Ethnicity is the state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition. Belonging to one ethnic group or the other is natural and healthy. In fact, every human on the face of the earth is identified with one ethnic group or the other. The diversities in culture and tradition of different people from the same country and different people from different countries makes every continent an interesting place to live; and even the world at large.
Having a multi-ethnic society is supposed to be an advantage and a blessing to every nation in Africa, but it is rather unfortunate that this has become a mechanism for political, social and economic retrogression. It is wrong to see our diversification as a disadvantage rather than an advantage. “Survival of the fittest” among Africans is one major factor that has led to ethnicity syndrome; the act of seeing people of other ethnic groups as outcasts.
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
For several years, Africans, have been swindled by those they have entrusted their resources with and this has led to what we call “a triangular society” where minority is lavishing in plenty and majority are gasping for little.
In a triangular society, survival of the fittest is the order of the day; since those in the corridors of power have enriched themselves with the state’s resources while there is just little left for the populace to contend with. Instead of the populace to contend with rogues siphoning the wealth of the nation, they are contending for the little leftover of what was stolen by the rogues in the corridors of power.
At this point, we need to change our perception about people of other ethnic groups because they are human beings like us and we need to live above ethnicity syndrome for the fight against corruption to be successful. For example, if a man is arrested for corrupt practice, and he is from a particular ethnic group out of many ethnic groups in the country, people from his ethnic group will begin to complain that the government is biased in its fight against corruption. In addition, people from his ethnic group will begin to threaten the government that they will cause civil unrest. We have to put away this attitude for the fight against corruption to be successful.
We need to live above
ethnicity syndrome for the
fight against corruption to
We are in a society where “survival of the fittest” has been the order of the day. In such societies, it is not surprising to have “ethnicity syndrome”. In fact, most of the problems we are faced with in Africa are by- products of corruption.
ELECTIONS AFTER ELECTION
Our question is, after we have gone to the polling booth to vote and given our support to a leader and entrusting him or her with the resources of our country, why do we still need another representation from our ethnic group in the corridors of power? Your guesses are as good as ours. Firstly, maybe you do not have enough confidence in the leader you voted for. Secondly, it could be that you perceived inequality in the distribution of the nation’s wealth etc. One major way to eradicate ethnicity syndrome in our continent is for African leaders to desist from stealing the wealth of the nation.
We have Replaced Merit with Ethnicity Syndrome As it stands, most African countries are suffering from this syndrome; which has made us to throw “merit” into the dunghill and embraced “the ethnicity syndrome”. This syndrome has manifested in different forms e.g. the zoning formula, the federal character, quota system etc. all these namby-pamby ideologies cannot take us anywhere unless we deal with the actual problem which is moving from “a triangular society” into “an equity-driven society” where everybody is treated equally. We are more than convinced that if African leaders can deal with the issue of “triangular society” sectarian violence, ethnic crises, religious crises etc. will be a thing of the past in our continent.
Countries with prominence in religious crises, sectarian crises, ethnic crises etc. are countries where the government of the day has failed in her responsibilities towards her citizens; hence, all these crises are consequences of bad governance. Therefore, “eradication of corruption” equals the “eradication of ethnicity syndrome”.