FLASH BACK
Last week, we continued our discourse on Nigeria’s dire need for restructuring: The urgency of now (5). This week, we conclude our thematic analysis on the urgent need for Nigeria to restructure before it is too late.
In restructuring Nigeria, the call must be collective, the enumerated ideas all-embracing, and the methods accounted for by the majority of Nigerians. Nigeria belongs to all of us – the rich and the poor, Christians and Muslims alike, literates and illiterates, peasants and intellectuals. The wishes and aspirations of different segments of the country must reflect in our new Nigeria.
John Henry Newman (1801 – 1890), English theologian in his essays on “Oxford University Sermons, “Faith and Reason, Contrasted as Habits,” declared, “When men understand what each other means, they see, for the most part, that controversy is either superfluous or hopeless.” Nigerians must come to a collective agreement to live together in a way that gives hope to every section of the family.
Nizar Qabbani (1923 – 1998) Syrian poet, puts it this way “The secret of our tragedy is that our screams are louder than our voices and our swords taller than ourselves.” We do not need this tragedy.
It is time Nigerians grew up intellectually and emotionally, to regard ourselves as a grown-up nation, as the Biblical phrase goes, by putting away childish things…self-idealisation and the search for absolutes in national affairs: For absolute security, absolute amity, absolute harmony. If we cannot end our differences for now, at least, we can help make the nation safe for diversity.
In order that Nigeria is not torn into shreds, we will need wisdom and our ability to think creatively, outside the box, in the best interest of Nigeria. That’s the only way God can hand us a country that we will all be proud of to be the envy of other nations.
Bonar Law (1858 – 1923), Canadian-born British prime minister in referring to Britain and Germany in his speech to the British parliament, said, “If, therefore, war should ever come between these two countries, which Heaven forbid! it will not, I think, be due to irresistible natural laws, it will be due to the want of human wisdom.” After this remark, Britain and Germany went to war and the world is still smashing from the monumental loss, stemming from that terrible war.
Nigerians should learn from history. Let us not behave like the Bourbons of European history, who learnt nothing and forget nothing.
Let us discuss Nigeria, let us hear from both sides of the coin about Nigeria, for a one-sided coin is a bad tender, let us hold hands together and forge a new Nigeria. Nigerians have the capability to create the kind of country that majority of Nigerians would be proud of. Nigerians have the ability to silence the enemies of Nigeria. This is the responsibility posterity has placed on the shoulders of our generation. We cannot afford to fail and we will not fail.
Just recently, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, declared, most aptly, that Nigeria was not working as it should, because, the centre wield too much power, more than the federating states. The need for restructuring of the entity called Nigeria is of great necessity, he argued while speaking at the launch, of Onuma’s book, “We are all Biafrans”.
Said he: “Nigeria is not working as well as it should and part of the reason is the way we have structured our country and governance, especially since the late 1960s. The Federal Government is too big, and too powerful, relative to the federating states. That situation needs to change, and calling for that change is patriotic.
We must refrain from the habit of assuming that anyone calling for the restructuring of our federation is working for the break-up of the country. An excessively powerful centre does not equate with national unity. If anything, it has made our unity more fragile, our government more unstable and our country more unsafe.”
It is, therefore, not surprising that the former vice president and now APC chieftain, Atiku, is voicing out what our founding fathers lamented over the years. Nigeria as currently constituted is not working. This is not only limited to the political matters, but to all facets of the nation’s challenges.
On the basis of innovative and creative rethinking, nations evolve. Not surprisingly, some members of the House of Representatives had taken this line of argument that Nigeria is in dire need of restructuring. They argued that doing otherwise was to postpone the inevitable as the present structure could not be sustained for too long.
For instance, the Chairman, House Committee on Army, Mr. Rima Shawulu, said, it was high time those in authorities answered certain questions like, “Why are some groups eating more than others? Is this our so-called unity all-inclusive? Why are some people not seen to be good unless they are from certain regions?”
The country have experienced years of enduring and still enduring cultural diversification. The eventuality of the 1999 Constitution, was a replica of the American presidential government. It is to be noted that the United Kingdom colonised the United States of America in the 18th Century. Despite this, the government of America never copied or took part of their laws to make out their own constitution. It was indeed an indigenous home-baked constitution, bearing the true reflection of “We the people of …”
The federalism, which we practise today is far from true federalism. What we have is a unitary system of government, completely devoid of federalism. Obviously, the country needs restructuring. This necessity has been on, even after we returned to civilian rule.
Successive administrations have been found wanting in the restructuring of the nation. In most cases, they got round to it at the end of term, so late that they gave succeeding governments the opening to conveniently ignore same. It is inspiring to note that, the Goodluck Jonathan government constituted the National Conference of Nigeria, 2014, of which I was a delegate. The conference, which was headed by retired Chief Justice Idris L. Kutigi had an encompassing report. The report of the conference, which had far-reaching recommendations, numbering over 260, was made to ensure a restructuring of the nation.
Some of the major constitutional amendments, arising from the 2014 National Conference, include powers and control over public funds, presidential appointments, protection of pension rights, etc.
The issue about local governments was also addressed. Local government funds can no longer be shared among the 774 local governments we presently have. Money will be shared to the states and the states will now use local government funds they get for local government administration. A state can create 1,000 local governments if it so desires.
We also noted that who becomes the president of Nigeria is always a sore issue. Anytime we have an election, everybody wants his own person or tribesman to become the president of Nigeria. So, instead of killing ourselves over who becomes the president of Nigeria, we agreed on an arrangement where every part of Nigeria will have hope that one day it will ascend the presidency of this country. It was agreed at the National Conference that the presidency should rotate between the North and South and across the six geo-political zones, and with that type of arrangments, it won’t take time for the presidency to reach areas of people, who have not had a shot at the presidency.
The conference report truly reflected on the original mandate of the people of Nigeria. The Buhari-led government should embrace the report of the 2014 National Conference. That report may have been produced under a ‘PDP government’ but, it is not a ‘PDP document’. It is Nigerian people’s document. All the delegates to the 2014 National Conference, East, West, North and South endorsed the report.
Certainly, the report of the conference remains the key to the survival of this country, as a nation. Anyone who wishes it away is postponing the doomsday. This country cannot continue to be run in an atmosphere of tension, where there are deep-seated agitations and grievances from various parts of the country. Good leadership requires that a nation should be put on a pedestal of sustainable development and peace. The way Nigeria is configured and structured, tension will continue to pervade this land. There are too many people who feel they have been cheated, and at all cost will want to fight back.
We want a Nigeria, where there will be equal rights and opportunities for all people of Nigeria, not just for the few people. A stitch in time, saves nine!
Concluded.
