Politics of ethnicity and sundry issues

As ususal in these things,i was a bit slow on the uptake and it took me a while to get my head round what all the fuss was about.To my eternal shame i even allowed myself to be dragged into the recalcitrant fray,briefly allowing a misguided ethnocentric hue to colour my initial assessments and comments concerning the issue.Thank GOD i was able to step back before i went any deeper to re assess and critically look at the issues.I really didnt want to write about it,but all the frightening and insidious views i have read which seemed to be
consistent forced my hand to contribute in my own little way to the discourse.

Only an absolute social pariah will feign ignorance of the raging controversy  over the deportation,repatriation or reitegration of 14 anambrarians back to their home states some weeks back which have since taken on a life of its own.

In the ensuing melee,i have read a wide variety of opinions advanced by both sides of the divide to justify or condemn the Fashola led  Government action.Not from policy makers or social commentators and crusaders but from mostly their tribal affiliants i.e Yorubas and the Igbos. The diverse point of views range from the sublime  to the frankly outrageous and even frightening if were to be frank.However one recurrent theme that has shown patently obvious through the murky mire was a stark highlight of  of entrenched and deep seated ethnic cleavages.

Politicians ever opportunistic saw an avenue to mount their soapbox and wax lyrical, quickly took sides and began engaging the public and stoking tensions with their sanctimonious, deeply divisive and controversial views,all in a bid to display their undying love and dedication to their respective customers(the electorate).
A Government action which some either agreed or disagreed with,degenerated overnight into a settler versus host issue with a chronological recital of a 200 year old history of Lagos state by the  indefatigable former aviation minister and self styled AARE ona kankanfo(Traditional yoruba supreme military commander)  of all issues Yoruba, a retort to an equally inciting and  tribally biased comment from the former Governor of Abia state and now Born again social activist Orji Uzor Kalu.

In the midst of all these,we lost sight of the nucleus, which is the position of the Law concerning the action taken by the Lagos state Government amongst other state Governments like Anambra,Rivers,Akwa ibom,Oyo  who had also previously deported/repatriated people from their state.Rather than clamouring for the action to be tested in the law courts as a possible precedent,the public mood ably steered by our politicians and some public commentators who went off on a tangent resulting in both sides baying for blood like hounds.

Thank God for the objective wisdom of Mr Femi Falana (SAN) who not only highlighted the pertinent issues but clearly and succinctly stated his views on the position of the law concerning the actions as stated in the constitution see  ( http://saharareporters.com/article/lagos-deportation-and-law-femi-falana#.UgfMDdpThwk.facebook ) giving the issue a much needed breath of clarity and direction. Going by Mr Falana's erudite and concise interpretation of the law on the matter, and i believe that of any objective and truly patriotic Nigerian,my humble suggestion as a way forward is for this action to be challenged in a law court.This will clear up any lingering misconceptions and will also firmly stake the letter of the law as it stands concerning the issue.

Another deeply unsettling subject which this incident has once again unearthed is the deep ethnic mistrust which exists amongst the various ethnicities most notably the South West and the South East. Both of these demographic even though live and trade/work amongst each other nevertheless seem to be deeply distrustful of each other.This mutual distrust of each other, more than any single reason has served as an incubator and multiplier of the resentment thriving on both sides which has often magnified to epic proportions each time there is a clash on any issue. I am not worried nor unduly concerned simply about a divergence of opinions, after all this is normal in a society as ethnically and religiously diverse never mind complex as ours is,i am however worried when almost every issue surreptitiously snakes towards and into an ethnic conflagration.Ensuing contributions in the midst of these confusion, even from supposedly enlightened and educated Nigerians then suddenly becomes  heavily slanted in support of their ethnic alliance irrespective of any other  intellectual considerations.

I believe it is more than long overdue for the government to start thinking seriously,even proactively about convening a sovereign national conference.This is not only to create an outlet for the ventilation of diverse opinions,but for the collective minds across ethnic and religious divides come to some sort of  seamless agreement and a roadmap on how to move forward as a nation.This will go a long way not only in the restoration of trust and a sense of belonging,but a national sense of co-existence.

Feelings and deep seated issues have been festering for years since the end of the civil war,festering into tepid resentment on all sides of the tribal divide.Each successive Government plasters it over or ignores it altogether.It is slowly but surely spilling over and muddying the collective national consciousness.Presently it has gotten to a stage where it can't be ignored anymore and something drastic needs to be done.
Not only to address an increasingly germane national concern,but in order to prevent mischievous politicians using this deep seated ethnic cleavages as a validation to promote their own sinister and absurd agenda as we have seen time and time again present debate inclusive.