CAN LOVE ALONE HEAL AND BIND A NATION DIVIDED BY TRIBE & RELIGION

1. CAN LOVE ALONE HEAL AND BIND A NATION DIVIDED BY TRIBE & RELIGION By Franca Attoh, PhD Department of Sociology University of Lagos Email: franca.attoh92@gmail.com, fattoh@unilag.edu.ng

2. INTRODUCTION • Love is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection. • Love is a universal language spoken by humans in every part of the globe. • But above God is love and if we claim to love God with all our heart and all our mind we must love others as ourselves. • The golden rule enjoins us to love God above all else. • And to love our neighbours as ourselves. • Upon these two laws rest the whole laws and the prophets.

3. LOVE AND NATIONHOOD-1 • Nationhood is the state of being a nation, or a large group of people united by common language, culture or economic life. • An example of nationhood is Nigeria, with a large group of people united by shared politics and diverse culture. • But nationhood goes beyond the physical space but rather includes the emotional attachment members feel towards the nation. • Any wonder that the sage Awolowo called Nigeria a mere geographical expression. • The state must equally look out for its citizens

4. LOVE AND NATIONHOOD-2 • Nationhood is a sine qua non for national cohesion and unity. • When citizens have faith in their country they can lay their lives down for the country and it is called patriotism. • We have seen instances where countries invade another country just to free a citizen. • We have not witnessed many heroic acts in Nigeria but then we are not totally devoid of heroic acts. • For instance, Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar, (Imam of Nghar) in Plateau state saved 300 Christians from rampaging herdsmen who came on a mission to cleanse the village of Christians. He put his life on the line to save his fellow countrymen. This is an epitome of true love.

5. NATIONAL COHESION IN A HETROGENEOUS SOCIETY • One way to achieve cohesion in a plural society is to embark on building national consciousness through the National Orientation Agency. • A country could embark on a conscious indoctrination of its citizenry by developing a national ideology e.g. North Korea. • A strong political leadership that whip everyone into line but such regimes are usually authoritarian e.g. Abdul Naser of Egypt, Gamal Atartuk of Turkey, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Saddam Hussein of Iraq. • Some democratic states have achieved national integration by putting their citizens first e.g. USA.

6. PATRIOTISM AS A PANACEA FOR INTEGRATION • Patriotism is the love for one’s country and a love that the country before individual interest. • Since 1960, Nigeria has not been fortunate to have a leadership that will coalesce the various ethnicities into one nation. • What we have experienced is a group of ethnic champions who often fan the embers of division to achieve national prominence. • Unfortunately because of the level of poverty and illiteracy the ethnic jingoists always have their way. • Patriotism cannot be forced but internalised through a conscious policy. • The Nigerian government has commenced this by making civics a compulsory subject in secondary school.

7. WHY NATIONAL INTEGRATION? • The nation is a cultural entity that binds people together on the basis of common • cultural or blood ties. • National integration helps to erode the presence of micro ethnicities through a shared common identity. • National integration can be achieved through state policies such as federal character and quota system. • National integration can be achieved through policies such as the NYSC. At the inception of the scheme in 1973 it achieved the objective of its creation. • Rotation of power at the centre to mainstream all the ethnic groups. • Abolition of the indigene/settler • Conscious emphasis/promotion of Nigeria’s secularity.

8. LOVE CONQUERS ALL • A metaphoric expression that gives vent to the capacity of the human person to change what others may consider a hopeless situation. • St. Paul tells us in one of his writings that ‘Love is patient, love is kind’. • Love is not boastful, envious or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its way nor is it irritable or resentful. • It does not rejoice in wrong doing but rejoices in the truth, • This was demonstrated by Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar when he saved 300 Christians.

9. IMAGES OF LOVE

10. Figure 1 • Figure 1 depicts the love between siblings. Imagine the act of generosity, the selflessness and the lone of giving. • Agape love it is called- a love that transcends human comprehension-the kind of love our Lord Jesus Christ gave to us. • Greater love had no man that a man will lay down his life for his friends. • Other good examples include Maxmillian Kolbe and St. Valentine. • How beautiful would our country be if each of us live to make the other happy. We will achieve something close to paradise. • Dr. Adedevoh sacrificed her life to save millions of Nigerians of dying from the ebola virus.

11. Figure 2

12. ROMANTIC LOVE • Figure 2 is a symbol of romantic love. In a few days time the whole world will be agog with the celebration of love without realising the genesis of valentine. • Romantic love can help a nation achieve integration and nationhood. • The NYSC scheme to an extent succeeded in doing this before it was bastardised. Marriages across ethnic lines brought into being new kinship networks and this to some extent helps to reduce ethnic suspicion and tension. • Examples include General Ibrahim Babangida, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, General Theophilus Danjuma etc. • Pre-colonial societies used marriages to forge alliances to prevent wars. Even old monarchies in Europe forged such alliances.

13. CONCLUSION • Love can truly heal and bind any form of fractured relationship including those of the ethnic groups in Nigeria. • Love includes observing the golden rules-do unto others… • It means the state ensuring the existence of equity and social justice. • It includes providing a platform for Nigerians to actualize themselves, • It equally includes ensuring equal opportunity for all Nigerians irrespective of gender, ethnic group or creed. • It includes the eradication of injustice which will engender patriotism.

14. GRATITUDE • I SINCERELY THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME. • GOD BLESS YOU ALL