[dropcap]S[/dropcap]incerely, the analogy that best describes the word Restructuring as it relates to the Nigerian context is an ancient Indian Fable that talked about “Elephant and the 6 Blind Men.”
Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. One day the villagers told them, “Hey, there is an elephant in the village today.”
They had no idea what an elephant is.
They decided, “Even though we would not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway.” All of them went where the elephant was. Everyone of them touched the elephant.
“Hey, the elephant is a pillar,” said the first man who touched his leg.
“Oh, no! it is like a rope,” said the second man who touched the tail.
“Oh, no! it is like a thick branch of a tree,” said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant.
“It is like a big hand fan” said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.
“It is like a huge wall,” said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant.
“It is like a solid pipe,” said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.
They began to argue about the elephant and everyone of them insisted that he was right. It looked like they were getting agitated.
A wise man was passing by and he saw this. He stopped and asked them, “What is the matter?”
They said, “We cannot agree to what the elephant is like.”
Each one of them told what he thought the elephant was like.
The wise man calmly explained to them, “All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently because each one of you touched the different parts of the elephant. So, actually the elephant has all those features what you all said.”
“Oh!” everyone said. There was no more fight. They felt happy that they were all right.
The moral of the story is that there may be some truth to what someone says. Sometimes we can see that truth and sometimes not because they may have different perspective which we may not agree too.
So, rather than arguing like the blind men, we should say, “Maybe you have your reasons.”
Little wonder, the Term Restructuring in Nigeria now has the Northern and the Southern Schools of Thought.
It is now perceived in various quarters that while the South wants a Restructured Nigeria, where power is decentralised and largely devolved from the centre, the North insists that the current status quo of a Unitary Government System should remain.
Therefore, for me, having looked critically into the for and against arguments, I unequivocally align with the School of Thought that says powers should devolve just like we had it before 1966 when the first military coup took place.
Sincerely, since then, Nigeria has known no peace as the country has continued to fumble and wobble as if suffering from teething problems of new nations. This is sad after 57 years of gaining Independence.
Even when we had our independence in 1960, we never faced these calamitous leadership problems with highfalutin mistrusts among the various ethnic nationalities like we have today.
Nigeria must get it right again or die. Nigeria must have it right again like we had it pre-1966 when we practiced true Federalism, where the various regions- Northern Region, Western Region, Eastern Region (including today’s South-South geo-political zone) and Mid-Western Region had maximum control of their Resources, but only contributed some percentages to the centre.
The advent of oil boom and the attendant military coups and military regimes that followed, collapsed Nigeria’s practice of True Federalism.
Since then, it has been tales of woes, anguish and gnashing of teeth. Sadly, Nigeria is not getting it aright after 6 decades, even as our peers have left us behind.
Certainly, if this country continues like this, we may meet our waterloo in the not too distant time.
OIL PALAVA
For me, Oil should not even be the basis of the insistence of any part of the country or the current administration at the centre to insist that the current status quo continues.
For instance, we all saw how Nigeria, among other things got into recession because of the downward slide in the global price of crude oil.
In January 2016, the global crude oil price sold for as low as $29.78 per barrel. Even though the global price of crude oil as at today is around $62.06 per barrel, it’s not yet UHURU for Nigeria, as the world is now evolving away from the use of crude oil.
It is truism that by 5-23 years time from now, oil revenue will humongously lose its relevance, as countries who are major buyers of Nigeria’s crude oil are moving away from the use of petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles.
Again, many countries have found oil in large quantities, including those that used to patronise Nigeria for oil. So, where lies the relevance of Nigeria’s crude oil in the next few years to come?
Sincerely, very serious countries are focusing on alternative energy. I ask again, what is Nigeria doing?
Like the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu said recently, no part of Nigeria must nurse fears about Restructuring.
Such fears are what Nedu Nnanna, in his Best Selling Book, “Conquering Your Fears,” referred to as “Fake Fears.”
Recall that in July 2017, the United Kingdom had announced plans to stop the production of petrol- and gas-powered cars from 2040.
