RESTRUCTURING NIGERIA USING THE POWER OF THE CITIZENS PART 1

 

RESTRUCTURING NIGERIA using THE POWER OF THE CITIZENS

By LT

 

  PART 1: CITIZENS CALL TO ACTION

 

                                 

The following are the objectives of this brief paper:

1.      Citizen empowerment to persuade government and political leaders to enact the essential basic changes for the country's reorganization, if the majority of citizens are in agreement.

 

2.     To compel us as citizens,  to band together as pressure groups and demand that government and not just a group of experts, politicians or special interest groups make the policies that are most important to us.

 

3.      Encouraging citizens to use the technological means available at their disposal, to collectively come together as powerful pressure groups on whatever issues we deem as priority, other than using the technology at our fingertips for merely the hottest stories, influencing or aggravating our diversities further, as witnessed with the recently concluded 2023 elections.

 

 

The case for RESTRUCTURING Nigeria became even more apparent, with the just concluded elections of 2023.

 

Restructuring has been described in a variety of ways, from deep-reforms, devolution of powers, decentralized governance, re-empowerment of subnational units, autonomy of the federating units, true federalism, restructuring of federalism etc.

 

Regardless of the name given to the process or the terminology used, the "hurdle to cross" for any proper implementation, involves removing the current constitutional restrictions and political barriers that hinders restructuring or the transfer of powers back from the federal, to the state or local level. 

 

In this brief overview, I will use the word restructuring, for the purposes of this brief.

 

Nigeria's restructuring requires the mass support of the citizens, who must involve themselves to demand it, as this important issue cannot be left to the government, interest groups and the political elite alone.

 

The citizens, have the power to exert the pressure and momentum needed to inspire governmental action or will, particularly in this day of rapid technological innovation.

 

Since the regional system of governance in Nigeria was scuppered by what I would like to refer to as dim-witted, youthful exuberance, several administrations and politicians have made multiple attempts to find a solution to this thorny issue.

 

Even the Unitary reasons made by the military coup plotters in 1966, for aborting the existing regional system of governance in place at the time, seems to have aggravated our diversities even further, with successive military impositions and a civil war in addition.

 

To this day, the same persistent issues but increase in disputes, mostly related to concerns around justice, fairness, diversity, religion, rights, nepotism, land conflicts, corruption, security, self-determination, and agitation is constantly witnessed.

 

The present call for restructuring, it can be said restarted in 2005, with the then President Obasanjo, who founded the National Political Reform conference (NPRC) which concluded and delivered it's report, then followed by the late President Yar'Adua, who played a key role in setting up a committee to review same NPRC's report for recommendations.

 

Lastly came President Jonathan's 2014 confab conference, which cost approximately N10 billion(appx $64 million, at the time).

Reasons President Jonathan gave for lack of implementation, was quoted in the guardian newspaper 28^th June 2022, as saying:  “That the defection of the then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, now Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, contributed to the report’s failure to be implemented.

 

He also stated that he believed he would win the presidential election in 2015, giving him enough time to execute the Confab’s recommendations. And with some segments of the population already suspicious of all his government’s actions, President Jonathan claimed that his intentions could have been misread, especially against the ECOWAS protocol on constitutional reforms which states that no substantial modification shall be made to the electoral laws of member states in the last six months before elections.

The sum of all the efforts made thus far is nothing more than the paper it was written on.

Overall, little or no implementation has been witnessed so far, with the possible exception of PMB's administration, which recently made some laudable in-roads, with some changes to Nigeria's exclusive list.

Devolving some powers, hitherto held exclusively by the federal government, to the state governments, covering 19 areas of interest, of which 16 of the bills, were Constitutional alterations of the 1999 Constitution.

 

Again, this is to be applauded, especially knowing, where we started from. But far more needs to be done at this juncture. In lay parlance, “a little too late” comes to mind.

The proverb "a stitch in time saves nine" seems apt.

In order to achieve better harmony with our diversity in unity, and achieve any measure of positive restructuring, It is crucial for the citizens to move away from the pessimistic political rhetoric, the lacklustre dialogue, the myopic, selfish persons, with vested interests and intentions.

Who mostly are devoid of compassion for the average citizens and Nigeria’s unity and in other instances, from genuine cynics who truly may not grasp the proposed restructuring concept.

Consider some of the following adverse remarks on restructuring:

A spokesperson for PMB at an event was quoted as saying “the nation is not restructuring, adding that most people carrying the subject do not even understand what they are talking about.

And again, those who are discussing restructuring, my question is what are you going to restructure?

If you ask many Nigerians what are they going to restructure, you will find out that they have nothing to talk about. Some of them have not even studied the 1999 constitution. The 1999 constitution is almost 70 to 80 percent 1979 constitution.

The other issue is that those who are calling for restructuring and conference on what they call ethnic nationality, if you go to Southern Kaduna, Taraba, who is to represent them? We have different combinations of ethnicities in many states.”

Again, some northern elders, speaking under the platform of the Northern Delegate’s Forum, were quoted as saying “northern leaders rejected the calls and insisted that the federal government must vote more resources for exploration of oil in the region.

