Restructuring: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
When dancers demand for a change of music, it is obvious that the old music is no longer satisfactory. Restructuring is the latest music and if you are just entering Nigerian shore for the first time, you don’t need a magician to tell you that Nigerian political atmosphere, religious houses, mechanic shops and even street corners are wearing a dolorous look.
From the four cardinal points in the country, it is the same music and very loud indeed. Why have the agitators suddenly become louder? Could it be a conspiracy of the elite for 2019 election? We must sincerely answer these questions if the marriage called Nigeria must survive the testing moment.
If the foundation of a building is faulty, it sinks and casualties become inevitable! October 1, 1960 as we all know is our independence year in Nigeria, but as things stand, Nigerians are singing a different song. It is no longer news that Arewa youths gave October 1 as quit notice to the Igbo; the South-East gave same October 1 to actualise their Biaxit; some Niger Delta militants set same October 1 to bomb oil states if their demands are not met; the South West is not left out of the wired atmosphere. Spearheaded by Afenifere and OPC, they have asked for implementation of the Jonathan administration’s 2014 National conference report; the Middle Belters are also not comfortable with their senior brothers in the core north, and the murmuring is on. What a special October!
What exactly are we restructuring? What is wrong with our system? Nigerians from all indications are calling for true federalism, where the federating states are allowed to compete favourably well with their individual resources and contribute to the government at the centre. But instead, we are operating a unitary system and that is why states have become parasitic on the federal government. If manner stopped falling from Abuja as it is today, some states would go into extinction.
The burning issue is that: Nigeria remains an unanswered question, more than a century after the almagamation of 1914. Before and after independence, virtually every government has had to deal with same national issue. In 1977, Nigeria had a Constituent Assembly that gave birth to 1979 Constitution. It almost ended in kerfuffle. In 2005, national political reforms hit a brick wall when Niger Delta representatives staged a walk-out for not being carried along fairly. Same situation replicated in 2014 National Conference conducted by Jonathan. The government of the day says they were not carried along, therefore, resolutions should be dumped on them and President Muhammadu Buhari never opened the documents until his medical trip.
Again, Nigerians are calling for the same conference or a referendum. Isn’t it glaring that Nigerian government can’t take decision? Should we wait until a second civil war is declared? So disturbing indeed!
What experience and history teach is that people and government never learnt anything from history or acted on principles deduced from it- George Wilhem Hegel said.
The war drums all over the country shouldn’t be taken for granted. Yes, the marriage called Nigeria is indissoluble, but we must prevent it by listening to the music of agitations and of course, the need to return Nigeria to the federating units as it was in the 60s before it was tinkered with by the military. So, the agitators shouldn’t be seen as opportunists or political gangstars as one governor from the north said. The debate about restructuring and renegotiation is important and urgent to hold the union of different tribes, ethnic groups and characters together in Nigeria