By Nosa Ota Osaikhuiwu
Nigeria stands at a critical point in its national development. Nearly sixty-six years after independence, our nation continues to struggle with divisions rooted in ethnicity, tribalism, and the outdated concept of “state of origin.” If Nigeria is to become a truly united and prosperous nation, we must fundamentally rethink how citizenship is defined and practiced.
One of the greatest obstacles to national unity is the continued emphasis on state of origin rather than state of residence. Every Nigerian is first and foremost a citizen of Nigeria. Yet our laws, government policies, and administrative procedures continue to classify citizens according to ancestral origin instead of where they actually live, work, pay taxes, and contribute to society. It is time for the National Assembly to enact legislation abolishing the use of state of origin and replacing it with state or local government of residence for all official government purposes.
Equal Citizenship Through Residency
The proposed legislation should clearly define residency requirements. Once a Nigerian has legally resided in a state or local government for a specified number of years and has fulfilled obligations such as tax payment and other civic responsibilities, that individual should enjoy the same rights, privileges, opportunities, and responsibilities as any indigene of that community. No Nigerian should remain a perpetual “stranger” in any part of the country where they have chosen to build their lives.
Such rights should include:
• Equal access to public employment.
• Eligibility for admissions into educational institutions.
• The right to vote and be voted for where they reside.
• Equal access to government services and social benefits.
• The right to own property without discrimination.
• Full participation in local political and economic life.
Ending Institutionalized Tribalism
The present system unintentionally encourages tribal loyalty over national citizenship. Rather than identifying primarily as Nigerians, many citizens first identify with their ancestral states because government policies reward those classifications. As a result, national discussions frequently become contests over which state or ethnic group benefits most from federal appointments, infrastructure projects, or public resources instead of focusing on what best serves Nigeria as a whole. Replacing state of origin with state of residence would gradually change this mindset by encouraging Nigerians to invest emotionally, economically, and politically in the communities where they actually live.
Better Planning and Fairer Resource Allocation
This reform would also improve national planning. Today, millions of Nigerians live permanently outside their ancestral states. Yet many official records continue to associate them with their states of origin rather than their places of residence. For example, a state may officially have twenty million people by origin, while only ten million actually reside there. Meanwhile, another state may receive ten million migrants who require roads, hospitals, schools, housing, water, electricity, and other public services, but existing policies will not adequately recognize snd compensate for this situation.
Government planning should reflect where people actually live, not where their ancestors came from. Using residence as the basis for census data, budgeting, infrastructure development, healthcare planning, educational investments, and revenue allocation would produce more accurate statistics and more efficient public spending.
Promoting National Unity
Many prominent Nigerians were born outside their ancestral states. Nevertheless, our current administrative system compels them to identify only with their ancestral origins. Nigeria should move beyond this outdated arrangement. Citizenship should be based upon commitment to one’s community of residence rather than ancestry.
This reform would promote:
• National integration.
• Social cohesion.
• Equal opportunity.
• Economic mobility.
• Meritocracy.
• Reduced ethnic tension.
• Stronger democratic participation.
It would also encourage Nigerians to see every part of the country as home rather than limiting their identity to ancestral boundaries.
A Call to the National Assembly
As members of the National Assembly return to legislative business, we urge them to make this constitutional and legislative reform a national priority. The use of state of origin in official documentation, public employment, educational admissions, and government programmes should be gradually phased out and replaced with state or local government of residence.
Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians.
Our laws should reflect that simple but powerful truth by promoting equal citizenship, national unity, and shared responsibility rather than perpetuating divisions based on ancestral origin. If we truly desire one united Nigeria, then every Nigerian must have the freedom to live, work, participate, and prosper in any part of the country without discrimination.
Replacing state of origin with state of residence would be one of the boldest and most transformative reforms in Nigeria’s democratic history. It would move our nation closer to the promise of equal citizenship envisioned in our Constitution and help build a stronger, more united Federal Republic where every Nigerian is at home anywhere in Nigeria. Finally, I urge all Nigerians irrespective of their places of origin to join this call and reach to their representatives, senators, governors and indeed the president through phone calls, letters and online to support this initiative for true national integration and cohesion.
*Nosa Ota Osaikhuiwu is the President, Foundation for Ethical Society & Cultural Awareness (FESCA), and writes from Houston, Texas