They then went on to say “the North was not given fair representation in the Confab conference with 189 delegates despite its landmass of 70 per-cent and 55 per-cent of the country’s population. Therefore, we were not happy with the report and have come out with this second report and communiqué”

 

From the statements above, it is clear on which side of the fence they convene.

More importantly,  should we the rest of Nigeria and its citizens be grateful that oil drilling has commenced in Nasarawa State or as reported on the 25^th May 2023 that the NNPC has resumed its Crude Oil Drilling campaign in the Chad Basin or must crude oil be discovered in all the states or regions of the federation before some selfish interest groups, can consider proper restructuring?

 

Or even the above claim that 55% of the nation's population, which is a source of controversy in and of itself, has been attributed to inflated figures, since the majority of the censuses conducted in Nigeria by the federal government, has been disputed or cancelled, demonstrates that even the census should be carried out by the states who have “skin in the game” and not the federal based on handouts, politics, selfish interest etc. Imagine, with the scheduled 2023 census, questions on religion and ethnicity where taken out of the questionnaire due to its sensitivity as reported by the NPC, national population commission.  Surely, can’t such sensitivity be better managed at the local, region or state levels? Than for such policies by few faceless persons at the center making decisions that may otherwise impact so many others.

It is also worthwhile, to provide some clarification on the above cited constitutions of 1979 and 1999 by the PMB spokesperson, even if, for the sincere skeptic’s, who may not truly grasp the concept of restructuring.

One cannot overstate the devastation and impact of the military intrusion into our democracy which started in 1966 and eventually  changed the true, proper and fiscal federalism  we had, in the 1963 Nigerian constitution.

This was replaced with successive military induced constitutions in 1979 and 1999, to the fusion, top-heavy federalism and inequality-laden constitution we have in place today. I will delve a bit deeper, on these top-heavy constitutions later (in Part 2).

Interestingly, these military induced constitutions also start with the preamble “We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”  and ends with “Do hereby make, enact and give to ourselves the following Constitution”

So, there should be no need for one to mention that, a peoples constitution is a constitution made by the people. The people not only participate in the process of making a peoples constitution but the content reflects the history, wishes and aspirations of the people ( Otive Igbuzor). 

Precisely why, citizens and not the establishment, special interest groups, “49 wise men” or the political class, should be left alone to make decisions on our behalf, especially in this technological age. 

We the citizens now need to be well-apprised and empowered, as to not just why, restructuring is urgently required but in collectively taking the "bull by the horns", on this most crucial, social re-engineering issue.

In any event, restructuring simply entails establishing new, practical norms of engagement and governance and returning control of governance to people who have skin (a stake) in the regional dynamics.

Or as formally described in the Guardian newspaper, titled Restructuring- definition and form, defines it as “Restructuring is a constitution review strategy aimed at bringing government as closely as possible to the people at the grass roots.

 

The newspaper then went to say “the restructuring we are talking about is the one anchored on the reframed 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that was documented in the 2014 Confab Report.”

 

 Worth adding  to this paper, are a few glaring benefits for restructuring:

1)     It enables quick local responses to issues that arise at the various sub-national levels, guaranteeing autonomy and respect for each state or region's own character, objectives and concerns.

2)     It enables focus-based solutions, free from federal meddling, by removing the myriad bureaucratic, legal, and regulatory obstacles that have impeded sub-national, socio-economic innovation and competitiveness.

3)     It minimises the fierce competition for federal elected positions, with the current unitary system and flow of revenue to the federal government, which is then controlled and distributed by federal institutions. It also reduces the rancour of ethnicity bias (rotation)  to the local regions, without stifling the progress of others.

4)     As above, it reduces the humongous cost, the bloated federal machinery and the clamour for power at the center, for the presidency, senate, legislature etc.

5)     It offers local and even national public services that are more accountable. Considering that all public service concerns may now be resolved locally. Without oil, areas would be forced to look internally at underutilized resources rather than basking  on handouts.

6)     By distributing ownership of a bigger share of mining revenues to the mineral-producing regions, it lowers such resource-related inequities and self-serving remarks made by some elders, problems, resentments, and separatist agitations.

7)     It fosters accountability, ownership, and responsibility, which are essential elements in fostering a sense of community and nation. Due to the fact that each of the 37 states has access to some type of natural resource, it also allows sub-national leadership to focus inward and be more inventive in generating revenue, as opposed to relying on federal handouts.

8)     It will support initiatives to elect local officials who are accountable to their constituents, ensuring that they have a better understanding of problems at the local level than the culturally disengaged federal officials.

9)     It strengthens and enhances our democratic system, encourages leadership at the grass-roots level, and brings government closer to the people.  When security issues are addressed at the local and municipal levels, any perception of security bias in federal hiring decisions is eliminated, which enhances residents' overall sense of security.

