January 4, 2002
Many commentators on Chief Bola Ige’s intense engagement in national politics have either reviled or praised him on his unabashed identification with and support for his Yoruba ethnic group. To clarify the issues involved, one may ask: Should one renounce, or at least play down one’s ethnic identity in order to be considered qualified for national leadership?
Some people are definitely convinced that those who aspire to the leadership of multi-ethnic countries should not be too closely associated with any of the constituent ethnic groups. They argue that anybody who may be viewed as an “ethnic champion” renounces the right to lead other ethnic groups.
Others assert that charity must begin at home; therefore, to be qualified for national office, one’s own ethnic group must accept one as an authentic and credible leader. According to the latter point of view, a national leader without a strong ethnic base is like a plant without a root. Obviously, such a plant cannot survive for long. Which viewpoint is right?
Let us take the matter out of the realms of emotion by analyzing it from the standpoint of fundamental principles.
First, we may ask: why are there many ethnic groups (and races) and not just one on earth? I would answer by stating that it is the Will of God that there be many races and within races many ethnic groups. Diversity, not only of human beings but also of other creatures including animals and plants, is a crucial and essential factor for the survival of all species. Thus, we find that within every naturally occurring species, there are varieties.
For example, we have different varieties of maize; some are white, some are yellow. Some taste sweet and some are bland. In the case of human beings, this Divine scheme of diversity makes it possible for all human beings on earth to find the most appropriate groups of persons among whom they may continue gathering the experiences needed for further spiritual maturing (which is the purpose of human existence).
And the interactions among the different races and ethnic groups are intended to be mutually beneficial. The existence of many races and many ethnic groups multiply the opportunities for spiritual development for all human beings on earth. Therefore, any deliberate attempts artificially to reduce the diversity of races and ethnic groups can only be detrimental to human development and go against the Will of God.
It follows that each race and each ethnic group has an obligation to maintain its identity and promote its own development in accordance with the Will of God.
By the same token, each individual should be proud of his own race and ethnic group and seek every opportunity to enhance its advancement. However, such actions intended to advance one’s own ethnic group or race must be such that will be pleasing to God. And all Truth-Bringers and prophets of all religions have established the simple criterion by which we can tell whether or not a particular action is likely to be pleasing to God.
The criterion is the Golden Rule: that we should do unto others as we would want others to do to us. Thus, each ethnic group should relate to other ethnic groups as it would wish to be treated by other ethnic groups.
One important deduction follows from the foregoing. It is that there is absolutely nothing wrong in championing the cause of one’s ethnic group! And each ethnic group may have its own political, economic, and social agenda. But such agenda should always be in tune with the Will of God, which includes the Golden Rule.
A major expression of the Will of God is the Law of Sowing and Reaping. This Law applies not only to individuals but also to groups of individuals, including associations, clubs, and ethnic groups. The Law implies that any evil that one ethnic group perpetrates against another will return to it multiplied.
With respect to the actions of human individuals as well as groups, the period between committing an atrocity and experiencing the repercussions depends on the nature of the action, just as the interval between sowing a seed and harvesting the fruits depends on the type of seed.
For individuals and ethnic groups, the period may be so long that the repercussions cannot be related to the original action. Indeed, what an individual sows in one earth-life may be reaped only in a subsequent earth-life; that is, in another incarnation on earth.
The long interval between sowing and reaping has led to the erroneous conclusion on the part of many that the Law of Reciprocal Action does not always hold. However, a new situation is developing on earth. The rays of the World Judgment are now streaming into the world and, as a consequence, the interval between action and retribution is getting shorter and shorter. Any ethnic group that does evil can expect the appropriate retribution before too long. And multiples of the good works of any ethnic group will be returned to it in a not too distant future.
A primary concern in the political systems of multi-ethnic countries is the fear of domination or exploitation of some ethnic groups by others. The problem is real and exists only because we have removed ethical considerations and spiritual values from public actions and public policy-making. We have the name of God, of Allah, and of Jesus on our mouths every minute but we never care to consider what God’s true Will is in regard to specific issues. Thus, we as individuals and as ethnic groups seek every opportunity to cheat others and to abuse our official positions.
The distrust and disharmony in our country and around the world are a natural consequence of our failure to understand and to submit to the true Will of God. We will not create trust and harmony in our country by pretending that ethnic groups are irrelevant or by requiring politicians to shy away from the legitimate and lawful agenda of the ethnic groups to which they belong.
The right leader would seek to ascertain that the aspirations of his ethnic group, its policies, and actions are in alignment with the Will of God. Once the programmes are in tune with the Will of God (and this implies that they would not harm other groups), the leader may then mobilize the people for a vigorous implementation. Such a leader would, of course, not be precluded from helping other ethnic groups to pursue their own legitimate agenda; agenda that are similarly in line with the Will of God, even though they may be different. When different ethnic groups all pursue agenda that are God-willed, they can only be mutually supportive; there would be no disharmony, no rancour. To ensure a God-willed agenda, two concepts must be stressed: Justice and Love, both of which are implied in the Golden Rule.
One cannot over-emphasize the fact that the Will of God, which is expressed in natural laws or Laws of Creation, is the only sustainable basis for the peaceful and beneficial co-existence of different ethnic groups. If the Will of God is set aside, the relationship must become difficult and acrimonious. As evidence, one may cite the extent to which the blatantly unjust and arbitrary system of governance inflicted on us by the Military has worsened relationships among our ethnic groups, particularly since the 1993 June 12 annulment of the election of M.K.O. Abiola. The challenge for politicians in Nigeria and elsewhere around the world is to promote at all levels and in all situations the application of the principles, which embody the true Will of God. But it should always be understood that the true Will of God is, of course, often quite different from religious dogmas and traditions.
To illustrate what I mean, consider the matter of VAT (value added tax). The true Will of God requires that we should reap only where we have sown and that the right to take lies in giving. Therefore, VAT should go to where it is derived. In general, there should be a direct relationship between the amount of resources a people generate and the amount to which they have access. There must always be balance between giving and taking. We should, of course, help the needy and assist those who are less endowed than us. But this should be done voluntarily and out of love and in support of a common agenda. This implies discussion and negotiation, not imposition by force or blackmail.
In the Wisdom of God, human beings are incarnated in particular parts of the earth among particular ethnic groups for their further inner development. We should, therefore, not ignore our ethnic groups (or races). On the contrary, we should continually reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of our own ethnic group and examine to what extent we share these. We should develop its strengths in ourselves and seek to contribute towards enhancing such strengths wherever we have an influence.
We should also try to conquer in ourselves the weaknesses we perceive in our own ethnic group and help others to do the same. The right leaders of a multi-ethnic country, such as Nigeria, are not those who deny their ethnic background but those who unite the best characteristics of their own ethnic group with the best of the other groups. And they must be courageous enough to denounce and correct any injustices against any ethnic group, including those against their own group.
Guides
Ethnic Identity and National Politics