By Polycarp Onwubiko
History was made at the
launching and public presentation of the autobiography of an elder statesman,
Chief Edwin Clark. Well-meaning Nigerians who gathered at the epoch-making
event took time to emphasize the urgency of restructuring the lopsided
federation or implementing the Report and Recommendations of the 2014 National
Conference convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan. The aim is to
restore the inexorable principles of a federal system of government practiced
in the First Republic but was abandoned by the ultra-conservative phalanx
benefiting from the Unitary-Federal contraption backed by the equally contrived
1999 Constitution.
Hear
the timely advice of the patriotic personages:
"Without adopting and
fully implementing the full Report of the 2014 National Conference and
restructuring Nigeria to ensure competitive federalism, progress on all facets
may continue to elude Nigeria, as the document contains the antidote to the
political and socioeconomic problems confronting the country. The over 600
resolutions of the conference were done with the consent of over 70 percent of
the delegates."
In his comments, Chief Edwin
Clark pointedly said: "Restructuring is vital for the survival of the country.
Without restructuring, there may be no Nigeria. It is what Nigeria needs
urgently; the regions (meaning the geopolitical zones) must develop at their
own pace."
Afenifere Chieftain, Pa Ayo
Adebanjo, in his noble exhortation, said: "I implore Nigerians not to play
with the Report and Recommendations of the 2014 National Conference. We may
never have a better Conference. The greatest job we have on hand today is to
change the current Constitution to be in accordance with the 2014 Conference.
Nigeria should not waste money on any other Conference again. We are going
nowhere if we don't implement the Report and Recommendations of the
Conference."
My
comment
President Tinubu should ignore
the 'covenant' and supposed understanding he might have had with any group of
people or section of the country who believes that restructuring governance to
restore the inexorable principles of the federal system of government will be
at their detriment. This is a grossly unprincipled, self-centered quest ostensibly
to continue their brazen exploitation of the other ethnic nationalities in
Nigeria who have been shortchanged in the distribution of the national wealth
since the Nigeria-Biafra war.
Restructuring is NOT a language
from the blues. It is simply to restore the inexorable principles of the
federal system of government as practiced in the First Republic backed with a
Constitution collectively drafted by the representatives of ethnic
nationalities. The original Constitution is made by the constituent ethnic nationalities,
while amendments are the constitutional responsibility of the National
Legislature.
Since the military autocrats
dumped the original Federal Constitution and deceptively drafted the 1999
Constitution (which is Unitary in content and pays lip service to the
inexorable principles of the federal system of government) and brazenly lied in
the Preamble that Nigerians made the Constitution, it is WRONG for the
deliberately lopsided National Assembly to embark on the amendment.
The military regime led by the
Northerner created surplus local government councils in the northern part of
the country and, without consulting the southerners, proceeded to carve out the
Federal Constituencies from the local government councils. They envisaged
(deliberately, of course) that this would give the North a great advantage of
majority members in the upcoming National Legislature. This would enable the
North to have the country inside their pockets, as all the Acts of Parliament,
Bills, Resolutions, and Motions debated in the National Assembly will be what
they want at the expense and detriment of the southerners.
That is why they stridently
kicked against restructuring the Federation with decentralized security
architecture as an integral part because they don't want State Police, which
will make the state governments enact laws to abolish open grazing, a primitive
culture where human beings are made to live in the forest and jungles and have
no regard for human lives who protest the eating up of farm produce.
The terrorists masquerading as
herdsmen are covertly and illegally permitted to carry arms, AK-47 rifles, and
conduct themselves as above the law. They have been slaughtering the indigenous
population without the police protecting the people. The terrorists
masquerading as herdsmen have embarked on ethnic cleansing in southern Kaduna
and middle belt states, mindlessly slaughtering the indigenous population,
while the lucky ones escape and are quartered in makeshift refugee
resettlement. The Federal Government pretends that there is nothing to worry
about.
Nigeria MUST have another
National Conference of ethnic nationalities to brainstorm on PEOPLE'S
CONSTITUTION where Nigerians, represented by their selected group, will
pinpoint how we want to live together in equity, fairness, and justice.
Otherwise, the brazen exploitation of the Northern Political oligarchy will
continue with adverse consequences that may not be palatable to any section of
the country.
Polycarp Onwubiko, public
policy analyst.
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