Nigeria @ 58: Stopping Societal Indiscipline, Selfdestruction and Dictatorial Democracy as a Desideratum
On October 1, 2018 Nigeria attained fifty-eight years of national sovereignty, but without fully understanding what should be meant by remembering, marking or celebrating an independence day at 58. First, what did October 1, 1960, which was a Saturday, mean in terms of obligations from the Independence Day Speech of Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa? What are the implications for the people of Nigeria? Every October 1 is supposed to be treated as a ‘great day,’ because Nigeria became an ‘independent sovereign nation’ on October 1, 1960. It was on this day that the constitutional instruments of independence were transferred by Queen Elisabeth II and delivered by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Alexandra of Kent, to Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of Nigeria. October 1, 1960 therefore marked a new foundation for a new Nigeria in the making and to which Tafawa Balewa pledged to dedicate his life.
It was this same day that it was made clear, consciously or otherwise, that Nigeria’s attitudinal disposition in the conduct and management of foreign relations would be guided by four parameters: mastership, leadership, partnership, and friendship, These were the four main features of relationships between Nigerian leaders and the British. In explaining these four factors, Tafawa Balewa advised the British in the following words: ‘do not mistake our pride for arrogance. It is tempered by feelings of sincere gratitude to all who have shared in the task of developing Nigeria politically, socially and economically. We are grateful to the British officers whom we have known, first as masters, and then as leaders, and finally as partners, but always as friends.’
Tafawa Balewa further put it differently thus: ‘it is a unique privilege which I shall remember forever, and it gives me strength and courage as I dedicate my life to the service of our country. This is a wonderful day, and it is all the more wonderful because we have awaited it with increasing impatience compelled to watch one country after another overtaking us on the road when we had so nearly reached our goal. But now, we have acquired our rightful status, and I feel sure that history will show that the building of our nation proceeded at the wisest pace: it has been thorough, and Nigeria now stands well-built upon firm foundations.’
Above all, October 1, 1960 was the very day that Tafawa Balewa said he opened a new chapter in the history of Nigeria, the Commonwealth, and, indeed, of the world, with the words, ‘God Save Our Queen.’ Even though Queen Elisabeth ceased to be ‘Our Queen’ as from October 1, 1963 when Nigeria became a republican state, there was no disputing the fact that the cordiality of relationship with Britain on the basis of the existing features was still maintained. The independent status of Nigeria still had its many dependent dimensions.
From this first independence day speech by Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, two quick points are noteworthy: slowness in action by Nigerians and solid foundation laying of independent Nigeria. For more than fifteen years of struggle and negotiations with the colonial masters to have independence, other countries were able to acquire their own sovereign statehood before that of Nigeria. In other words, why was Nigeria overtaken by others? Tafawa Balewa indirectly complained about it, while admitting at the same time indirectly that lateness may still be better than never.
The implication of this is that it can be argued that political attitudes in Nigeria have a character of slowness, if not remissness of action. Nigeria’s development has also been slow. Can we not also explain this phenomenon by the same slowness in action in the attitudinal disposition of the political leaders? In other words and terms of obligation, if the quest for national sovereignty during the pre-independence struggle was slow and this factor was so recognised on October 1, 1960, why has this virus of slowness not been addressed since 58 years ago?
More important, Tafawa Balewa showed happiness about the firm foundation of the newly independent Nigeria, especially bearing in mind that, as Tafawa Balewa put it, ‘each step of our constitutional advance has been purposefully and peacefully planned with full and open consultation, not only between representatives of all the various interests in Nigeria but in harmonious cooperation with the administering power which has today relinquished its authority.’ However, what really is the import of any constitutional advancement, harmonious cooperation, and peaceful planning of the past as at today? These are some of the questions every patriotic Nigerian should be addressing now that Nigeria is celebrating 58 years of sovereign existence? In fact, we should be asking what really is being celebrated when we cannot truly talked about development in terms of high national or human development index?
Human Development Index (HDI), which is about the extent of goodness of one’s health, education acquired, amount of income, extent of security, especially in terms of stomach infrastructure, livelihood and survival, is essentially of two types: income and non-income. The non-income HDI deals with life expectancy at birth and educational indicators and Gross National Income per capita. Others fall under income HDI. In this regard, what is the per capita income of the Nigerian in 2018 when compared with countries which also got their independence in 1960? Why is Nigeria lagging behind and not developed?
Perhaps most importantly and interestingly, Tafawa Balewa had it that Nigeria, ‘this great country, which has now emerged without bitterness or bloodshed, finds that she must at once be ready to deal with grave international issues... It seemed that we were destined to move with quiet dignity to a place on the world stage... We are called upon immediately to show that our claims to responsible government are well-funded, and having been accepted as an independent state we must at once play an active part in maintaining the peace of the world and in preserving civilisation, I (Tafawa Balewa) promise you, we shall not fail for want of determination.’
