“An honest man speaks truth; don’t expect him to speak sweet.”
—Amit Kalantri
By Cosmas Omegoh
Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Attahiru Jega dreams about a better Nigeria. A Nigeria that works for all. He strongly believes that a new Nigeria is possible if only the present structure and superstructure can be restructured for the better. Failure to do that might see the Nigerian state crash. He also believes that the time to turn around the system is now, and would be delighted to see that happen before the 2023 electoral year rolls in. Anything beyond that time, he insists, might be too late.
Jega some days ago, further headlined his vision of a new Nigeria at the 7th Goddy Jidenma Foundation Public Lecture held at Muson Centre, Lagos.
Speaking on the occasion, he reiterated his warning that the country is inching towards the proverbial black hole. “Nigeria is dancing on the precipice and may collapse if not restructured sooner than later,” he insisted.
According to reports, Jega “described Nigeria’s federal system as the worst among contemporary federations,” noting that the federation lacks the key principle of a federal system which according to him is unity and diversity.”
Jega, among other things, spoke on the gusty wind of insecurity sweeping through the land, and expressed fear that Nigeria might soon become a failed state.
Give it to Jega. He has such a strong voice of advocacy for a better Nigeria. He is someone with lots of fire, guts, and balls – a fellow who evidently has the mind of steel and acts like one too. He is eminently qualified to speak on politics and power in Nigeria, having seen things from the insider’s position.
Each time Prof Jega feels strongly about an issue, as existential as it seems, he is not one to shy away. He does not withhold his voice. He simply gives it a free rein. However his listeners might choose to feel about his position might as well be their lot to sort out. That is Prof Jega for you. That is the vintage Jega many have come to know.
Since Jega quit office as INEC boss averaging six years ago, he has not dodged the big debate. You can count on him to weigh in on national issues. He does not pretend and probably is not cut out for pretence. He says it as he perceives it, always loud and logical – clear as crystal. He makes sense at every turn, although many might not agree with him.
Overtime, Jega has been consistent in calling for restructuring. He has not restrained himself from doing do. He reasons that the idea is being toiled with, when it needs to be addressed with the urgency it deserves.
Jega clearly see the country as it is presently constituted as jagged, jaundiced and unbalanced. Its structure and symmetry are skewed and tilted in one direction, and risks upturning if nothing is done now. Jega clearly demonstrates his belief in a restructured federal system that is better by miles than the present one, wobbling, labouring and sputtering down the road to nowhere on all fours. The former, he also believes, will guarantee the elusive peace, equity, justice – and above all, a holistic development which will usher in a prosperous nation everyone would wish for, and ultimately come to enjoy in the end.
Now, everyone can understand why everywhere Jega goes, he does not let the opportunity to preach the gospel of restructuring slip through his fingers – even when his audience is unwilling to listen to him.
To many, Jega is jaundiced, the same for his message – a bullshit only fitting for the Marines. So, they pretend not to hear him.
But Jega doesn’t seem to be dismayed. So, even on mountain tops, he makes his message clear like the prophets of old who had their mission clearly cut out.
Early in January, for instance, Jega delivered a treatise on restructuring – a delivery coming straight from the master’s stable, packed with punch, power and authority. He pins his message down with this captivating headline: “Restructuring in Nigeria: Why? How? When?”
Just listen to his synopsis. “Effort and energies need to be devoted to generating an elite, if not a national, consensus on the necessity of restructuring, defined as the redistribution of power and resources from the federal to the state governments, to be embarked upon before 2023. The embedded imbalance, inequities and perceived injustices in the current federal system in Nigeria have to be addressed as soon as possible to enable Nigeria and Nigerians to acquire the requisite stability and peaceful coexistence….”
Going forward, he posits: “Unlike most, relatively stable, federations, the efficacy of Nigeria’s federal system has been undermined, essentially by an imbalance, as well as inequities in the distribution of power and resources between the national and sub-national units. This imbalance is a product of Nigeria’s colonial experience, subsequent post-colonial authoritarian military rule, and a series of reckless, bad and essentially undemocratic governance, especially in the 21 years of civil ‘democratic’ rule.”
Jega anchors his call for restructuring on certain clear issues among which are “heightened mobilisation and politicisation of ethnic, regional and religious identities by politicians, deep rooted perceptions, of marginalisation and inequities in the management of the affairs of the country by successive governments/regimes at the federal level, bad governance: driven by incompetent, inept, inefficient and self-serving leadership, at both federal, state and local government levels, and political brinkmanship by some elite, especially politicians and/or ethno-religious ‘war lords.”
He advocates some form of staggered restructuring which he insists has to entail among other things, “a return to ‘true federalism’ described as re-establishing the regional structure of the 1960-1966, with the division of powers and allocation of resources, as defined in the independence and republican constitutions of that period.
“Creation of six regions, akin to the so-called six geo-political zones, to replace the current 36-state structure; resources control, whether in a new regional structure or under the current state structure, granting the sub-national units the absolute control of all resources under or above their geographical territorials or territorial waters; equitable redistribution of power and resources from the Federal Government to the sub-national governments/units,” among others.
He reasons that the benefit of restructuring is “to bring about stability in the Nigerian nation, and make the environment amenable to accelerated socio-economic development; to expand the scope, as well as strengthen unity in diversity; to ensure peaceful co-existence, with equity, justice and equality of opportunity for all citizens throughout the Nigerian nation.
While also delivering a paper entitled: “Restructuring the Nigerian Federation: Challenges and Prospects,” at the 4th public lecture at Nasarawa State University, Keffi in August this year, Jega harped that “restructuring is highly inevitable and the time to start is now.”
He said: “As a way out of the logjam, the country must come to terms with the challenges and prospects of restructuring. We need to come to terms with the fact that restructuring is necessary.”
Also last month, while delivering the 2021 Public Lecture at the Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, entitled: “Towards stabilising the Nigeria Federation,” he said: “In the present circumstances, as necessary and desirable as restructuring is, a number of challenges would have to be overcome to successfully bring it about.”
He is unhappy that “the executive seems to take a back seat in the belief that restructuring is purely a legislative matter, into which it should not dabble, thereby failing to provide the requisite, proactive leadership for driving the agenda and process of restructuring.”
Prof Attahiru Jega is the former vice chancellor, Bayero University Kano and ex-ASUU president.