SHAFEEQ UMAR SHAFYSOFY

    In view of the prevailing dialogues on the need for nation-building, I consider it compulsory to my personality to make a brief analysis of Nigerian ideologies and demonstrate their existence and the need for reorientation.

In my humble opinion, the view that Nigeria has no ideology is not only an erroneous view but it is a misconception arising from palpable ignorance of cultural anthropology. Nigeria has an ideology. For there is no racial or cultural group exists without an ideology.

Ideology is a systematic body of concepts about human life or culture. It is the manner and mannerism, content of thinking, character and the characteristic of an individual or a groups. It implies the integral assertions. In other words, the complex of philosophical abstractions and sociological realities which express Nigrian epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, and eschatology constitute Nigerian ideology or what should be identified as NIGERIANISM.

  To avoid ambiguity, since many people have been discussing this intriguing topic of "ideology,' I think for the sake of laxity, that I should enunciate precisely what I have at the back of my mind when I expound the need for re-orientating Nigerian ideologies.

By using the expression societal reorientation, I imply a change of attitude in human relations or a fresh approach to Nigerian epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, eschatology, and other aspects of Nigerian culture. With this dialectic on the semantics of ideology, I will now expose myself to the lecture.

My thesis is based on the proposition:"That Nigeria has ideologies, particularly in the field of politics, sociology, economics, jurisprudece, philosophy and religion, among many other disciplines. Therefore, reorientation is all that is necessary to adopt them to contemporary concepts and criteria"

In expantiating same, I will reconstruct the story of our social institutions, as published by experts.

In order to appreciate the importance of reorientating Nigerian ideologies, I consider it advisable to make a brief comparative of same with those in vogue in the so-called Western Democracy. In doing so, i hope that i will not be misunderstood as making value judgements. Rather, I intend to demonstrate the inherent strenght and resilience of indigenous Nigerian ideologies to warrant an adaptation, where necessary, to modern concepts, norms and practices.

♥  In the realm of politics, Nigerian democracy, on the whole, is a representative government of the generality of Nigerians, by elected or selected councillors, who represent their kindred or families and who comprise elders or tided persons, irrespective of their station in life, for the western democracy is government of the people, by their elected or selected representatives, comprising socially-stratified leaders, for the welfare of the electorate.

Is, concilliar, in the sense that is apothesises collective, as distinct from individual, leadership and places a premium on election, discussion, dissent, and consensus, as basis for crystallising the popular will.

The leader is, therefore, a democratic interpreter and not an autocratic ruler. The Western system of democracy footers autocracy in the individual leader and worships the strongman or woman executive, whilst the eastern system promotes authoritarian rule and thus fertilises the soil for totalitarian.

♥ Socially speaking, Nigerian social ideology is altruistic. It is devoted to promote the well-being of all members of Nigeria. The extended family system regards Nigerians as children of a common ancestry. Thus, each kindred is responsible for the welfare of the families under its protective umbrella(not that of PDP), irrespective of sex, tribe or religion.

♥ Nigerian jurisprudencedepends upon the principle and practice of equity. It is based on the concept of settlement of disputes by conciliation. It emphasises the need for amicable settlement of dispute by mutual compromise. It discourages litigation which could lead to arbitration with its undesirable social consequences. In its operation, the machinery of Nigerian justice shuns technicalities but places more emphasis on redress, impartiality, reasonableness and fairplay.

Instead of relying on cunning, wit, and subterfuge to administer justice, the pristine legal system of Nigeria seeks to prevent the perpetration of injustice and to enthrone equity, on the understanding that no person should be unjustly enriched or denied the elementary principles of natural justice or allowed to escape soot-free from the natural consequences of any criminal act committed.

......................................................To be continued!

Shafeeq umar a.ka. shafysofy