NATIONAL BUILDING

• When countries' age structure change favourably, meaning that they have more people of working age than dependants, they can see a boost of development known as demographic dividend, provided they empower, educate and employ their young people
• Late Professor Babatunde Osotimehin, former executive secretary, United Nations Population Fund: 'When countries' age structure change favourably, meaning that they have more people of working age than dependants, they can see a boost of development known as demographic dividend, provided they empower, educate and employ their young people'
• Nigeria we hail thee, Our own dear native land, Though tribe and tongue may differ, In brotherhood we stand, Nigerians all, are proud to serve Our sovereign Motherland
• Our flag shall be a symbol That truth and justice reign, In peace or battle honour'd, And this we count as gain, To hand on to our children A banner without stain
• O God of all creation, Grant this our one request, Help us to build a nation Where no man is oppressed, And so with peace and plenty Nigeria may be blessed
• Arise, O compatriots Nigeria's call obey to serve our fatherland with love and strength and faith. The labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain, to serve with heart and might one nation bound in freedom Peace and unity
• O God of creation, direct our noble cause Guide our leaders right Help our youth the truth to know In love and honesty to grow And living just and true Great lofty heights attain To build a nation where peace And justice shall reign
• Nnamdi Azikiwe (1954): 'It is better for us and many admirers abroad that we should disintegrate in peace and not in pieces. Should the politicians fail to heed this warning, then I will venture the prediction that the experience of the democratic republic of Congo will be a child's play if ever it comes to our turn to play such tragic role'
• Tafawa Balewa (1948): 'Since 1914 the British government has been trying to make Nigeria into one country, nut the Nigerian people themselves are historically different in their backgrounds, in their religious beliefs and customs and do not show themselves any signs of willingness to unite.... Nigeria's unity is only a British invention'
• Chief Obafemi Awolowo (1947): 'Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. There are no Nigerians in the same sense as there are "English", "Welsh", or "French". The word Nigerian is a mere distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria and those who do not'
• To build a nation, it takes centuries: to destroy it, it takes only a day or two
• The problem of social disintegration is SO recurrent in Africa and Nigeria in particular that the existence of many of African countries as viable entities is subject to doubt. The threats to national cohesion assumes many forms, including ethnic, regional, religious and class cleavages to name a few
• Africa does not have a monopoly of this problem, but it is fair to say that it has exhibited the most acute cases of these problems in contemporary history
• The persistent social discord and instability renders meaningless the numerous attempts to finding lasting solutions to the problems that pervade the nation: which include: Poverty, pestilence, illiteracy, inadequate social infrastructure, poor health, unemployment and political disenfranchisement. All these and more make difficult the building of structures for solving these problems
• Nation building entails processes of national integration and consolidation that engender social transformation upon which national development is anchored and pursued
• For any country to advance in national development and nation building, certain salient component features of common vision, values and beliefs must be entrenched in the people's behaviour, motivation and attitudes as a way of life. In this context, the concept of nationalism becomes critical
• Nationalism


  The attitude that members of a nation have when they care about their identity as members of that nation. It also involves actions that members of a nation take in seeking to achieve (or sustained) some form of political sovereignty
• Nation


  A cultural group, possibly but not necessarily united by common descent, endowed with civil duties
• State


  A political entity with high degree of sovereignty
• While many states are nations in some sense, there are many nations which are not fully sovereign states
• State-building is about constructing the foundations of the government edifice and how governance ought to operate. Ensuring the quality and integrity of government is an important dimension of the state-building process, including generating the legitimacy of a new or re-emerging state and contributing to the creation of a 'nation-wide public' and shared sense of the public realm
• State functions in terms of output such as social service delivery, economic management and the delivery of justice. It is also important to pay sufficient attention to the core or constitutive dimensions of the state- including the political settlement, security, and basic administrative structures. If these constitutive domains remain weak, states are not able to deliver outputs as well as functions in a sustained and reliable way
• The emergence of nations has shown that it is neither organized nor systematically created but rather an artificial creation of men and states. Therefore, nation formation is purely a political concept based on the adherence of men to what they see as a definite state
• Nation-building is hinged on establishing a sense of political identity that is built and not given. It nurtures a sense of value for meeting the obligations of citizenship
• A nation is not given but made and this making arises as a result of conscious effort, an existential choice which enables man to escape from natural determinants
• Nations are built by exemplary men and women and sustained by institutions that promote good governance and thus engender socio-economic development
• Human development


  Development that entails economic, political, social and human development. It constitutes the foundation on which economic and political development are based
• Economic growth may bring material gain to the people, but development is much more about the enrichment of the lives of all the people in the society
• High growth performance without people participation is economic growth without development
• Human development


  Development of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is a process of enlarging people's choices to lead a long and healthy lives, to be educated and enjoy a decent standard of living
• Basic objectives of development

  • Increase the availability and widen the distribution of basic life-sustaining goods such as food, shelter, health, and protection
  • Raise the levels of living, including to higher incomes, the provision of more jobs, better education, and greater attention to cultural and human values
  • Expand the range of economic and social choices available to individuals and nations by freeing them from servitude and dependence
• The issue of nation building in Nigeria has remained a national question since its attainment of independence in 1960, such that she has been struggling to transform into reality her rich natural and human resources endowment for greatness in the committee of nations globally
• Challenges confronting nation-building and human development in Nigeria

  • Colonialism
  • Ethnicity and nepotism
  • Corruption
  • Bad leadership
  • Lack of vision
  • Mistrust
  • Weak Institutions
  • Poor governance
  • Widening social inequalities
  • Poverty
  • Problems of true federalism, resource control etc.
• Solutions to nation-building


  • Truth
  • Equity
  • Justice
  • Fairness
  • Openness
  • Accountability
  • Meritocracy
• Nation building is about building a political entity which corresponds to a given territory based on some generally acceptable rules, norms, values, principles and a common citizenship
• Nation-building is about building institutions that symbolizes the political entity institutions such as a bureaucracy, an economy, the judiciary, universities, a civil service and civil society organizations
• Nation-building is about building a common sense of purpose, a sense of shared identity, a collective imagination of belonging
• Presently, skills, industriousness, productivity and competitiveness are the determinant factors of national greatness. And not size, population or landmass
• Nations are built by exemplary men and women of strong moral conscience and consciousness who have the will and vision to accomplish greatness, not for themselves, their immediate families and friends, but for their country
• It is also about building pragmatic, viable and dependable political and social institutions, including living our societies better than we met them