This blog is to enable people to interact on wide ranging issues on the beauty of diversity. Let us look at it this way; suppose there is only one planet and the only animal that exist in the world is lion. Again, let us assume that there are no other trees except Iroko trees and the only mountain is Everest and the only ocean is Atlantic. Assume you are the only one in your village and there was only one race, one language, one country and there is land no water, and one climatic season. How will you feel when everything is static, nothing changes and there is birth and no death. At the creation of the world and everything inside and outside of it had they existed singly or in isolation. Compare the benefits, advantages and disadvantages of monopoly as against free market.
I am inviting you to contribute to expanding the horizon of hypothetical scenarios that things exist either real or imaginary, occur in isolation, a principle that negate diversity. This is to enable us appreciate the very essence of beauty derived from the political, religious, cultural, educational, demographic, environmental, economic, industrial, social, spatial, physical and abstract, temporal and spiritual diversity. We need to promote diversity because it has more benefits to the individual, group, community, local, state, national, the international society and the world at large. The only diversity today that is been championed globally is BIODIVERSITY. All other spheres of diversities are not given the due attention they deserve.
At this junction, I want to buttress my point with an example from Nigeria as a case study. Nigeria has many indigenous nationalities, over 500 languages, 250 ethnic groups, different ecological zones, spread across vast landmass. Nigeria is a multicultural, multi-religious, multinational, and operate a multi-political party system. The multimillion dollar question is, has Nigerians been able to harness the enormous diversity potentials providence has bestowed on her? Instead of managing the huge resources of all the diversities endowed to the country, rather they are being manipulated to serve individual or group egocentric desires.
You are invited to contribute to this blog on how to harness the benefits of diversities that abound in the world for Global Peace and Development. You can pick any title from the thematic areas outlined below for discussion.
Thematic Areas:
1. Cultural diversity: Our rich cultural heritage, dances, costumes, music, hair styles, etc.
2. Religious diversity: festivities and celebrations of love by caring and sharing with each other.
3. Biodiversity: preserving the huge natural forest and games of Nigeria.
4. Political differences; fair representation and equal opportunity.
5. Inequality of social status: bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.
6. Economics: empowerment of youths.
7. Sciences and Technology as bedrock of development.
8. Geography and geology: mineral resources and fascinating landscape for tourism.
How do we solve the problem of bombing and killings in northern Nigeria?
I am saddened to see and hear that people at this age of social awareness, with all the teachings by the leaders of various faiths, some who claimed to be adherent of these faiths have continued to indulge in mass destruction of innocent lives with impunity. The recent spate of bombings and reprisal killings that followed in Kaduna are both dastardly acts that will not help in solving the problem at hand. Any problem on the face of the earth has a solution. Both spiritual and temporal approaches should be applied in overcoming the imbroglio. Let us explore the political and religious diversities to provide panacea to the lingering problem. Traditional rulers have an important role to play in the present dispensation. A local problem requires a local solution. The politico-administrative machinery should involve the royal fathers who should not be just an on-looker or paid spectators which they have been turned to at post independence, as against their playing very active role at pre-indepedence in administration of the entity now known as Nigeria. They are nearer to the people and they have an effectively established link with the grassroots. They are the ears and eyes on the ground. They command respect and derived their authority from the people.
When the country was faced with the protracted disturbances by the Niger Delta youths, it took the divine inspiration by the President to look into how to solving the cankerous worm without using guns and bullets, but by declaring amnesty, which many pessimists never thought it will work. It was not cowardice that late President Musa Yar'dua toed the path of amnesty in resolving the Niger Delta youth restiveness. This feat, should by no means, earn him a post houmous conferment of the prestigious Nobel Award for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
Coming to the present topical troublesome issue of bombings in Northern part of Nigeria, I will recommend that all the Northern Governors, the Traditional Rulers and Religious Leaders should meet and resolve to delegate those who will hold frank discussion with the group representatives. There should be confidence and trust building before this can be achieved. The youths in all the nooks and crannies should be mobilized, advocacy meetings held to sensitize them and forge youth clubs where most youth could use as rallying points for sharing ideas and interacting. The youths in the country have been left like the flock of sheep or herds of cows without a Shepperd. The need and the time for social re-engineering of this country is now.
I am appealing to all and sundry to pray for peaceful co-existence, tolerance, good neighbourliness, and eschew bitterness and rancour.
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