By Bizibrains Okpeh
Nigeria celebrates her 61st Independence Anniversary with Nigerians having mixed feelings to celebrate or not to celebrate. At 61, Nigeria as a country has come a long way. The joys of independence in 1960 were swiftly overthrown seven years later following the breakout of a civil war in 1967 that took the lives of many Nigerians on both sides of the war. Still, Nigeria survived the war as one united, indivisible, and indissoluble entity. To many, this is a reason to celebrate. To others, the continued existence and collective wealth of Nigeria have not or is yet to translate into real progress and development in the lives of the majority of Nigerians, most of whom continue to live in abject poverty and a life of mere survival. To them, this should not be celebrated.
But perhaps the absence of peaceful coexistence manifested in terrorism, banditry, religious, tribal, and ethnic suspicions and conflicts, and other civil strife, resulting in deaths, temporary and permanent disablement and/or disabilities of many, and increasing perceptions of social injustice, inequality, and inequity, marginalisation, and insecurity, which continue to fuel civil disobedience, secessionist agitations, and insurrections pose a real threat to the unity and survival of Nigeria. These social vices coupled with corruption, leadership drift/failure, and disproportionate use of force to quell civil dissent continues to deepen the fault lines between the many ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and widen the distrust between the State and the people.
There is no gainsaying that as much as peace is a function of law, it is equally a consequence of action, whether individual, collective, organisational/institutional, or governmental. For all the conflicts of interests that exist in human society, there are generally acceptable means by which they should or ought to be settled. Prehistoric data shows that man has always lived in society and that survival of the fittest did the very few who survived no real good. Hence, in the pursuit of sustainable peace, justice, and development, the importance of social solidarity cannot be overemphasised.
Social Solidarity, Peace, And Development.
Perhaps no work better espouses the concept of social solidarity than that of the French Jurist Leon Duguit. According to the learned Jurist, social solidarity means the interdependence of men in society. This means that everything in life is connected to a chain of events within and without our control. To Duguit, our food, clothing, housing, etc. are dependent on the activities of other persons.
The quest for a more peaceful and prosperous Nigeria should be the province of law as much as the consequence of action. The law in all its positivistic tendencies should necessarily take account of the sociological factors that inform human behaviour with a view to using the mechanism of law to foster peaceful co-existence among men by enabling each man to contribute his quota to societal growth and development and in resolving societal conflicts through meaningful and constructive engagement, dialogue, and compromise.
The relationship between social solidarity, peace, and development cannot be overemphasised. Needless to say a lack of social solidarity is the bane of a peaceful and prosperous society. When Leon Duguit suggested that man’s quest for survival should not be individualistic but collective; survival of the fittest but the survival of all for all; and that man’s activities are interdependent and every man must be judged on how best he contributes to social solidarity, he alluded to the fact that peace and development can only be made possible in any society through human co-operation, dialogue, and compromise in the face of conflict of interests inherent in every human society. The social fact of the interdependence of humans in society makes it all the more certain that no one can have it all.
In conclusion, social solidarity entails the interdependence of human beings in society. It is a social fact which measures the relevance of everyone by how best they contribute to social solidarity. The interface between social solidarity, peace, and development is made all the more necessary as peace and development can only be achieved if everyone can contribute the best that they have and all that they are while also allowing others to do the same at all times. Thus, as Hafsat Abiola stated, “peace [and development] comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, towards creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also ensuring the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.”
As we celebrate Nigeria at 61, we must take this opportunity to re-evaluate our collective failures and successes. We must consolidate on what has worked and sincerely work on what should have been, or better still what should or ought to be. Legislation, policy, and leadership action should be tailored towards allowing the individual maximum opportunity to contribute to social solidarity by creating, enforcing, and fostering enabling environment for positive dialogue and compromise in resolving real and perceived differences in all spheres of our political, economic, and social relationship or engagement. This will enhance the prospect of a more peaceful and prosperous Nigeria.