Restructuring is merely returning to the basics, the starting point. It is the fundamentals, the essentials, the rudiments; the first principles.
That is all, nothing more. It is no war; it is no break-up, it is no threat. No animosity and, certainly, no enmity. Restructuring is a peaceful and friendly re-arrangement.
We ought to laugh over it and not cry over it. So? Let’s go back to where we are coming from. Then, there was a Nigeria we could proudly call our own country.
Elder statesman, Chief Samuel Oluyemisi Falae, CFR, came on board early this week. He aptly filled up the vacuum. And he was timely and got it right. Why won’t he get it right?
He is a banker, administrator and politician. He was Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) in the government of Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), from January 1986 to December 1990. He was briefly Minister of Finance in 1990.
He spoke the truth about the real restructuring. He is no stranger. He saw and witnessed it happen before. Restructuring has never been a threat and cannot be one even now.
It happened before and everyone was extremely glad it did. Let’s make it happen again and we will be happy we did one more time. It is easily doable and feasible.
The “khaki boys” angrily threw away our happiness when they came calling in January 1966. They largely came uninvited. That is why they put a huge spanner in our works by furiously suspending our lifeline, the Constitution.
We do not need them to upturn that suspension. It was just an unwanted, unsolicited deferral. We can comfortably lift it by ourselves and for ourselves. We have every opportunity to right that wrong right now.
There is no need to fight. We can collectively free ourselves from bondage. That is no threat in any form. We are in dire need of our freedom. Again, that is no threat by any means.
That will not lead to a 100-year war, as Chief Bisi Akande would desperately want us to fear. We reject Baba Akande’s postulation. It is not our portion. That is meant for the marines.
No, we won’t shoot a gun to restructure. The template is ever there for our taking. Akande knew it, just as Falae did. He dares not fault it.
But Akande preferred to sweep it under the dirty carpet. Not Falae. He exhumed it for our collective benefit. That is the big difference. We profoundly appreciate it.
This piece was picked from the trending social media early this week. The author is unknown, but the message cannot be ignored.
In it Falae spoke the minds of honest and progressive Nigerians. This is exactly what restructuring Nigeria is all about! This beautiful piece is for those who pretend that they do not understand what restructuring is all about. This is the true meaning of restructuring as mostly canvassed by Southern Nigeria.
His exact words: “You know I am a leader in the South West and at the National Convention, I was elected as the leader of the Yoruba delegation. I am central to the Yoruba position.
“The Yoruba position is my position and it is the same position I canvassed in my book, The Way Forward for Nigeria, which I launched since 2005 in Lagos.
“What we mean by restructuring is going back to the Independence Constitution, which our leaders negotiated with the British between 1957 and 1959. It was on that basis that the three regions agreed to go to independence as one united country.
“It was a negotiated constitution. This is because, if the three regions were not able to agree, there would not have been one united independent Nigeria. But because the three regions at that time negotiated and agreed to package a constitution, that is why they agreed to go to independence together.
“When the military came in 1966 and threw away the constitution, they threw away the negotiated agreement among the three regions, which was the foundation of a united Nigeria.
“The military did not only throw away the constitution but a political consensus negotiated and agreed by our leaders of the three regions in those days. When we say restructuring now, we are saying let us go back substantially to that constitution, which gave considerable autonomy to the regions.
“For example, each region at that time collected its revenue and contributed the agreed proportion to the centre. But when the military came, they turned it round and took everything to the centre. That could not have been accepted by Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe or Obafemi Awolowo.
“This constitution we are using was made by late Gen. Sani Abacha and the military; and Abacha came from only one part of Nigeria, so he wrote a constitution that favoured his own part of Nigeria. That is why I am saying, let us restructure and go back to what all of us agreed before. That is the meaning of restructuring.
“The regions used to be federating units, but in today’s Nigeria, they would be called federal regions because states have been created in the regions. In the West, you now have federation of Yoruba states, which would belong to the Nigerian union at the centre.
“It is not like the region of old with all the powers. No. It is now going to be a coordinator of the states in the zone. That is what we mean by restructuring. And the regions would have considerable autonomy as they used to have.
“For the younger people, they may not know that every region then had its own constitution. There were four constitutions at independence –the Federal constitution, Western constitution, Eastern constitution and Northern constitution.
“That was how independent they were and every region had an ambassador in London. The ambassadors for the regions were called Agents General so that you do not confuse them with that of Nigeria then called High Commissioner.
“Nigeria had four ambassadors in London. The ambassador for Nigeria then called a High Commissioner was M.T. Mbu. The ambassador for Eastern Nigeria then was Mr Jonah Chinyere Achara, Western Nigeria was Mr. Omolodun and for Northern Nigeria, it was Alhaji Abdulmalik. There were four of them.
“That was the kind of arrangement we agreed to, but the military threw it away and gave us this over-centralised unitary constitution. We said this is not acceptable any more; we must go back to the negotiated constitution, which gave considerable autonomy to the regions, so that they can compete in a healthy manner.
“For example, Awolowo wanted to introduce free education in the West and other regions said they could not afford it, but he went ahead to introduce it in the Western Region. He said he wanted to pay a minimum of five shillings a day, while others were paying two and three shillings. He went ahead and passed the law, making five shillings the minimum wage in Western Nigeria.
“There was no problem with that. In Western Nigeria, the constitution provided for a House of Assembly and the House of Chiefs. In Eastern Nigeria, there was no House of Chiefs because they did not think they needed one.
“There was no problem with that and that is the kind of Nigeria we negotiated in London, but that is different from what we have today. We are saying let us go back to that arrangement, which all of us agreed at independence and not what Abacha imposed on us, which is very partial, unfair and one-sided.
“That is the meaning of restructuring. It is to restructure unfairness and give semi-autonomy to the federating units.”
Falae is not a lone ranger in this race. Pastor Enoch Adeboye even took restructuring to the realms of divinity. He gave it spiritual backing. He was subtle:
“We all know that we must restructure. It is either we restructure or we break. You don’t have to be a prophet to know that one. That is certain; restructure or we break up.”
No two ways to it. There is a lot of difference between “restructure” and “break up.” They don’t mean the same thing at all. The earlier we do this, the better for us all.
Still in doubt?