Let’s Stop Miscreants from Emerging Leaders

Let me say it straight away: Nigeria’s load of glitches like endemic corruption, hunger, poverty, disease, unemployment, disunity, and stunted growth are the products of our crooked, inept, and morally-bankrupt leadership. Unfortunately, some prominent Nigerians have reduced the solution to all these anomalies to restructuring. These people have been going about this clamour for restructuring as if it would solve all the problems bedeviling this country without addressing the vital issue of how to exit leadership failure. The erroneous impression they have been creating is that once we restructure, everything will start working well. Are they saying that once we return to regionalism, corruption and poverty will become history in Nigeria? Are these advocates saying that once the regions have more money and power is devolved to them, there will be jobs for our people, quality healthcare/public schools, good roads, access to public water supply, decent and affordable housing, and the rest of the good life? This envisaged Eldorado is a delusion.

This talk about regionalism is preposterous. For me, our 36-state structure is not responsible for our backwardness, but governance failure. Advocates of regionalism should perish the thoughts. What we need to restructure is our “unitary constitution”, so that we can practice federalism as done in the United States where we borrowed the concept. I am convinced that our 36 states should continue to exist, while those desiring to merge should be constitutionally allowed. Yes, power devolution and fiscal federalism are also desirable. However, we must first address how to put an end to rogue leadership. It is also pertinent to note that all sections of the country would have to be carried along in a constructive manner in order to attain this true federalism dream. Compelling arguments should be decently rationalised to ensure that our constitution is amended along this line in order to reduce agitations and marginalisation. In the long run, every section of the country stands to benefit from power devolution and fiscal federalism. Above all, it will help to preserve our federalism and strengthen our unity, as can be seen from the American example. We should also note that if we want to make progress in this bid for true federalism, this idea of portraying a section of the country as parasites must stop. Nigerians must act as allies in this bid for true federalism.

It is heart-warming that a man of Professor Pat Utomi’s status has joined in punching holes in the erroneous avowal about restructuring. “Restructuring alone would not solve Nigeria’s development challenges,” declared Utomi. He added: “Empirical evidence showed no correlation between more resources and development in the country. Some states with fewer resources are more developed than some resource-rich states. The belief that the states would do better with more resources is a myth. Only those states that make the people the core of their government would develop.”

Let’s go back to our crooked system that often throws up touts as leaders in our dear nation. The truth that must be told is that touts and miscreants have been dominating elective positions in our dear country after clueless military boys truncated the First Republic. This is why we have been experiencing massive corruption and stunted growth. If we give these touts more money and more power, they will become more corrupt and more power drunk. The battle against miscreants emerging as our leaders is one that must be fought if this country is to profit from the fiscal federalism and power devolution we dream of. Addressing the issue of reprobate leaders would require a thorough surgery. Genuine patriots must rise up against defective sections of our electoral laws and insist on appropriate amendments in order to deter touts and miscreants from emerging leaders. Decent people are being deterred from contesting elections because of ambiguities in our laws, particularly campaign fund issues. Unrestrained spending on campaign and election by miscreants is a big drawback and encourages emergence of these gangsters. Election spending and donations must be legally controlled. The issue of independent candidacy must also be placed on the front burner to tame the knavish character of our political parties.