Unity is described as the state of being joined as one. It is a product of mutual understanding, and mutual understanding is a product of effective communication. Most times, effective communication is a product of a unified language.

Language in this context is not limited to spoken language alone, but body language, mind language, spiritual language, political language, or even emotional language.

When unity is established, progress is inevitable, advancement is unstoppable, and authority is unquestionable.

Therefore, the greatest enemy of a nation is disunity. It takes disunity to deform unity and alter even the smallest level of progress ever attained.

If we take a scrutinised look at the state of affairs of our country Nigeria, that seems to be the case.

Irrespective of how much we yearn for unity to reign, it can be seen that divisiveness is challenging this concept of unity.

Within the context of our history, it is not surprising that we’re at the point where disintegration is looming. Nigeria as an entity itself was built on a faulty foundation. The system of our nationhood was wrong from the beginning.

We had three major ethnic groups and some other minority groups who were all living separately. Nigeria was formed in 1914 after the amalgamation. These minor and major ethnic groups with different belief system, culture, religion, and political-administrative system were brought together to co-exist as a nation. Yet, each ethnic group has its own unresolved differences within their local system that needs to be settled.

With these identified diversities among these groups in almost every essence of humanity, one may wonder how national unity is meant to be manifested.

How can there be unity in the nation when almost all of its citizens do not feel “united” to each other?

How can the idea of being a nation work in a system of diversified philosophies which leads to a conflict of interests, power, and political agendas?

Remember, culture and politics are at the core of nationalism. But how can we attain nationalism when there’s not one single unified culture? How can we have policies to culturize for over 250 ethnic groups?

Nigeria’s unity has continued to be plagued and threatened by embedded socio-cultural, religious and political dichotomies. It has always been since the first republic and has managed to exist till now.

It’s time for us to go back to the drawing board as a nation. It’s time to review the status quo and evaluate our inability to manage the problems and issues that have arisen from these ethnic, cultural, and religious conflicts.

Political and constitutional crises will always be an enemy of unity. We need to come up with remedial policies to mitigate and alleviate these ethnic and political differences and conflicts.

For us to truly enjoy unity, we all must be allied in the fundamentals of social, political, and religious values. We must create a national identity embedded in the heart of every citizen to strengthen the consciousness of a unified nation.

God bless you.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.