Nigeria is not yet a nation in the real sense of the word, because the awareness of belonging to a community with shared history, common values and feeling of oneness and solidarity to shape the future together has yet to germinate and blossom in a significant number of Nigerians from various ethnic nationalities and religions across the country. Nationhood is not just about belonging to the same geopolitical space with others. Rather,it entails a dynamic psychic nexus, a glue of creative imagination and habitual feeling of unity-in-diversity with fellow nationals at both conscious and subconscious levels, including a shared strong belief in an ideal, dream and historical destiny that must be worked for – and, if necessary, die for as well.

One of the most interesting issues dealt with in metaphysics as a branch of philosophy right from the time sages in different parts of the world began to philosophise in antiquity is the question of appearance and reality. In thinking about the subject, philosophers use it to signify a contrast between the world of “mere appearance” usually considered to be nothing more than a reflection or shadow of something greater, with what is real and, therefore, probably of more value and permanent. It is claimed further that when the “really real” is cognised as such, it serves as the foundation of wisdom and knowledge.

DOUGLAS ANELE The concluding part of our marathon series on the pointlessness and folly of the revenge coup of 29 July 1966 published last Sunday needs some improvement. First, it ended a little bit abruptly, and seemed, in the words of the British novelist, Thomas Hardy, like “a fraction looking for its integer.” Aside from […]

However, Ojukwu had been under tremendous pressure: he tried to calm separatist agitations in his region, which became more stringent and vociferous after the pogroms of May, 1966; he also struggled with the huge task of resettling over one million refugees that poured into the east from different parts of the country, especially from northern Nigeria

To start with, when Gowon came back to Lagos, some top federal civil servants were surprised at the scope and depth of concessions he made to Ojukwu. Consequently, they advised him, wrongly, not to implement it because, in their opinion, the agreement was “unworkable.” Given that the Aburi summit essentially affirmed the structure of governance in the first republic which worked so well before the coup of January 15 truncated it, the only reasonable explanation of their negative stance was myopic selfishness motivated by desire to preserve their exalted positions in Gowon’s government.