10) Conflicts over scarce resources will rise as a result of our population's worrisome and continuing growth trend and the economic migration from rural to urban regions. Local levels, where local laws and regulations are known by all parties, can better alleviate cohabitation. Threats can be readily identified by subnational police personnel who are connected to the communities they serve.

11) As mentioned above, empowered community-based security will assist in reducing the approximately 364 porous border entry points we have, with sub-national groups being more accountable in identification. General Irabor, the former HOD, was reported in an article published in the Tribune in October 2022 that *"there are 137 unprotected borders in the North out of the 261 approved borders."

The fundamental tenet of restructuring is to bring key political, economic, social, technical, educational, local security and legal entities as close as feasible to the grass-roots, the sub-national, the states or regions in order to establish unity in purpose, aims, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Nigeria currently lacks any underlying nationalism.

Countries like Yugoslavia, who have squandered the opportunity to manage their diversity, has resulted to the emergence of 6 distinct nations, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

 

The same nemesis befell Czechoslovakia, now a nation of Czechs and Slovaks.

Even the same can be said of the:

1)     The former Russian Federation that has splintered into more than 15 different nations.

2)     The East Timor referendum for separation in Indonesia. 

3)     The Eritrean War of Independence from Ethiopia.  Government actions, such as Ethiopia's removal of Eritrea's autonomy and religion, were crucial factors for the Eritrean War of Independence from Ethiopia.

4)     The campaign in Cameroon for equal rights from the country's majority of French-speakers by English-speakers. The English minority, in its demands for a separate nation, frequently resorting to violence.

5)     India divided into, the Hindu majority in India and Muslim majority in Pakistan.

6)     The Lebanese war can be said to be multifaceted and also deeply rooted. From religion, government policy, influx of economic migrants from Palestine to the deterioration of the Lebanese state.

7)     The Sudanese wars which eventually  split the country into 2 separate countries, Sudan and South Sudan, all due to differences in ethnicity, Religion, politics and economics.

 

In short, history has provided so many templates, for Nigeria to learn from, even from within Nigeria itself. The Nigerian civil war, as testament to this same niggling issue.

Or the many scholarly solutions home and abroad, on how autonomy, one of the best strategies for diffusing conflict.

So, this does not need to be the case for us in Nigeria. Our strength is in our diversity in unity and we as citizens, can harness this strength for the mutual benefit of all.

Suffice to say, we have also witnessed same ethnic nationalism, being more suited, as the basis for successful nations, this finds full expression in the reunion of communist East and capitalist West Germany[1].

An ideal case, of similar ethnic groups in serene co-existence, with which, we in Nigeria can also attain with our diverse ethnic groups, to coexist in balanced diversity.

I will also urge you to read up on the Swiss Cantonal System for solutions already in practice, to Nigeria’s conundrum.

 

 

CONCLUSION

It is obvious that citizens must seriously consider some form of restructuring to drastically re-distribute top-down power to the grass-roots, community-driven system in order to address the challenges posed by our many deep diversities in religion, cultural, ethnic values and origins.

 

Which seriously hinders our development and capacity for cooperation, constantly weighting this great nation down. Even agreement amongst members of the same ethnic grouping, is hard enough, talk less [2].

 

The vast majority of Nigerians will benefit from restructuring, including national and sub-national governments developing unity of purpose despite our differences.

 

But without national coherence, stability or unity of purpose, it is obvious that we will not achieve the necessary accomplishments or grandeur as a nation, even 63 years after our country's independence and counting.

We as citizens cannot leave this important decision to our politicians or interest groups alone.

To modify the constitution calls for the approval of two-thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives as well as the affirmative resolution. This is already an exacting task on the politicians alone.

History will not be kind to us and the future will not be kind to our descendants if we fail to act.

To this end, we have established two routes for citizens to expedite action or at the very least, it can serve as a communication channel between citizens and governance, closing the communication gap:

 

1.      To join your State's Pressure group, Download  the Telegram messaging application and search for Nigerian Citizens Pressure Groups Organisation  OR visit the link:

 

 https://t.me/NigcitizenPG ,

 

to find the different State pressure groups.

 

a.      In the case where you cannot locate your state pressure group link then please message admin at but bear in mind, the constraints of opening this many groups, which we will eventually resolve.

 

b.      Telegram was chosen due to its features and capacity to accommodate 200,000 Citizens per State and more.

 

 

 

 

2.      A petition has also been created and is available for citizens to sign and share. If we the citizens, genuinely want some form of restructuring in Nigeria. See petition link: 

 

https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/restructuring-nigeria-citizens-call-to-action.html

 

 

 

 

Lekan Thomas

Is a Business Analyst and Electronic Engineer (with extensive expertise in assisting both public and private organizations accomplish their goals), writes from Lagos.

 

Twitter: @LekanThomas_Esq

Insta: @lekanthomaz

See Part 2:RESTRUCTURING NIGERIA using THE POWER OF THE CITIZENS: https://lekanthomaz.blogspot.com/2023/06/restructuring-nigeria-using-power-of_6.html

#FoodforThought

#CitizenEmpowerment

#Regionalautonomy

#Restructuring

 

References

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