Beyond The Written Word: Nigeria’s Literary Identity, Security Challenges & Responsibility To The Nation
By BUKAR USMAN
Introduction: Reconsidering Nigeria’s Place in the World
IT is both an honour and a pleasure for me to preside over this important gathering of distinguished authors, academics and scholars. The opportunity to address such an accomplished audience provides a valuable platform to examine the relationship between literature, national security and Nigeria’s position in the international community.
Taking the two principal components of the convention theme, I would begin by observing that Nigeria’s standing in world literature presents a mixed picture. The country has recorded notable achievements, particularly in the development of African literary institutions and the international recognition of its writers. Nevertheless, significant shortcomings remain, especially when we assess the wider educational foundations upon which literary development depends.
From the perspective of Western education, Nigeria has contributed substantially to the growth of continental literary organisations. The Heinemann African Writers Series, which emerged in the 1960s, helped expand the international visibility of African writing. Similarly, the Union of Writers of the African People (UWAP), established in Senegal in 1975, and the Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA), founded in Ghana in 1989, represent important efforts to organise writers across the continent. It is particularly encouraging that a distinguished Nigerian author, Dr Wale Okediran, currently serves as PAWA’s Secretary-General.
These institutional contributions demonstrate that Nigeria has not merely participated in African literary development; it has also helped shape its direction. In addition, individual Nigerian writers and scholars have achieved considerable recognition within Western literary traditions and international intellectual circles.
However, this record of accomplishment must be considered alongside a less encouraging reality. Nigeria continues to face serious educational challenges, particularly the large number of children excluded from formal schooling. International comparisons of out-of-school populations expose weaknesses that cannot be ignored if the country hopes to sustain its literary achievements and strengthen its intellectual influence.
The picture becomes more complex when we consider Oriental education. A considerable part of Nigeria’s population acquired early education through Arabic learning, which in some communities preceded or developed independently of education in the Roman alphabet. Scholars and individuals trained within this tradition have also made significant intellectual contributions. Their accomplishments deserve recognition as part of Nigeria’s broader educational and literary heritage.
Orality: The Foundation of Traditional African Education
Literature, however, cannot be confined to written texts or the educational traditions introduced through Western schooling. One of its oldest and most enduring forms is orality, which provided the foundation for knowledge transmission in traditional African societies. Indeed, the growing academic recognition of this tradition has encouraged the use of the term orature to describe oral literary forms and their cultural significance.
Nigeria, as the world’s largest black nation and a country of considerable ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity, possesses an extensive heritage of oral traditions, folklore, folktales, proverbs, songs, poetry, myths and historical narratives. Some of these cultural expressions travelled beyond the continent during the period of slavery, while others have survived within local communities through generations of storytelling and communal practices.
Much of this heritage has also found expression in written literature. Nevertheless, a considerable body of indigenous knowledge remains vulnerable to neglect, loss and inadequate documentation. I therefore believe that preserving and promoting these traditions should become a national priority. Modern digital technologies and other contemporary documentation methods offer opportunities to record, organise, translate and distribute them more effectively.
In my understanding, literature encompasses the record of human experience and endeavour across generations, whether preserved through writing or oral transmission. Although written literature now occupies a dominant position in formal education and public discourse, orality remains an indispensable component of our intellectual inheritance.
The Evolution of My Understanding of Literature
My appreciation of literature developed through personal experience. As a student, I studied literature within a curriculum that largely reflected British educational traditions. We read works by celebrated writers, including William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Geoffrey Chaucer and Charles Dickens. Their writings covered grammar, poetry, history, philosophy, travel writing and drama, among other fields.
Drama also formed part of the learning process. Through stage performances, teachers and students explored literary themes, interpreted characters and examined the messages conveyed by the authors.
That educational experience belonged to the colonial and immediate post-colonial period, when British literary traditions exerted considerable influence over formal schooling in Nigeria. Consequently, the curriculum did not adequately reflect the cultural and intellectual experiences of the societies in which Nigerian students lived.
The emergence of post-independence nationalism gradually changed this situation. As Nigerian and other African writers began to produce more works from their own historical, social and cultural perspectives, interest grew in incorporating African literature into educational curricula.
Students from the 1970s onward increasingly gained access to works by Nigerian and other African authors. This development represented an important intellectual shift because it allowed learners to encounter literature that reflected their own societies, histories, languages and experiences.
My own educational experience illustrates the earlier imbalance. From primary school through university between 1951 and 1969, I was not privileged to study books by Nigerian or other African authors, except works written in Hausa by Abubakar Imam. This limitation reflected the nature of the curriculum at the time rather than the absence of a rich African literary tradition.
