The drum of restructuring is beating everywhere in the country. I am not a fan of restructuring in this trying time, because of its divisive leaning. And also, I believe in sincerity, not restructuring. This is my humble take on the issue, although many reasons justifying restructuring have presented themselves as events have unfolded across the country. Naturally, people yearn for change whenever their situation becomes worrying. In addition, laws also have life and, as such, should be reviewed to suit the changing environment.
In the Nigerian case, the affairs of the state are always determined by the elites. The same set and calibre of people who produced the 1999 constitution would represent us in the upcoming national conference. What would change in them will only be ages, experiences and needs, while their interest and orientation will remain unchanged. They would sit and deliberate eloquently and decide for the next generations to come. But this time around, they must respect some of our demands, irrespective of their orientations and interests. As the youth become more hostile, the privileges and the security the elites enjoyed are reducing; thus, they will be mindful of the youth’s aspirations. Additionally, there is growing awareness on the part of most Nigerians – be it positive or negative. The participation and contribution of all representatives in the conference would be on record, and this will indeed control its outcome.
Today, Nigerians have diverse thoughts about the state they want to live in, owing to the situation surrounding the country. The younger generation is worried, as opportunities to take their affairs into their own hands keep shrinking. And the older elites are subdivided into two: those not in power and those in power, with both groups having differing aims. The ones not in power had already joined in the agitation for restructuring, forgetting that they also missed the opportunity while in charge.
On the other side, the elites in power are overwhelmed with the situation at hand as it currently stands, seeking stability and calmness to maintain their shaky positions. They want to avoid any national phenomenon as it appears to be distractive to their course. The yearning of this trio will always shape Nigerians’ views about what restructuring entails. Other subgroups, meanwhile, are drawn from the pool of academics and politicians reclining on geopolitical zones to project their positions on devolution of power. The southern groups of elites are sickened by the demographic distribution of the north, which gives the north an upper hand in every political climate; on the other hand, the northern elites feel that the agitation is instead intended to clip their wings and moderate their demographic privileges.
Therefore, any regional champion of restructuring that toes toward the line of regional sentiments will score cheap popularity. Even though, these sentiments are the least of our problems, but rather, they will become a thorn in the flesh of any progressive idea. Hence, tribal and regional inclinations on restructuring debates might tend to water down the vital arguments for restructuring, consequently resulting in waste of resources and possible production of a biased document, the content of which might be a menace, even to the ultimate end product-federating units.
Conversely, the term restructuring, while it may be simple to pronounce, can be contentious and technically challenging to define, even among experts, lawyers and public administrators. The agitators loosely think of it in terms of a structure that reduces power at the centre, empowers state governors, or creates federating units to achieve confederation. All these demands can be accepted without much hesitation from many sections of the country. The northerners, for their pride, will be glad to have their independence despite the monumental setback they could face in the future, one in which there is no cake to share at the centre. But for the humiliation and sheer contempt they face from other regions, they may accept a referendum that takes them back to the farm. The south-west will joyfully accept a degree of independence from chaotic Nigeria for their milestone in education, strategic position (seaports) and stronghold in the country’s finance. It is on record that they were on the verge of success for the road map their heroes set before it got truncated. The youths of the south-eastern extraction living within the region will happily sign any referendum that sets them free from other regions, believing they were dragged back by others from achieving their dream country, banking on their resilience and commercial cleverness. However, the elderly among them with interests all over the nation will surely give it a second thought.
Therefore, it is always challenging to understand the term “restructuring”, especially in this trying time when security challenges ranging from banditry, extremism, kidnapping and the raging activities of unknown gunmen keep weakening the string that holds the country together. The economy, which also enables the flow of income to the different economic agents, is strangulated. The economic saboteurs who bring hardship to the Nigerian populace now play saint in the restructuring saga. The governors who refused the structure within the ambit of our current constitution, that directly benefits the third tier of government (local government), will also contribute their quota in the campaign – as if they care. The present and the then high-ranking civil servants, liberated academics, political appointees and house members cruising in millions of Naira entourage (cars) would be at the forefront; deliberating the restructuring demands. Because they understood we chose to be gullible, hence, they will keep playing to the gallery.
Politically, I don’t represent anyone but always like to give my humble advice to those that care to listen. The north got many opportunities to decide for the country but always chose unity – the unity it could not achieve within itself. The north-central, a strategic section of the region, is not happy with leadership in the north due to the sheer lack of trust. The activities of religious and political leaders threw the region into a dilemma for years. In addition, the poverty and high illiteracy rate aggravated the security situation in the region. Still, the leading players in the political scene folded their arms, buying assets worth billions of Naira in the less volatile states. Many house members who claimed to have won their constituencies are hiding in Abuja and other safer zones. Elites from Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger never find it necessary to host fora to deliberate on their common problem. They all look on to the federal government to resolve the pains caused by their negligence and poor governance, which long preceded the Buhari’s regime.
Let us return to the restructuring campaign: the north will be better off with the worst choice – creating federating units with the regions as a confederation. Here, “confederation” implies that the relationships among regions will be based on sovereign independence, with a weaker centre and each region fending for itself. The arrangement will benefit the north from two perspectives.
First, the north will understand the benefit of coexistence among different groups and tribes. The absence of the centre will create the need for competitiveness and interdependence because by nature resources are unevenly distributed. Thus, each section of the region will harness its potential to the fullest, and depend on one another to succeed.
Second, the political gamble to hold onto the power will diminish because there will be no cheap funds to squander. Resources to fund the region’s affairs would be derived from taxes and charges, which would always call for transparency and accountability. Over time, the region would develop a thick skin and metamorphose into an egalitarian system, where leaders must respond to the need of their citizens. A region with a wide span of arable land to feed its populace and resources, such as gold, lead-zinc, limestone, marble, radioactive minerals and iron ore to grow its economy would exist and excel. The only challenge would be, building a society upon the ideology of competence, fairness, dedication and competitiveness, replacing the traits of mediocrity and idleness upon which the current system was built. With this in mind, Nigeria would remain great, and the north would understand its diversity and build upon its potentials to get the best bargain as a region.
Dr Ahmad, a chartered accountant, is a public finance and corporate governance expert based in Abuja
