By Akintunde E. Akinade
We will work as hard as possible to ensure that the diversity of this country is used for its prosperity, growth, and stability- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
The stability of the nation is much more important than any other consideration – Vice President Kashim Shettima
The unity of Nigeria is like a Catholic marriage, there is no room for divorce – Bishop Hassan Kukah
The most commonly enunciated Nigerian ideal is unity. So important is it to us that it stands inscribed on our coat-of-arms and so sacred that the blood of millions of our countrymen, women, and children was shed between 1967 and 1970 to uphold it against secessionist forces – Chinua Achebe
The late Ukpabi Asika, a dyed-in-the-wool nationalist once described the unity of Nigeria as “an absolute good.” I will use this powerful phrase as the dominant leitmotif for delving into the position, mission, and vision of the Vice President Kashim Shettima. For all intents and purposes, the unity of Nigeria remains non-negotiable, sacrosanct, and logical. In spite of the fissiparous fabrications and fissures that have been unleashed by many movements and marauders in Nigeria, the country is still moving forward. Lo and behold, the herculean challenges and predicaments that have inexorably engendered the loud and persistent calls for everyone to go into their respective tents have proven to be titanic, but addressable. The shimmering mirage that beclouds the idea of unity-in-diversity in Nigeria can surely be dispelled by the spirit of good governance, realistic expectations, and transparent equity. As Nigeria moves forward and continues to survive all the forces clamoring for disintegration, it is very imperative for the stakeholders in the nation to engage in critical and honest introspection and analysis. The modus operandi for mapping Nigeria’s future provides the auspicious segue for reflecting on the power and persuasion of the Vice President Kashim Shettima.
I was introduced to our intrepid Vice President by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. On one of my visits to Osogbo, Ogbeni, in the company of his son, Kabiru informed me that he wanted to introduce me to someone that is deeply interested in serious governance and educational transformation in Nigeria. It was during one of the Eid seasons and Ogbeni was in a boisterous and blissful mood. As usual, Ogbeni speedily fulfilled his promise to me and that was the beginning of my fruitful friendship with Vice President Kashim Shettima. The relationship has spanned a decade and it has been sated with positive and progressive engagements. He is someone without cant. He is very creative, courageous, and confident. As a Muslim, he understands the inevitability of Allah’s mighty will in human affairs, but he also realises that we have to take care of the living. Through his unadulterated commitment, consideration, and compassion, I can to testify to the fact that Islam is truly a combination of both orthodoxy and orthopraxis. Seyyed Hossein Nasr has gladly written about the comprehensive character of Islam. The religious tradition exemplifies and embodies both piety and praxis. He is neither scared nor shy to speak his mind on controversial issues and he is a quintessential bridge builder. His portrayals as a rabid anarchist are misleading and myopic. The concoction of libellous lies and fallacious fabrications about him have been dispelled by empirical facts and figures. Just like Sisyphus rolling a huge rock along a very steep hill and only to have it rolled back, this avalanche of lies and misinformation have not yielded any positive results. Kashim Shettima is deeply cerebral and analytical. The best gift for him is a good book. Asake, the Afropop singer and superstar will describe the ever elegant product of His Excellency’s left-handed penmanship as a work of art! He has served as a banker, a governor, and a senator. The experiences that he has graciously garnered from all these various engagements have contributed to his character and sensibilities. Poet Alfred Lord Tennyson once remarked: “I am part of all that I have met.” The experiences are telling testimonies to his hard work, diligence, and rugged determination. A Yoruba adage states that: O sa igi logbe, o ta oguro lofa, o de idi ope, o gbe enu soke, sofe ni ro ni?, you didn’t hack an oil palm nor stab a rafia palm, yet, you opened up your mouth under the tree. Does the wine drip freely? The essence of this proverb lies in the truism that if you don’t sow, you will never reap. It is an invitation for diligence and persistence. The capacity for empirical transformation is within us all, but it requires courage, tenacity, and perseverance. The Yoruba proverb that states that: Eyin to ba ma di epo, o di dan dan ko dan ina wo, a palm kernel that will turn into oil, must first taste fire.
It is apropos to give my personal anecdotal reflection on the humanity of Vice President Shettima. Confucius cited human-heartedness (ren) as one of the cardinal virtues of a noble man, the (junzi). According to him, a person with the virtue of ren knows how to treat others and acts appropriately in all situations. In September 2018, the Nigerian Ambassador to Qatar, Abdullahi Wase Bawa suddenly passed away. Kashim Shettima had visited Qatar several times to facilitate productive collaborative projects between Borno State and Qatar; thus, he knows the terrain in the Pearl of the Peninsula. He immediately reached out to me concerning making proper arrangements for Ambassador Bawa’s burial in Qatar. He sent me to his wife Harwa and constantly reached out to her to inquire about the well-being of her family. Shettima’s actions and initiatives were genuine and real. I commend him for his poignant and purposeful presence at that crucial time. His actions were necessitated by true empathy and consideration. He continues to encourage the intrepid and raging gladiators within the tempestuous Nigerian political scene to sheathe their swords. He unabashedly avows that “blessed are the peacemakers!” The picture of His Excellency somberly sitting down in a bookstore to peruse relevant books during an official visit to South Africa in August 2023 went viral. He was ensconced in his comfort zone and fully engrossed in this art of mental curiosity. Sam Omatseye remarked that “he sat, his eye popping between covers, like a student. Indeed, he is.”
