Asserting Nigeria's Nativity Beyond Ethnicity

By Bayo Ogunmupe Titled: Thoughts on Asserting Nigerianess Beyond Ethnicism, this book is a compendium of essays by Victor Chiagozie Ariole, a professor of French Language at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. First published in 2013, this paperback volume was published in 2021 by Ecophile in Lagos Nigeria. In his opening remarks, Professor Ariole quoted the first Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Bello describing the migrations of the Fulani from Fuuta Tooro to Northern Nigeria. Bello said some of his ancestors migrated from as far back as 1500 AD, while others followed with the wars of the 1670s. In his Infaq al Maisuri, the first Sultan wrote in 1812: They, the Tukulor made war on the Fula till the latter split into three divisions. One stayed among the Tukulor and followed them, another returned to Falefa and Fuuta Jaalon and dwelled there. A third went East to meet the tribes of their father, the Arabs… they left the weak behind them in this land of the Hausa. “And to the rest of Nigerians and Africans, the land belongs to the Pigmies and we settled in as a function of adaptability and domination or natural selection. We are all migrants.” This historical link with which this book opens is the message of the book. That the Fulani started migrating to Nigeria as far back as 1500 AD, that the Fulani are Arabs. And that their intent in settling in Nigeria is to dominate or adapt as a function of the survival of the fittest according to the Law of natural Selection as espoused by the British naturalist, Sir Charles Darwin. Beyond Ethnicity has 120 essays, and 377 pages. In his preface to this edition, the author insists that Nigeria owing to its huge population and wealth, should be the conscience of the black race. “Nigeria must aim at being the salt of Africa, giving it the taste expected at any given time. That 525 local languages are spoken in Nigeria, as recently proven by Yakubu Gowon’s Bible Translation group, should not obviate the fact that there are ‘constants’ in the languages that crave for pillars in –Nigerianess—that can support the African continent in conjunction with other pillars yet to be identified. “This book is a cocktail of thoughts on Nigeria. The dates in some parts could have elapsed, however, the thoughts remain relevant.” Fuel crisis and leadership quality is the heading for one the great essays of this book. In it the author quotes a French proverb meaning spare the rod and spoil the child. However, its literary meaning serves best in he context of fuel crisis. A good leader must be a good lover of his people. He should not always rob Peter to pay Paul. He must show a greater degree of love for the people before the punishment he administers could be approved of. Ariole then compares Nigeria to a diabetic patient. According to physicians, a diabetic patient is someone with a very high sugar level in the bloodstream. It is either he is not making good use of the energy in his system and, so attracts slut. Or has damaged his pancreas as a result of overuse. All economic organs in Nigeria are either misused, overused or abused. Reversing the trend is what a good leader should occupy himself with. My last essay in review is Why Corruption Endures in Nigeria. The author says the theory of instant generation has been debunked by the great French physician and researcher, Louis Pasteur. So there nothing good or bad that appears without first forming its cloud. Thus, people don’t just wake up and indulge in corruption. They build a mind for it, they conceive it, nurture it and work hard to sustain it. They are the smart ones in our society. They’re the learned ex-convicts in our dog eat dog society. They are everywhere from the executive arm of government, through the legislative branch, down to the poorest Nigerian. The author refers to the Igbo adage which says: you do not process rotten palm fruits into oil by pounding them in a leaking mortar. The exercise will be futile. Nigerians are either rotten by their corrupt practices or by their wretchedness. Corruption and wretchedness are eating deep into Nigerians. And both are turning us to maggots if nothing is done to check them. The author, Victor Ariole is a professor of French literature at the university of Lagos. He has more than 14 books to his credit. An intense researcher in culture and politics, he speaks, hears, Igbo, Yoruba, Twi, Dyula, English and French. He holds MA in French, MBA in General Administration and PhD in French. He is an associate member of the Editorial Board of The Guardian newspapers. You will become better informed about the world reading this volume.