Nigeria: What Are We Restructuring? (1)
No far-reaching decision on restructuring can be made by the National Assembly as presently constituted,
The word used to be commonly associated with the civil engineering profession. Recently, the word has crept into the political lexicon, and has assumed such currency that each day in the media the word is so emotively used and bastardised that its true meaning is lost in the myriad of the current conversations in the country. Permit me to digress momentarily. Last Saturday, October 7, 2017, there was a football match, World Cup Qualifiers, they call it, that was played at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State. Let me confess, I am not a fan of football. The unison, the euphoria and commonality of purpose prevalent before and after that match were, indeed, electrifying and delightfully cut across the various nationalities in Nigeria. That World Cup qualifiers (appropriately called Russia 2018) brought every tribe together. It was no longer Igbo versus Hausa person or Yoruba versus Edo person. It was, indeed, and evidently so, Nigeria versus Zambia. Everyone in Nigeria, the old, the young, men, women, the educated and uneducated, tall or short, black or not, were all united in their determination and collective prayers for Nigeria to outplay the visiting team. Strikingly enduring was the venue of play, it was not in contention – why is it always Godswill Akpabio International Stadium and not Kaduna Stadium or Liberty Stadium in Ibadan or National stadium in Eko-Ile, though the Nigerian team once lost to South African Bafana Bafana team ab initio in June 2017 in that stadium and since then it has been spectacular success and luck all the way. Nigerians agree, we need a reservoir of that goodluck to get to World Cup 2018 in Russia. That unity of purpose brought our desire and prayers to fruition. Nigeria won. The rest is now history.
Can we replicate this wonderful team spirit in the political sphere of our country? That is the task this narrative seeks to achieve.
In an exposition such as this, that tends to treat an explosive, emotive, and indeed sensitive issue as restructuring, it will be impossible to exhaustively treat or address all shades of opinion in one article. My effort, therefore, is to put up “a random synopsis of ideas” about this national burning issue – the way forward. That does not make me “an embodiment of wisdom” in a matter as sensitive as this, but it is important to get an understanding of the issue, however synoptic it may sound, and the narrative must be future based.
As a follow up to this exposition, I have met and interviewed quite a number of proponents of restructuring. These proponents are in three broad categories. The first category is those who just join the bandwagon of clamouring for restructuring without an understanding of what it is. The argument of this category of people, largely, is “return to regional system of government as obtained in the 60s”. End of discussion.
The second category of people sounds reasonably convincing with an element of seriousness and freshness in their arguments. I think I want to align myself with this class of thought. I shall explain shortly. The third category are people of mixed understanding of the word “restructuring and agitation “.
I have said in my previous article that restructuring and agitation for the balkanisation of the country are not same. Need I remind us that there was (and still is) agitation for resource control, courtesy our brothers from the South-south region. Of course, agitation for the balkanisation of Nigeria is healthy, but agitation for balkanisation that has “warfare” intonation, forming another army within a republic, soliciting for arms and ammunition to wage war, calling your compatriots from other regions “cows” and “animals”, and regarding Nigeria as a “zoo”, simply because they do not buy into your own idea and approach to issues? It is not a good thing to say. It is derogatory and it debases and ridicules the very essence of their own narratives, which are certainly not healthy and progressive thoughts that could bring about cohesion and appreciation of our collective worth. Such inane remark must be repulsed and totally condemned by all right thinking persons, who genuinely appreciate the value of a united country like Nigeria with its huge population. In that sense, it means they have nothing to bring to the table for a scrupulous national discourse. However, the point must be made, agitation in any form that recognises and follows legitimate and constitutional processes are welcome and, indeed, supported. That is my position.
There is a fourth voice and that voice seems to stand alone. Our distinguished Senator David Bonaventure Mark, the immediate past Senate President, calls for attitudinal change. And I agree with him, again attitudinal change (this is more of a personal mind-set) is not the same as restructuring on a broad perspective. That must be clearly understood. Attitudinal change can be applied at home, on our roads, in our schools or workplaces. For instance, I may decide to be more responsive and present cordial relationship with my wife and children, and indeed my neighbours as against my previous barefaced and stern looking dispositions. It is an improved trait transition from negativity to positivity. On traffic, I solemnly resolve to obey and respect traffic lights and traffic personnel on our roads, and not to beat traffic lights with impunity. No over-speeding, no phoning while driving, no driving against traffic, respect for other road-users, etc. These are fine attributes of attitudinal change. At school or workplace, we do the right things, timeously report to school and/or work, display some level of discipline, show respect to our teachers and constituted authorities. That in a sense is a personal overhaul of attitude. When these traits are replicated by all male and female adults across our respective homes and we extend such wonderful traits across the country, of course, we shall have a saner society, a society where things work well with a deeper propensity to contribute to the growth of the country. With attitudinal change, PHCN officials shall be dedicated, responsive and efficient. No inducement before PHCN meters are assigned to homes. NNPC officials, with a changed heart, will diligently approach their duties with dedication, promptitude, efficiency, and honesty devoid of corruption, not with the notoriety of corruption associated with that organisation. Ditto the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Immigration Service. And that is, in a nutshell, the attitudinal change being canvassed by our distinguished Senator David Mark and it is a welcome development that should be embraced and, indeed, encouraged by all.
However, this narrative is not about attitudinal change but about restructuring, the emotive issue in the political space for now.