Shettima’s political philosophy is deeply grounded in realism. Realism calls for tough and difficult decisions. He understood that confronting the Boko Haram menace called for deep contextual understanding and hard decisions. For him, dealing with this assault was not analogous to a walk in the park. In the words of T.S. Elliot, “a hard time he has of it.” His determination and dream for a world replete with peace and harmony provide the impetus to confront the challenge posed by Boko Haram. According to Maya Angelou, “when you know better, you do better.” For Kashim Shettima, realism also offers the prism for processing the fruits of collaboration, bridge-building, and creative synergy. Reinhold Neibuhr, often touted as one of the greatest Protestant theologians of the twentieth century, used realism to engage the intersection of religion, politics, and public policy. His contributions to political philosophy include using the resources of theology to argue for political realism. His writings have also significantly influenced international relations theory, leading many scholars and pundits to move away from idealism and embrace realism. In terms of political governance in contemporary Nigeria, realism would enable leaders to be decisive and tough on crucial matters. Kashim Shettima once remarked that the former Nigerian Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, would not make a good president. When he was pressed to further elaborate on this affirmation, he responded without mincing words that: “Osinbajo is a good man; he is a nice man. But nice men do not make good leaders. Nice men tend to be nasty. Nice men should be selling popcorn and ice cream. But he is a very decent person. I don’t doubt that.” His response was laced with both humour and realism. As a political philosophy, realism affirms that politics is a game of numbers; thus, it is more pragmatic and resourceful to firmly focus on additions rather than subtractions.
In contemporary Nigeria, the call for justice, freedom, and unity continues to bellow with robust intensity and passion. The agitations are grounded in toxic historical antecedents and they are real. However, there is no gainsaying the fact that there is power in diversity and that there is real strength in numbers. The words of the song entitled “Etike Revo Wetin: I Love my Country” written and composed by the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka are still apt and appropriate: “I love my country I no go lie, na inside am, I go live and die!” The lyrics of the song, although cast in Pidgin English, capture the intensity and gravity of the unequivocal fidelity to the Nigerian nation. There is hope for the nation. The real actualisation of the renewed hope project in the present political dispensation rests on working very hard to work on urgent issues such as: resource management, food security, poverty alleviation, global collaborations, transformative educational policies, sound security architecture, robust healthcare system, and meaningful infrastructural development.
Shakespeare’s phrase to be or not to be always turns out not to be; but concerning the future of Nigeria, this is not a season to wallow in the cesspool of pessimism, redundancy, and negativity. The doomsday prophesies concerning the future of Nigeria lack logic in reality. Its rhetoric is saturated with uncritical exaggerations and dangerous fantasies. However, it is also imperative to understand that noxious naivety, insensitive insinuations, and careless caricatures on the part of political leaders are treacherous.
The Nigerian dream can see the light of the day by careful planning and cultivating a safe space for critical and constructive conversations about the non-negotiable ingredients for national transformation and regeneration. Chinua Achebe has instructed us that the virtues of unity and faith are not absolute but conditional on their satisfaction of other purposes. In fact, according to him, “their social validity depends on the willingness or the ability of citizens to ask the searching question.” The essential question centres on the power of accountability. The illustrious vision of unity, peace, and stability in contemporary Nigeria should not be synonymous to “the peace of a graveyard.” Such a condition oozes uncritical conformity and slavish sensibilities. That is not what we need at this moment as a nation. I want to humbly inform His Excellency that all the gains achieved from building formidable bridges and the “handshake across the Niger” would come to nothing if the basic aspirations and desires of the Nigerian people are surreptitiously swept under the carpet. Governance is not about personal aggrandizement. Rather, it is about unequivocal accountability and empathy. Power is responsibility! His Excellency must also realize that for Nigeria to be a great nation; all hands must be on deck to actualize this dream. The time for such an agenda is now. In fact, this is indeed an opportune time, a Kairos moment in theological parlance. Nigerians are clamouring for good and progressive leadership. This moment is imbued with great opportunities and stupendous positive prospects. The renaissance, rebirth, and regeneration of Nigeria start now!
“Lord I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).
•Prof Akinade is an ordained Minister in the Anglican Church of Nigeria, and a Professor of Comparative Theology at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in Doha, Qatar.
