Nigeria Sliding into Deeper Division, Needs Structural Reform, Declares Ayo Opadokun

Funmi Ogundare

A chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Chief Ayo Opadokun, yesterday, warned that Nigeria’s continued unity and stability might be endangered if the country failed to undertake far-reaching constitutional and governance reforms.

He made this known at a national conference themed: ‘Building a Fractured Nation: The Imperatives of Ethnic Harmony Towards  Democracy and Sustainable Development’’, organised by  the Nigerian Human Rights Community in Lagos.

Opadokun said Nigeria was increasingly plagued by deep ethnic, religious and regional divisions, with citizens gradually losing faith in one another amid rising mistrust and inequality.

He described the situation as a troubling reality, noting that while Nigeria’s diversity should be a source of strength and shared prosperity, it has instead become a fault line due to poor governance and structural imbalances.

Drawing from historical experience, Opadokun pointed to the era of the Second Republic as a period when inclusive governance and a stronger sense of national purpose were evident.

According to him, political actors at the time made conscious efforts to accommodate the country’s diversity, while public service was guided by collective national interest.

“As a former Assistant Director of Organisation of the Unity Party of Nigeria, I can say without doubt that merit and party responsibility, not personal wealth, determined political opportunities,” he said, emphasising that campaigns were funded by parties rather than individuals.

He, however, lamented that subsequent military interventions disrupted Nigeria’s democratic development, concentrating power at the centre and fostering inequities that persist today.

These developments, he added, weakened accountability, encouraged sectional dominance and planted the seeds of distrust and fragmentation.

Opadokun noted that the consequences were still evident in recurring ethnic tensions, political polarisation, and declining trust in state institutions.