“Unity in diversity is the strength of any nation, and national integration is the key to preserving that unity.”
Azikiwe, born in Zungeru, Niger State. Ojukwu, also Zungeru. Ekwensi, Minna. Kudirat Abiola, Zaria. Nzeogwu, Kaduna. Bola Ige grew up in Kaduna. Soyinka’s father was a Zaria headmaster. Umaru Altine, a Sokoto man, was Enugu’s first elected mayor. Ike Madu, from Imo, sat in the Kaduna House of Assembly.
The list reads like a different Nigeria:
That was a Nigeria where birthplace did not cage you, and where “indigene” was not a weapon. You could be born in the North, build a career in the East, represent people in the West, and still be called “Nigerian first.”
After the war and successive constitutional tweaks, “state of origin” replaced “state of residence.” Jobs, school slots, and contracts became birthright goods. Migration turned into suspicion.
Elites discovered that ethnic mobilization wins elections faster than policy. Once you tell people “the other” is coming for your land and jobs, cross-regional heroes become threats.
Schools, civil service, and mixed neighborhoods that once integrated Nigerians have been starved or segregated. Without daily mixing, stereotypes harden.
The Nigerias that produced Azikiwe in Zungeru and Altine in Enugu did not disappear by accident. We legislated, politicized, and policed unity out of existence. If we want it back, we must restore residence-based rights, punish ethnic gatekeeping, and rebuild the common spaces where Nigerians actually meet.
+2348039289375
bcradle@ymail.com