Nigerians were more united at the beginning than now

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia Central is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs. 
Abaribe, a ranking Senator first elected into the Senate in 2007, served as Abia State Deputy Governor between 1999-2003.


In this interview, he bares his mind among others on expectations from the lawmakers, Nigeria at 51, the nation’s challenges and how Nigerians see the Senate. Excerpts:
After 51 years as an independent nation are Nigerians truly united?
The nation called Nigeria is a work in progress. As much as we know, we have not blended the way that we ought to. Actually there is a different feeling by some people that we were closer in the past than we are today because we know that at a particular time Mallam Altine was the Mayor of Enugu even though he was from the North. We know also that people contested elections, people were freer at that time, but today one of the requirements for you to even be in public life is your state of origin and your state of indigeneship that come from your local government.

What we say is that the larger society should take a cue from us.

We will also provide the necessary legislative environment to make sure that wherever you are in Nigeria, you are to be adjudged a Nigerian. It is a very difficult thing.
The reason you find most of these tendencies prevalent is because of the competition for resources, competition for jobs, competition for the commonwealth of Nigeria.

Because they are not enough, people are willing to go to any length to make sure that they get their share. One of the problems that Nigeria faces is for us to make an effort to improve welfare to every Nigerian because if you don’t have to struggle to own a house because the mortgage system is working well,
 if you are sick you are able to get good and quality healthcare because the healthcare insurance systems are working well and you don’t have to spend everything you have to do an operation for example, you will find that most of the keen competition and divisive tendencies will ultimately be reduced. So what we think is that there should be conscious effort to provide for everybody and improve the standard of living of Nigerians.


Those are not things that bind a country together. What we ought to do is not to pander to them but to try as much as possible to de_emphasize all these things that keep us apart. That is why you find that in the Senate we never take any decision on the basis of where you come from. Whatever decision that is taken is always collective and in the best interest of Nigeria .