A few weeks ago a group of friends and I were engaged in a rather animated discussion about the state of our beloved country Nigeria as we often are wherever two or more of us are gathered. The discussion touched on several issues including imbalances and disparities of various kinds which are so pronounced in that country of ours.

Then someone made the point that an equal opportunity legislation was long overdue in Nigeria to address these problems. This statement was met with stunned silence bordering on incredulity, and was eventually dismissed almost unanimously as pie in the sky. As someone who has more than a passing interest in the subject, I was surprised by this reaction, and it got me thinking.

It dawned on me that their reaction was not prompted by any inherent hostility to the idea of an equal opportunity legislation as such but by a sad acceptance that equal opportunity and fairness are such alien concepts to the Nigerian political class that they would not even be understood if urged on them.

If the dimensions and scale of inequalities in Nigeria are anything to go by, then it would not be an exaggeration to say that the leaders are probably the least conscious of it in that country. How else do you explain the insensitivity and indifference to a problem that is glaring to everyone else.

Surely, it cannot be right or fair that the opportunities open to people are not based on their ambition, ability or hard work, but on who their parents are and who they know. Ensuring that everyone has a right to equal treatment and opportunity to make the best of their abilities and talents is a fundamental duty of the state. On this, Nigerian governments,recent and past have a record to be embarrassed about. As a Nigerian, I regard this as unfortunate and not at all something to be proud of. We need to tear down the barriers that hold people back and give them the opportunities to succeed.

The danger is that too often, the word ‘equality’ has been misused and misunderstood because it has come to mean political correctness, social engineering, formilling and box ticking. That is why the approach in Nigeria should move away from identity politics which define people simply by where they come from and what group they fall into, but instead start from recognising and judging people as individuals.

This should ensure that no one is held back because of who they are or their background. It should ensues instead, that people are recognised for their qualities and talents; what they have to contribute and what they have achieved and not where they come from or who their parents
are and what social connections they have. This way leads to a fairer and a more cohesive Nigeria where everyone has a stake and the citizens across all the divides are at peace with themselves and with each other. Is this too much to urge on our Government?