NIGERIA, a nation perennially on the cliff, is once again at
a crossroads, no thanks to renewed calls for restructuring.
The rebound of this familiar agitation, at a time the
emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari is perceived to represent a social
re-engineering of the polity, suggests that such calls are daily assuming
longevity.
Virtually every aspect of the latest round comes with
surprising uniqueness. It is more understood from what seems to be the tripod
of unusual traction, approach, growing legion and calibre of proponents which
the fuss sits on.
Unlike in the past when similar calls were only birthed and
promoted by progressive minded citizens, the movement is currently being
powered by a mixture of commoners and the latter group.
Mixture of commoners
At the last count, prominent champions of the latest phase
include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, pan-Yoruba and Igbo
socio-political organisations, Afenifere and Ohaneze Ndi Igbo.
Afenifere and Ohanaeze, which had been the traditional
movers of restrucdturing, when blended with the new entrants, the Indigenous
People of Biafra, IPOB, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) and Middle Belt interests,
produce a non ignorable synergy. The outcome of this concurrence, provoked by
the activities of the IPOB and NDA, is such that observers think requires more
than official aloofness.
While the IPOB wants a sovereign state on the raft of
Biafra, the NDA daily embellishes its vandalization of major oil installations
with similar demand for the Niger Delta.
Instructively, the activities of IPOB and NDA, when
juxtaposed with their inherent self determination noise, present a bigger
picture of a curious kind of consciousness for Nigeria’s restructuring.
Fittingly corroborating the above recently, Atiku said it is
wrong to assume that everyone who calls for restructuring is advocating the
dismemberment of the Nigerian state.
Interestingly, this is one area where both protagonists and
antagonists of restructuring seem to have found a common ground.
”The call for restructuring is even more relevant today in
the light of the governance and economic challenges facing us. And the rising
tide of agitations, some militancy and violence, require a reset in our
relationships as a united nation,” he explained.
Notwithstanding, analysts argue that the situation, when
probed from how it resurged from relativity occasioned by the recommendation of
the 2015 National Conference, leaves the country with growing socio-politically
explosive implications.
Hence, the expectations are for the government to face the
situation with a re-evaluated approach in accordance with the altering
dynamics.
Damaging results
Strengthening the position in a chat with Sunday Vanguard, a
long-time proponent of restructuring and National Publicity Secretary of
Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin, likened the situation to an idea whose time has
come.
Consequently, he said urgent restructuring becomes
imperative.
His assertion was laced with a caveat to the effect that
failure to heed the calls may snowball into damaging results for the country.
Hinging his argument on the activities of the IPOB, NDA and
other patterns of demand for reworking the federation, he advised against using
military might to address the challenges.
”The calls to restructure Nigeria are the only way out for
Nigeria at the moment. On two fronts, the economy has collapsed and centrifugal
forces are now at play ”, he said.
Explaining his submission, Odumakin said:”Nigeria is on the
verge of disintegration. In the last two weeks, I have seen the Biafran
currency. I have seen the Middle Belt currency, IPOB is on the prowl. Avengers
are avenging. Herdsmen are on the rampage and there is unease in the country.
Now, the President wanted to travel and some people threatened him not to
travel. That is not the kind of country we have to be proud of.”
Confab report as
working document
The matter was also the thrust of a protest attended by
Sunday Vanguard, penultimate Thursday, where leading pro-democracy leaders made
same demand, adding that it could only be realised through the implementation
of the Confab report.
They visited the embassies of the US, Germany and Italy to
seek the support of their Presidents in the bid to get Nigeria restructured.
At the event, Executive Secretary of Nigeria National Summit
Group,NNSG, Mr. Tony Uranta, said the wave of violent agitation in Nigeria is
pushing the country to the edge. Hence, he supported the calls for
restructuring using the Confab report as working document.
“A lot of work went into that report from seasoned Nigerians
representing all walks of life and states of Nigeria. We cannot sit and watch
this nation crumble when we have a workable solution that would settle every
demand as well as set the nation on the part of greater development,” he added.
The group’s Head of Research and Strategy, Mr. Efiye Bribena, however, used
contemporary examples to buttress Uranta’s argument.
First, he explained that the choice of visiting the foreign
missions was to query why the international community is ”standing by while
Nigeria is going the way of Rwanda and Bosnia.”
Bribena said: “The President Muhammadu Buhari government as
a result of its actions is putting the country in a situation where you have
crisis all over. As we speak, there is a serious deficit in governance and the
international community is nonchalantly looking on, even as innocent civilians
are being detained without recourse to the rule of law, whilst hundreds are
being extra judicially tortured and murdered.
African Charter of
Peoples Right
”Restructuring is the only solution we can use to right the
wrongs. There is a lot of dissatisfaction among the different ethnic groups and
regions and we are saying that the National Conference report of 2014 should be
implemented.”
On her part, Secretary General, Youths Arise for Change, Mrs
Vera Okei-Shomefun, said, “Our differences as a nation need to be addressed. As
we speak, the federal government is not doing anything about the incessant
atrocities of Fulani herdsmen attacks. We are here to demand that the president
should seriously consider implementing the recommendations of the 2014 National
Conference report.”
Ayodele Akele of the Joint Action Front explained that ”the
demand for self determination is legitimate within the African Charter of
Peoples right, adding thus, “every ethnic group has the right to determine
whether they stay in a nation, and, I want to advice the president that the
language of democracy is dialogue, not force.”
That this is coming when President Buhari seems to have
dismissed the Confab report in so many reports on Democracy Day, leaves the
impression that the calls may attract nothing but official indifference.
The President had said: ”I advised against the issue of
National Conference. I never liked the priority of that government. That is why
I haven’t even bothered to read it or ask for a briefing on it and I want it to
go into the so-called archives.”
Key recommendations
In respective of that, a cursory look at the report shows
the following key recommendations among others:
Creation of 18 new
states
It recommended the creation of 18 new states from each of
the six geo-political zones. In addition, it recommended one new states for the
South-East to make the zone have equal number of states with the other zones
except the North-West which has seven. It also recommended that states willing
to merge can do so based on certain conditions.
Derivation
The Conference averred that assigning percentage for the
increase in derivation principle, and setting up special intervention funds to
address issues of reconstruction and rehabilitation of areas ravaged by
insurgency and internal conflicts as well as solid minerals development,
require some technical details and consideration.
Revenue allocation
It said the sharing of the funds to the Federation Account
among the three tiers of government should be done in the following manner:
Federal Government – 42.5%, State Governments – 35% and Local Governments
22.5%.
Land tenure
It called for the retaintion of Land Tenure Act in the
Constitution, stating that it should be amended to take care of those concerns,
particularly on compensation in Section 29 (4) of the Act.
Religion
The Confab recommended that there will be no government
sponsorship of Christian and Muslim pilgrimages to the holy lands. It also
mandated churches and mosques should begin to pay tax to government.
Anti-corruption
Provision was made for special courts to handle corruption
cases in the light of the longevity of prosecution of corruption cases in the
regular courts. A non-conviction-based asset forfeiture law should be enacted
with broad provisions to deal with all issues of proceeds of crimes by the
anti-graft agencies and the courts.
Independent Candidacy
It recommended that every Nigerian who meets the specified
condition in the Electoral Act should be free to contest elections as an
independent candidate.
Power sharing formula
Recommended was made for the rotation of presidential power
between the North and the South while the governorship will rotate among the
three senatorial districts of a state.
Immunity clause
It called for the removal of the immunity clause if the
offenses committed attract criminal charges to encourage accountability by
those managing the economy.
0 comments so far,add yours