Later, I came to appreciate another dimension of literature that had existed long before the written works I studied: oral tradition. The concept of orature provides an academic framework for examining folklore, folktales and other forms of verbal expression transmitted from one generation to another.
Before Western education became established, our ancestors relied extensively on oral communication to preserve knowledge, teach social values and prepare children for adult responsibilities. Storytelling, songs, proverbs and communal instruction helped shape character and establish standards of acceptable conduct.
Therefore, I regard both written literature and oral tradition as complementary records of human experience. Their preservation is essential to understanding our past and providing intellectual resources for the future.
National Security: A Personal & Professional Concern
The second major component of the convention theme, national security, is particularly close to my heart because it formed an important part of my responsibilities during my long years in the public service.
Security involves more than the deployment of personnel, weapons and other enforcement resources. At its most fundamental level, it concerns the protection of human life and property against internal and external threats. It also encompasses the welfare of the population, the protection of public institutions and the preservation of the state against subversion and external aggression.
Furthermore, national security includes the safeguarding of territorial integrity and the protection of national interests, values and aspirations. It must therefore address the safety of citizens, infrastructure, institutions and the wider social environment on a sustainable basis.
I consider effective national security indispensable to national development. Without peace, stability and the protection of essential institutions, economic activity, education, cultural advancement and democratic governance cannot flourish as they should.
Nigeria currently faces several internal security challenges. These include communal conflicts, armed robbery, banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder conflicts, electoral violence, labour disputes, student demonstrations and border disagreements. Their different causes and consequences demonstrate the multidimensional nature of the country’s security environment.
Such challenges are not peculiar to Nigeria. Both developing and developed countries experience security threats, although the nature, scale and institutional capacity to manage them differ. Nevertheless, the frequency and complexity of Nigeria’s security problems demand sustained attention and coordinated responses.
Examining Weaknesses in Nigeria’s Security Architecture
Commentators have identified several factors that may explain the difficulties confronting Nigeria’s security agencies. Some point to weaknesses in the existing security architecture and call for a comprehensive overhaul. Others emphasise inadequate personnel training, poor inter-agency coordination and deficiencies in intelligence management. Still others identify shortages of modern equipment and operational resources.
In my assessment, these concerns deserve serious consideration. Each of them can undermine institutional effectiveness, and their combined effects may further weaken the ability of security agencies to respond promptly and appropriately to emerging threats.
Manpower requirements also deserve attention, particularly in view of Nigeria’s population growth and increasing social complexity. Security institutions must possess the personnel, professional skills, technological resources and administrative capacity required to manage the demands placed upon them.
Against this background, the current movement towards decentralised policing is welcome. However, I believe the process should extend beyond the state level to the local level. A structure that concentrates too much administrative authority at the state level may reproduce some of the bureaucratic limitations that decentralisation seeks to address.
Nevertheless, decentralisation must operate within a clear constitutional and legal framework, with appropriate safeguards for accountability, professionalism and the protection of citizens’ rights.
International Rankings & Nigeria’s Development Challenges
Several international studies have attempted to rank countries according to indicators such as violence, poverty, human development, maternal mortality and the number of out-of-school children.
Although such rankings can provide useful comparative information, I recognise that statistics may contain inaccuracies, methodological limitations and opportunities for misuse. Countries differ in population, institutional arrangements, economic circumstances and social complexity. Therefore, international comparisons should not be accepted uncritically.
Even with these qualifications, Nigeria’s position in several development indicators remains a matter of concern. The country must confront the weaknesses reflected in these assessments rather than dismissing every unfavourable finding as an external misrepresentation.
Many of these problems developed over several decades and cannot reasonably be attributed to a single administration or policy decision. Nevertheless, their historical origins should not become an excuse for delaying corrective action.
I also consider it inappropriate to rank countries comprehensively according to their security situations without accounting for the different threats, institutional structures and national circumstances they face. Security assessments should examine specific indicators and contexts rather than reduce complex national realities to a single comparative position.
Importantly, these challenges should concern not only policymakers and security professionals but also writers, academics and cultural institutions. Literature can draw public attention to the social conditions that contribute to insecurity and encourage constructive engagement with the authorities.
Nigerian Writers & the Country’s Historical Experiences
Since independence in 1960, and even in the years immediately preceding it, Nigerian writers have examined several major dimensions of the country’s political, social and economic experience.
Their works have explored the tensions between colonial and indigenous cultures, corruption, military dictatorship, the civil war, ethno-religious violence, human rights violations and gender-related inequalities.
