The impact of blood covenation on development in Nigeria

Abstract

Every human gathering is a function of various individuals but if such an assembled group must form a functionally cohesive unit, then the members of the group must be in a covenant/pact. The presence of pact distinguishes a society from other gathering of human beings. Some societies are more productive and progressive than others because of the treaty/covenant in operation. In 21st century Nigeria, it has been noticed that apart from the national document covenanting the various peoples of Nigeria, The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, some alternative pact exists, namely blood covenant. The latter has come to the fore because of a version of it, namely blood covenant of the esoteric type. Being highly cryptic in nature, and seeing that it commands robust allegiance parallel to that demanded by the national covenanting document, can societal development be predicated upon it? In this paper, it is argued that this rival covenant has a tendency of forcing society into the pathway that eludes visibility, open assessment, and accountability, which characterizes open society. Nigeria and her leaders must move away from this cryptic pact if society must not be run aground by parallel allegiance.