PORT HARCOURT — Former Minister of Aviation and Chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, Osita Chidoka, has called for a new national consensus built on equal citizenship, accountable exercise of public power and a collective commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of every Nigerian.
Chidoka made the call while delivering the keynote address at the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The event also featured the inaugural Martyrs’ Day organised by the National Association of Seadogs (NAS), popularly known as Pyrates Confraternity.
Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, who recently marked his 92nd birthday, was present at the event.
The annual lecture series was established by NAS in 1994 to commemorate Soyinka’s 60th birthday. Over the years, it has provided a platform for discussions on governance, democracy, social justice and the responsibilities of citizens.
NAS was founded in 1952 at the University College, Ibadan, by seven undergraduates, including Soyinka, and was formally registered in 1980.
The inaugural Martyrs’ Day was organised to honour 33 NAS members who were detained for 72 days in Port Harcourt in 1997. The incident formed a major part of Chidoka’s address as he examined Nigeria’s history of state power, accountability and citizens’ rights.
Speaking on the theme, “Reclaiming the Nigerian State Through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” Chidoka argued that Nigeria’s problems could not be resolved solely through changes to the country’s federal structure.
According to him, the country needs a stronger shared understanding of the purpose of political power, the rights citizens should enjoy and the responsibilities Nigerians owe one another.
Chidoka said Nigeria currently lacked what he described as “a sufficiently shared organising ideal”, stressing that national development required agreement on what Nigerian power should serve and what citizenship should guarantee.
He acknowledged the need for reforms to Nigeria’s federal system, particularly in the areas of devolution of powers, policing and fiscal responsibility.
However, he warned that structural changes without a corresponding commitment to justice and fairness could simply transfer existing problems from one level of government to another.
«“A federation can be decentralised and still be unjust. A regional government can oppress a local minority. A state police service can protect a Governor rather than the citizen,” he said.»
Chidoka traced Nigeria’s founding ideals to developments before and after independence, including the 1957 Willink Commission, the country’s independence anthem and the 1999 Constitution.
He said these milestones reflected an underlying national commitment to minority protection, justice and the creation of a society where citizens would not be subjected to oppression.
The former minister also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for restoring “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” as the national anthem in 2024.
According to Chidoka, the anthem should not merely be viewed as a patriotic symbol but as a reminder of the values expected to guide the Nigerian state.
He said the anthem “does more than ask us to love Nigeria: it tells us what kind of Nigeria deserves our loyalty.”
Three commitments for a renewed Nigeria
Chidoka proposed three major commitments which, he said, should form the foundation of a renewed national consensus.
The first is equal citizenship, where Nigerians would not need an ethnic connection, political sponsor or godfather to access opportunities or enjoy their rights.
The second is accountable public power, with government authority treated as a public trust that must be transparent, traceable and open to correction.
The third is a shared responsibility to protect human dignity, regardless of a citizen’s political affiliation, religion, ethnicity or community.
He said these commitments were necessary to rebuild public confidence and create a country where citizens could exercise their rights without fear or dependence on political connections.
Accountability must produce consequences
Speaking on accountability, Chidoka defined it as “answerability joined to consequence.”
Drawing from his experience as the former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, he argued that accountability could not end with explanations, audit reports or court judgments.
He said public institutions must be capable of identifying wrongdoing, testing the facts and taking corrective action.
«“Explanation without correction is not accountability,” he said.»
Chidoka proposed a three-step discipline for the exercise of public power: “trace, test, correct.”
According to him, the principle requires public officials and institutions to ensure that decisions and actions can be traced, subjected to scrutiny and corrected where necessary.
From Port Harcourt detention to the Apo Six
Chidoka also drew a connection between the 1997 detention of NAS members in Port Harcourt and the 2005 killing of the six young men popularly known as the Apo Six in Abuja.
He argued that while Nigeria had experienced changes in political leadership and governing structures, some of the underlying attitudes towards the use of state power had remained largely unchanged.
According to him, the country had changed the “uniform of its rulers” without sufficiently changing the reflexes of power.
He therefore urged NAS to use Martyrs’ Day not only to remember its own members who suffered persecution but also to advocate for citizens outside the organisation who face injustice.
Chidoka said the strongest way to honour the survivors of the 1997 incident was to defend the rights of ordinary Nigerians, regardless of their affiliations.
«“The best way to honour the F18 survivors is to defend citizens who do not belong to this Association,” he said.»
He urged Nigerians to move towards a national consensus based on fairness, responsible leadership and civic courage.
Chidoka said such a consensus would give younger Nigerians a stronger sense of belonging and confidence in the country’s future.
«“Let us construct a new national consensus around equal citizenship, answerable power and common brotherhood. Let us give young Nigerians a banner worth carrying. Let us build a Nigeria where courage can live and no citizen needs a martyr’s bravery merely to enjoy a citizen’s rights,” he said.»