This want of determination is Nigeria’s current ‘essential commodity.’ It is, indeed, a rarity. The old wish and determination to play active role in the maintenance of world peace does not exist anymore, especially in light of the fact that there cannot be global peace that does not begin with the national domestic setting. Peace, sustainable peace must first begin in Nigeria and with Nigerians before the country can export its culture of peace to anywhere. This is why there is the need to interrogate Nigeria at 58, particularly from the perspective of national development and foreign policy. Put differently, in which way is Nigeria at 58 any way better than Nigeria on October 1, 1960? What really are the dividends of independence? In which way has independence and self-governance since 1960 promoted national unity, selfreliance, self-integrity, and national unity?
In responding to these questions, it is submitted here that the past 58 years of post-independence existence have witnessed more of societal indiscipline, particularly under the Fourth Republic. Most unfortunately, the societal indiscipline is taken with kid gloves, and, therefore, has not only engendered selfdestruction and national disunity, but also led to general retrogression and more of growth than development at the economic level. The societal indiscipline has led to loss of moral values in terms of lifestyle. The self-destruction is a direct resultant of political selfishness and the neglect of the social consequences.
Besides, the societal indiscipline has not only prompted the civilianisation of the military and the militarisation of civilians, as a result of the long period of military rule, but also to dictatorial democracy by imposition of the Government and acquiescence of the people. Thus, there is a deficit of clairvoyance in the political governance of Nigeria. This is the main rationale for the calls for national restructuring.
The calls for restructuring are on the increase. The future of Nigeria may not be bright, contrary to the pretensions of the Government. The issues mainly involved include Nigeria’s constitution, revamping the economy, corruption fighting, restoring national security, and, in addition, foreign policy on which Tafawa Balewa placed great emphasis in 1960.
The Issues and Struggle for Restructuring
The first and most critical issue is the Constitution of the country. Alhaji Femi Okunnu, who took active part in the London Constitutional Conference that led to Nigeria’s Constitution in 1960, in the Constitution Drafting Committee that led to the 1979 Constitution, in the 2005 Abuja Conference convened by President Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as in the 2014 National Conference organised by the Goodluck Jonathan administration, has traced the genesis of the constitutional problem to the removal of the provision of fiscal federalism from the 1979 Constitution, from which the 1999 Constitution was largely drawn.
In an interview with Raymond Mordi (The Nation, Monday, October 1, 2018, p.10), Alhaji Lateef Okunnu, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said the ‘Federal Republic of Nigeria has a stroke, a master stroke, in 1979. The 1979 Constitution, which is more or less the same thing as the 1999 Constitution in many respects, was where the nation derailed... [F]iscal federalism died with the promulgation of the 1979 Constitution.’
More important, the recommendation by the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) to the Constituent Assembly and the Obasanjo regime was that the CDC should ‘follow the revenue allocation set down in the 1960 Constitution, which was repeated in the Republican Constitution of 1963 and which General Yakubu Gowon adopted during his regime from 1966 to 1975... But the 1979 Constitution handed over by General Obasanjo removed the revenue sharing formula.’ This was one of the main dynamics of Nigeria’s political instability as at today, and especially the agitation for resource control, self-determination and political restructuring.
The revenue sharing formula, before the Olusegun Obasanjo regime, allowed for the allocation of 50% to the regions producing the minerals; 20% to the Federal Government; while the outstanding 30% is put in the pool for further sharing as follows: 40% for the Northern Region, 30% to the Eastern Region, and 24% to the Western Region. The remaining 6% was earmarked for ecology and other related matters. When the Mid-West was carved out of the Western Region in 1963, 6% of the 24% was allocated to the new region, according to the 85-year old Femi Okunnu.
Another related question on the issue of the Constitution is the extent of constitutionality and acceptability of the 1999 Constitution. Professor Ben Nwabueze, a constitutional lawyer and leader of the Patriots group, has argued that the 1999 Constitution is very fraudulent because, in its preamble, it is stated that, ‘we the people of Nigeria...,’ whereas there was never any group of Nigerians meeting to deliberate on the basis of democratic freedom in any place to make the Constitution. In other words, the Constitution is not seen to be a reflection of the wishes of the people, but that of the military institutions. This means that the totality of the provisions of the alleged fraudulent Constitution is not tenable, even though it had entered into force.
At the level of the revamping of the economy, all efforts made have not removed the abject poverty with which the polity has been generally characterised. The Buhari administration may claim to be doing its best to make the economy vibrant. However, the popular opinion does not admit of the claims by the incumbent government. Development indices have also not been helpful.
For instance, the naira witnessed a depreciation of the exchange rate from 60k (sixty kobo) in 1980 to N360 (three hundred and sixty naira) in 2018. Life expectancy in Nigeria is only 53 years compared to 85 years in Singapore, 76 years in Malaysia, two countries which were both on the same footing with Nigeria as at the time of independence in 1960.