Restructuring Nigeria

The trending issue of restructuring Nigeria got a major boost when Media Trust Ltd, publishers of the Daily Trust titles, recently provided an opportunity for the champions of the issue to pitch their ideas to a wider Nigerian audience. The occasion was the paper’s 18th annual dialogue series with the theme ‘Restructuring: Why? When? How?’ which took place on Thursday, January 21, 2021 in Abuja.

There was former President Goodluck Jonathan who chaired the occasion as well as Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the nonagenarian chieftain of the Yoruba group, Afenifere, who participated virtually. Chief John Nnia Nwodo, the immediate past President-General of the Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo and Professor Attahiru Jega, a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) completed the cast of eminent speakers at the occasion.

Former President Jonathan’s remarks centred on the need for unity of purpose among Nigerians in tackling the issue of diversity which, he reasoned, was the strength of the country. He provided an analogy with the case of the Republic of Tanzania where he recently served as head of an election observer team. He said like Nigeria, Tanzania is a diverse country which under the visionary and purposeful leadership of late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, found common cause to unite and pursue the task of nation-building making it one of the most stable democratic entities in Africa.

President Jonathan pointed out that while at independence in 1960 Nigeria’s population stood at 45 million, today, 60 years later, the country has grown to some 200 million necessitating major political and social reforms to cope with the situation. He noted that such reforms should emphasise the need for unity and inclusion of the various components that make up the country.

Both chiefs Adebanjo and Nwodo, in their presentations, favoured a return to the constitutional arrangements enshrined in the Independence constitution where the federating units had more autonomy as opposed to the present situation where power is concentrated at the centre to the detriment of the states. Their justification was that when that structure was in place, there was greater productivity wherein the regions were developing at their own pace retaining most of the revenues they generated.

They both railed against the 1999 Constitution in current operation, condemning it as one imposed by the military without the benefit of the contribution and endorsement of the Nigerian people.

To remedy the situation, Chief Adebanjo called on President Buhari to either implement some of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference convened by President Jonathan or initiate one which will address the concerns over the current imbalances in the country’s political structure.

Professor Jega’s views, which differed from the two statesmen’s, harped on the impracticability of Nigeria under the present circumstances to revert to the regional structure of old which was dissolved following agitations by Nigerians. ‘Which of the current federating units’, he asked, ‘would agree to cede the autonomy it currently enjoys and collapse willingly into a regional structure where it will likely be dominated by more powerful groups?’

While endorsing the need for restructuring of Nigeria he, however, suggested that this should be done incrementally as the issues involved are far more weighty and complex than imagined. His prescription in this respect is to first of all tackle the issues of bad governance which are prevalent at all levels of government and which, in his reckoning, are at the root of the feelings of exclusion by majority of Nigerians regardless of ethnicity and religion.

Judging from the mood at the dialogue, Nigerians of all walks of life are in favour of a restructuring of the country. The overwhelming concern, however, is for all shades of opinion in the country to be carried along in the process. It should be an exercise that strengthens the country and not weaken it. It should aim to lay the foundation and bequeath a legacy of hope for future generations of Nigerians.