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By Polycarp Onwubiko

The Punch editorial, titled "Tinubu, Heed Calls on Nigeria's Restructuring" dated 9th November 2023 via the National Assembly, is fundamentally flawed, discreditable, and unbecoming. 

It is disheartening that the editorial presentations by Nigeria Newspapers have been tainted by primordial sentiments, hindering efforts to address the longstanding "National Question" and, consequently, impeding the unity of Nigeria in terms of perceiving realities related to sustainable socioeconomic and political growth. This hampers the country's ability to align with the civilized nations of the world.

The amalgamation of ultra-conservative views with progressive and civilized perspectives on the Editorial Board prevents a realistic assessment of critical conditions and issues that hinder governance improvements, limiting the ability to provide recommendations aligned with those of civilized nations.

The Punch Editorial appears to advise President Tinubu to consider the calls from realistically-minded Nigerians to reinvent the principles of federalism practiced in the First Republic.

During the First Republic, the ultra-conservative Northern People's Congress (NPC) engaged in discreditable actions, including manipulating population census results and rigging elections. These actions, fueled by their ambition, led to political crises and eventually the Nigeria-Biafra war from 1967-1970.

For restructuring the country's governance, a National Conference of ethnic nationalities is imperative. The National Assembly should not be used to diminish the items in the Exclusive Legislative List due to the fraudulent 1976 Dasuki Local Government Reform, which skewed representation in favor of the North.

To address the dysfunctional governance, a National Conference of ethnic nationalities is necessary. The 1976 Dasuki Local Government Reform, which made local government a tier of government without seeking input from other ethnic groups, resulted in an imbalance in the National Assembly, favoring the North.

The editorial's call for immediate devolution of policing, fiscal federalism, and reduction of central government powers is criticized as flawed. The 1999 Constitution, shaped by a committee with a Northern majority, retained unitary principles.

The centralization of security architecture in the 1999 Constitution enables the dominance of the "Caliphate Colonialists." The reluctance to embrace decentralized security structures, like state police, has allowed issues like terrorism and illegal possession of weapons to persist.

It is emphasized that the resistance to restructuring is driven by a desire to maintain centralized security, benefiting the Caliphate Colonialists and hindering multi-level policing.

In conclusion, the Southern part of the country is urged to advocate for a National Conference of ethnic nationalities to craft a People's Constitution, similar to the First Republic Constitution, and rectify the flaws introduced by the first military coup.

Polycarp Onwubiko, public policy analyst.