Nigeria, June 10 -- In the theatre of Nigerian public discourse, we have conflated two distinct concepts: politics and nation-building. This conflation has cost us dearly. Politics - the mechanism through which we elect leaders and allocate resources - has consumed our collective energies, while nation building - the voluntary, collaborative process of creating a cohesive society - has been relegated to occasional rhetoric.

The distinction is not merely semantic. Politics is transactional; nation-building is transformational. Politics divides; nation-building unites. Politics operates in electoral cycles; nation-building spans generations. Until we, particularly the elite, recognise this distinction, Nigeria will continue to oscillate be...