Prof. Pat Utomi
Nigeria’s deepening divisions are no accident—they are the handiwork of politicians who thrive on polarisation, according to Professor Pat Utomi, who delivered a sharp critique of the nation’s political class on Saturday.
Speaking at the 1st Tony Uranta Memorial Lecture in Lagos, Utomi said the country’s leaders have continually manipulated ethnic and religious sentiments for electoral gain.
“Sadly, you will find much of today’s divisions come from politicians weaponising differences,” he warned. “Also, they deepen cleavages so they can pull the wool of emotions over reason to get votes they should not.”
Utomi lamented that Nigeria’s founding vision has been abandoned.
“Nigeria’s political class has traded a vision that God cut out for us. We need new thinking, if this phase is to pass Nigeria by,” he added.
The lecture, organised by the Tony Uranta Foundation (TIU) and themed “Unity in Diversity: Building a National Identity Beyond Ethno-Religious Fault Lines,” brought together diplomats, scholars, activists and media leaders committed to national cohesion.
Chairman of the occasion, Ambassador Godknows Ighali, reminded the audience that Nigeria’s unity was a deliberate choice by its founding fathers—not a colonial imposition.
“When India and Pakistan were to have independence in 1948, they told the British, ‘We do not want to be one country; separate us’,” he noted.
“But in the case of Nigeria, our father said, ‘We want to be one’; but the terms of being one were agreed from 1950 up to the Independent Constitution of 1963.”
According to him, the early leaders envisioned a Nigeria “where all Nigerians are treated equally; where elections, people queue up and vote will count.”
“That is what we should be. That is what Nigeria, that our fathers agreed to,” he said.
For Baarong Uranta, widow of the late Niger-Delta activist, the lecture was not just a memorial but a continuation of a legacy. She described her late husband as a relentless advocate for social justice.
“Tony Uranta in his lifetime was a civil rights activist, who stood for Nigerian unity that was founded on the principles of fairness, equity and justice for all citizens.” She said the TIU Foundation was created to preserve and advance “the ideals and legacies which Tony stood upon and worked assiduously for.”
A panel session featuring Dr George Etomi, Dr Bisi Akin-Alabi, Dr Sina Fagbenro-Byron and Mr Zakka Bala explored practical pathways to strengthening unity in a country as diverse as Nigeria. They collectively stressed the need for equity, peace, national sensitivity, and an equal application of the rule of law, regardless of ethnicity, religion or region.
They also urged leaders to “recalibrate strategies in national interest,” saying Nigeria cannot progress if its diversity continues to be exploited for political advantage.
Other notable attendees included Mr Wale Adefarati, Charles Anyiam-Osigwe, Mr Sunny Irabor, and Dr Ayekeme Whiskey.
The memorial lecture honoured Tony Uranta, who died in 2021, but it also echoed his lifelong message: that unity, fairness and justice remain Nigeria’s only path to lasting peace and prosperity.
