The audience

The diplomat recounted various military international operations the country was dragged in by the international community shortly after independence which included the invitation to send troops to Congo under United Nations command. Also, General Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, the Nigerian contingent commander was appointed as the United Nations Commander for the Congo operations, the first African to be so honoured. “Following that precedent, Nigeria has taken part in peace-keeping and peace-enforcement operations in former Yugoslavia, Lebanon, India/Pakistan border, Darfour, etc. As far as national embrace of the exceptionalism syndrome is concerned, Nigeria sent troops to Tangayiga to suppress an attempted coup d’état”, he noted.

Speaking further, “In terms of enforcement action, Nigerian experience with the ECOMOG operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the former under the camouflage of ECOWAS, marked the unilateral projection of Nigerian military power into West Africa. Nigerian programme of the Technical Aid Corps is the only scheme of its type in Africa, providing technical assistance to Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries since 1987. Right from its inception in 1987, the scheme covered 12 countries which include Jamaica, Fiji and two distinct non-African countries. The following batch in 1990 expanded to 15 countries with Dominica joining the list of non-African countries. The following batch in 1992 saw Belize joining the list of non-African countries. The following batch in 1994 saw St. Kitts and Nevis joining the list of the non-African countries. On average, non-African countries have been responsible for about a quarter of the yearly beneficiaries. Of course, General Yakubu Gowon was the first Nigerian Head of State to go for a global reach when he offered to pay the salaries of civil servants in the West Indies”. Considering the view of the military might of Nigeria, the lecturer pointed out that the data adduced so far confirmed a credible military status for Nigeria as a medium power calling Nigeria to develop a military nuclear capability as a means of restoring the balance of power between the West and the Third World.

Arguing that without the possession of nuclear weapons, Nigeria cannot claim to have the military might needed for world leadership, he reminiscence, “As the foreign Minister of Nigeria in 1987, I called for Nigeria to develop a black bomb as I was, and still, firmly convinced that you do not clap with an open hand in foreign affairs”.

Interrogating whether Nigeria has achieved its manifest exceptionalism, he resolved that the majority view is negative which he disagrees with adding that perhaps the most cutting view was that by the then senator now out-going USA President Barrack Obama: “I hear Nigeria makes the metaphorical claim as the giant of Africa. That claim, I make bold to say, is not only unfounded but absurd. Forgive my observation. That country’s claim of gainthood is only proved by the relative size of its population. Forty eight years after bidding farewell to colonial rule, that nation is still struggling to get on its feet, like a toddler. Nigeria has clearly failed to be the beacon of hope for other African nations. Will the Nigerian people ever speak of their country as that where leaders make unselfish calculations that prepare them for the challenges of the global economy? Will they ever speak of a nation where every child male and female has the right to achieve his or her dream? So long as people are trapped in poverty, so long as there are evidences of gross maginalisation of certain regions, so long as opportunities are open, but not for all, the dream of a true nation will remain out of reach”.

Akinyemi however was quick to defend Nigeria stating that perhaps, one should remind Barrack Obama that at the time that USA embraced the concept of American exceptionalism, slavery was still legal – Blacks, women and non-land owners who were adult and whites were not allowed to vote. Blacks secured the right to vote only in the mid-1960s, long after the USA had laid claim to being a superpower stressing that as at 2014, the poverty figures for the USA showed that even under him as president, the wealth of the USA was skewed against African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans. The USA is a deeply divided country even after eight years of Obama administration.

Arguing that various failures recorded have nothing to do with the nation’s incompetence but disunity among the various tribes, he added, “I am aware of the debacle during the Boko Haram operations, 2009-2015, but the unanimous judgement is that this was due to inadequate equipment rather than the incompetence of the troops”.

Akinyemi further pointed out that one manifestation of Nigerian exceptionalism that is undisputed, under reported and under credited is the Nigerian Space programme stressing that Nigeria has launched five satellites into the space: NigerSat-1 which was launched in September 2003, NigerSat-2 and NigerSat-X which were launched in August 2011, NigerComSat-1 in May 2007 and NigerSat-IR launched in December 2011.

He equally cited section 162 of the 1999 constitution, which he sought its amendment to be responsible for the nation’s financial mess which provides that all money collected by Nigeria shall be deposited in a central pool and then distributed to the three tiers of government without any consideration to saving.

Calling for the nation to address the issue of structural instability, he concluded, “Let us stop boasting about having the largest Black population in the world. In any case, we had nothing to do with that. That credit belonged to Frederick Lugard. We can claim some credit in the sense that we have shamed the Cassandras by keeping the House from falling. It is what we do with this Black population, and our various assets that will determine the judgement of history as regards whether we fulfil our manifest destiny or not”.