Ethnicity and religion divided Nigerians during the 2023 elections, as they were used as a tool in the hands of many social media influencers and candidates.
The 2023 elections had Nigerians throw ethnic and religious comments against one another.
Some areas tried to prevent people from other tribes from voting in their states.
Others tried to discredit candidates based on their religious preferences.
A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Muhammed Sanusi, saw this divide and he is speaking against it.
He says Nigeria is currently more divided than it was during the civil war between July 1967 and January 1970.
According to him, Nigeria has been “divided dangerously” along ethnic and religious lines.
Also, he says this puts the integrity of public institutions in question.
“I don’t think Nigeria has been in a place as difficult as this since the civil war. We have a challenge of nation-building.
“We have a country that has been divided dangerously along ethnic and religious lines,” Sanusi emphasises.
Furthermore, he said: “We have an economy that is in the doldrums, and unfortunately, we seem to be having a dearth of leadership among political leaders.
No Easy Process
The former CBN governor says “no process is perfect”, referring to mistakes the United States and the United Kingdom have made in choosing their leaders.
“But at the very least, the people know who they are voting for,” he says.
According to him, Nigeria needs to begin to look at the Electoral Act much earlier than the elections.
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“We need to have a system where you cannot just go to participate in party primaries without exposing yourself to public scrutiny.
“This is what happens in the UK Labour Party, others, the US Republican and Democratic parties.
“People need to know who they are voting for.
“In other climes, they are compelled by law to participate in public debates to discuss issues of policy.
“You can actually get to the presidency without Nigerians knowing whether you have the capacity or the vision to do the job,” Sanusi says.
According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must be compelled to discuss its issues and its vision.
Also, Mr. Sanusi believes that if that is done, parties will be forced to produce candidates that can do the job.
