribal or political premises without any iota of national interest.
Since the relocation order, many of those opposed to it have not hidden the fact that their grouse with the order is because they view it as a means of de-marketing one region to placate another region.
Though this type of dangerous game is not new to many facets of the society where the different ethnic groups hide under the guise of fighting for their constituents to make ridiculous demands, it is dangerous to extend such bigotry to a sector like aviation where issues are run based on standard and recommended practices devoid of any local colourations.
To the groups opposing the latest relocation order to Lagos, where were they when the former minister directed the relocation of all the agencies’ headquarters to Abuja? Why were they silent then or was it because the policy favoured them then?
Or maybe they did not realise the fact that without the huge revenue being generated at the Lagos airport, the agencies they are jostling for would have been incapacitated. Again, what sense does it make when the headquarters of these agencies remain in Abuja while the principal actors, including the chief executives and major workers needed to ensure seamless team work are kept in Abuja because of sentiments.
Why keep key workers in Abuja where many of them are sleeping inside their cars and offices due to lack of accommodations and other logistics or why pay billions of naira to rent office buildings while there are empty offices rusting away in Lagos?
All these and many questions are waiting for answers and until every Nigerian purges himself or herself of this tribal and religious disease, the country will continue to lag behind. Above all, for those who are fond of beating ethnic or religious drums at the slightest opportunity, such people should realise the danger such shenanigans pose to sensitive sectors like aviation which is run based on international rules and regulations. No region is an island.