France has also unveiled plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2040.
Norway has strong policy actions to ensure that zero fossil fuel cars are sold in the country by 2025.
With the second highest concentration of electric cars in Europe, Netherlands is already targeting an emission-free environment by 2030, which automatically rules out petrol- and diesel-powered cars.
In fact, Netherlands wants at least 200,000 electric cars on her roads by the year 2020, which is only two years from now.
What is Nigeria doing? Pathetically we have concerned ourselves with the national discussion of trivial issues such as Tithing, Hijab and many other frivolous issues. Sincerely, I weep for this nation.
WAY FORWARD
Nigeria should waste no more time but to Restructure with devolution of power at the centre so as to reduce political tension, as well as make the centre unattractive.
Having also gone through the contents of the 2014 Confab Report, currently relegated into our national dustbins of history, I advise that that report be URGENTLY REVISITED and some of its recommendations implemented as soon as possible.
I reiterate, Nigeria either RESTRUCTURES now or expect futuristic conflict that will engulf it into ashes.
Among many other things, I suggest that Nigeria Restructures in the following areas:
- Presidency should be six-year single tenure to ameliorate the tension of seeking second terms in office like we have always had since 1999.
- The Presidency should rotate among the six geo-political zones.
- The lopsided revenue allocation formula, through which the Federal Government takes 52.8 per cent of all federally-collected revenue, the 36 states and the 774 local councils sharing 26.72 per cent and 20 per cent respectively should be revisited. The Federal Government is too far way to know what the cogent needs of the people of a State or Local Community are.
- Nigeria has no reason having more than 500 parastatals, commissions and agencies. The Stephen Oronsaye Report, in 2013 had recommended that at least 220 of such parastatals should be scrapped to free up more money to fund the capital vote and bring the benefits of governance closer to the majority of ordinary Nigerians. Why the delay implementing this Report?
- Based on content of the Second Schedule of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, Part I, I feel there is Excess powers at the centre, particularly considering the 68-Item Exclusive Legislative List.
Some of these items should be removed and put into the Concurrent and Residual Lists. They must not be the Exclusive Preserves of the Federal Government that is too far away from the people.
For instance, the Federal Government should not have full total control of:
* Mines and Minerals, including oil fields, oil mining, geological surveys and natural gas.
* Natural Parks
* Aviation, including airports, safety of aircraft and carriage of passengers and goods by air.
* Prison
* Copyright
* Insurance
* Incorporation
* Post and Telegraphs
* Trademark, Trade or other Business name
* Railways
* Weight and Measures
* Television, wireless and broadcasting, among others.
* Census, including the establishment and maintenance of machinery for continuous and universal registration of births and deaths throughout Nigeria.
* Construction, alteration and maintenance of such roads as may be declared by the National Assembly to be Federal trunk roads.
For me, in so far the road is within the boundaries of a state, the state government should take the responsibility of fixing it. He that wears the shoe knows where it pinches.
* Fishing and fisheries other than fishing and fisheries in rivers, lakes, waterways, ponds and other inland waters within Nigeria.
* Policing. I support State Policing to effectively nip crimes in the bud in various states. Our Police should be made up of our own people in the various states who know the who-is-who in the various states.
* Traffic on so-called Federal trunk roads. Look at what’s happening in Lagos today. Tankers, Trailers and other articulated vehicles have besieged all the Federal trunk roads, leaving the Lagos State Government and residents helpless.
* The formation, annulment and dissolution of marriages other than marriages under Islamic law and Customary law including matrimonial causes relating thereto.
* Water etc.
Sincerely, for me, the Federal Government should have little or no business in the abovementioned. Some of these items on the Exclusive Legislative List are too peripheral for the Government at the centre to concern itself with. In some other instances, the States and Local Communities faced with the challenges that some of these items addresses are too far for the Government at the Centre. He who wears the shoe, knows where it pinches.
Ikenna Asomba is journalist and public relations consultant.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