These themes demonstrate the capacity of literature to document national experiences, challenge prevailing assumptions and preserve the memories of successive generations.
A dispassionate assessment of Nigerian literature reveals that our writers have made substantial contributions to the country’s intellectual reputation. Through novels, poetry, drama, essays and other forms of creative expression, they have examined the contradictions, aspirations and difficulties that shape our society.
Nigeria is currently confronting considerable challenges, and writers may understandably feel disappointed or distressed by some developments. However, I believe that literary engagement should go beyond expressing frustration. Writers can help the country address its difficulties by exposing social problems, questioning institutional failures and presenting constructive perspectives that encourage reform.
This does not require writers to abandon criticism or suppress uncomfortable truths. Rather, it calls for informed, responsible and intellectually rigorous engagement with the realities they seek to portray.
Literature, Patriotism & Responsible Freedom of Expression
Literature will remain an important instrument for expressing, recording and preserving human experiences. It can enrich private and public life, contribute to governance and provide insights into the maintenance of peace and national security.
However, the relationship between literature and national identity also raises questions about patriotism and the responsibilities associated with freedom of expression.
At public gatherings and through national broadcasts, we recite the National Anthem, celebrate Nigeria as our Motherland and pledge to defend its unity. These commitments should encourage us to approach national criticism with a sense of responsibility.
I recognise that citizens may have legitimate reasons to express disappointment about developments in the country. Nevertheless, I believe criticism should remain constructive and restrained rather than become an indiscriminate rejection of the nation itself.
My position is that a citizen may challenge the conduct of public officials, question government policies and expose institutional failures without disowning the country to which he or she belongs. Just as a child may express disappointment to a parent or elder while retaining a sense of relationship, criticism of one’s country should be guided by a commitment to its improvement.
Furthermore, writers must understand the legal implications of their publications. Writing about the country should respect applicable laws, including provisions concerning treason and subversion. Where a writer makes allegations against identifiable individuals, the need to establish facts and avoid defamatory statements becomes particularly important.
The constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression is fundamental to democratic society, but it is not absolute. Therefore, writers must combine intellectual independence with factual accuracy, legal awareness and ethical responsibility.
Literature as an Instrument of Conflict & Propaganda
There is also a historical lesson in the experience of a notable foreign citizen who, according to the example I have in mind, misapplied literary abilities in a manner that contributed to the dismemberment of his country.
The example reminds us that literature can serve constructive or destructive purposes, depending on how writers deploy their influence and the circumstances in which their works circulate.
Modern warfare does not depend exclusively on sophisticated weapons, tanks and artillery. Propaganda, disinformation and the deliberate manipulation of public opinion can also undermine institutions, intensify divisions and destabilise societies.
Literary and media content can therefore become instruments of influence, particularly when it distorts historical facts, spreads falsehoods or encourages hostility among communities.
This possibility should not lead us to restrict legitimate literary expression. Rather, it should encourage greater attention to verification, responsible publication, media literacy and the distinction between criticism and deliberate disinformation.
National Unity & the Responsibility to Build the Future
Despite the security challenges confronting Nigeria, the country has maintained its territorial integrity since independence. This achievement deserves recognition, although it should not obscure the continuing need to address internal conflicts and institutional weaknesses.
I remain hopeful that the present difficulties can be overcome through sustained commitment to peace, effective governance, national cohesion and responsible citizenship.
From the perspective of literature, Nigeria’s place in the world should be strengthened through writing that contributes to understanding, social development and national reconstruction. Our literary heritage should help us examine the past, confront present realities and imagine a more stable future.
Consequently, I believe that literature should be applied to construct rather than destroy. Its contribution should include promoting peace, encouraging informed public debate, strengthening national identity and supporting the institutions required for sustainable development.
ANA’s Contribution to Nigeria’s Literary Development
Finally, I wish to commend successive executives of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) for their commitment and foresight in establishing this literary edifice and creating regular opportunities for intellectual discussion and the exchange of ideas.
The institution provides a valuable environment in which writers, academics and scholars can examine literary questions, discuss national concerns and consider how their knowledge can contribute to Nigeria and humanity.
This facility is not merely a physical structure. It represents an investment in intellectual continuity, cultural preservation and the development of future generations of writers.
Through its activities, ANA has helped establish a foundation upon which younger generations can build. The organisation deserves encouragement to sustain this contribution and continue providing platforms for literary engagement and national reflection.
I pray that Almighty God will continue to strengthen and empower all those who have contributed to this worthy cause.
I thank you.
