Restructuring Nigeria Must be Both Political and Economic

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former 1st Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mrs. Funke Adekoya, SAN, has recommended both political and economic restructuring for Nigeria.

Adekoya rook this position last Wednesday, as she delivered this year’s Annual Professor A.B. Kasunmu Lecture at the University of Lagos, with the theme “Restructuring Nigeria: Pros, Cons and Matters Arising”.

While condemning the “Kaduna Declaration” by a coalition of Northern Nigeria youth groups in Kaduna, in which they demanded that all Igbos residing in the North, should leave the area within three months, she said it has brought the topic back onto the front burner.

She posited that the clamour for ‘restructuring’ is a response to the feeling that the current arrangement is either deficient in some form, or does not work for all.

That 'in spite of ‘the need to restructure Nigeria’ become the latest topic for discussion, it is not clear whether all contributors to the debate, mean the same thing when they talk about the need to ‘restructure’ Nigeria. After all, as seen from the calls above, ensuring that each geo-political zone is ethnically homogenous is one way of restructuring the country'.

Amongst her several recommendations, she said ‘For any restructuring exercise to be sustainable, the subnational units must be able to sustain their administrative overheads, and also have the financial wherewithal to implement any development objectives that they embark upon, without recourse to the centre.

She compared compare Nigeria’s current state of development, with that of Indonesia and held that "Like Nigeria, Indonesia is a multi-ethnic/religious country with 300 ethnic groups and 650 local languages. At 257 million, its population is larger than that of Nigeria and it is the largest economy in Southeast Asia. Where are the differences? Malaysia has a 20-year development plan, spanning from 2005 to 2025 plus 5-year medium-term plans, that focus on specific sectors.

"It is therefore, clear that the solution to solving our structural, political, and economic problems, is dependent on putting in place a strategy and structures that ensure that ethnic tensions and rivalries are doused. This can only happen if the subnational units have sufficient autonomy

and financial independence, to enable them implement plans and programmes specific to their constituents' development needs.

"Some have argued that, the current six geo-political zones should be reconstituted into the federating units of the country. I find attractive, the thinking that Nigeria

should devolve more power and responsibilities from the centre to the subnational units. These units can be organised on a zonal basis, to reflect the existing six geopolitical zones, with each zone having its own government, and responsible for its own development, very much after the pattern of the regional system of the First Republic. In that sense, there will be six zones, each developing at its own pace, and making contributions to a central government, whose functions will be limited to defence, foreign affairs, national security, management of national youth service, national currency, and whatever other functions are assigned to it under the new Constitution. Internal fiscal autonomy within the geo-political zones, will ensure that each area will reap the economic benefits of the resources in its area, such that “domination” and “minority” issues will be minimised, if not totally done away with.

"The current downturn in federally generated revenue coupled with the renewed agitation from various ethnic ‘youth groups’, makes this an ideal time for the country to take the bull by the horns, and commence both political and economic restructuring."

Professor Alfred Bandele Kasunmu, SAN, in whose honour the annual event is held, recently marked his 83rd birthday. He was called to the English Bar in 1960. He was a pioneer lecturer at the law faculties of the then University of Ife and the University of Lagos.

Prof Kadunmu, SAN was Attorney-General of Lagos State from 1975-78, and was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1979. He is still in active legal practice at his A.B. Kasunmu’s Chambers in Lagos.

The event was chaired by the former Director General of the Nigerian Law School, Chief (Dr) Kole Abayomi, SAN.