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By Emmanuel Adeleke
The Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) has urged the Federal Government to put an end to issues of banditry, insurgency and ethnic dissonance ravaging the country.
This was contained in a communique issued by NAL president, Professor Duro Oni, at the end of the 24th Convocation, Investiture and Induction of new members, held at J.F Ade Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos.
According to the communique, government should address the challenges constituted by internal and international migration and leverage on the positive means of disseminating cultural values and promote nationhood through cultural means.
NAL called for discouragement of negative socialisation among young Nigerians in the disparaging and derogatory use of linguistic tags, stereotypes and disdain for other cultures.
“Forge national identity and ideology through policies and philosophies that highlight the shared commonality and oneness of Nigerians and refrain from laws, policies, and ideological inconsistencies that have grossly marred citizenship roles and responsibilities, as well as the gross abuse of the Federal Character Principle as enshrined in S. 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended).
“Resolve the protracted strikes by the staff unions in all the tertiary institutions in the country. There is an urgent need to revamp the deteriorated educational resources and infrastructure at all levels.
“Deliberately reduce poverty and bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in the face of inflation and dwindling national resources with more matching capacity for production.
“Investigate the nepotism and disregard for inclusiveness, major factors contributing to the systemic disintegration of Nigeria, resulting in weak federating units and monitor the outcomes from the appropriate treatment of the national question, federal character and values that build not just a country, but a nation where every citizen has a sense of acceptance,” the communique added.
The Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) is an autonomous and non-political body of scholars in humanities.