NIGERIA AND THE RESTRUCTURE SAGA

NIGERIA AND THE RESTRUCTURE SAGA

By Ugwu Kingsley Ifeanyi

Over the years, there has been much clamour from well meaning Nigerians for the nation to be restructured. These calls became even more with the continued agitation by some section of the country for a sovereign state. Recently at a book lunch “We are all Biafrans”, the former vice president of the federal republic of Nigeria Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who has been a champion for restructuring of the country in his words,  said, "Agitations by many right-thinking Nigerians call for a restructuring and a renewal of our federation to make it less centralized, less suffocating and less dictatorial in the affairs of our country’s constituent units and localities, As some of you may know, I have for a long time advocated the need to restructure our federation, Our current structure and the practices have been a major impediment to the economic and political development of our country”.

The likes of Prof. Wole Soyinka, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, had earlier joined the former vice president to make this call. Despite all these calls, the federal government has been indifferent to these calls. More worrisome is the fact that the attitude of the federal government has renewed the agitation by a section of the country for a sovereign state, increased insecurity, economic recession and all what not.

Recently, the current vice president Prof Yemi Osibanjo issued a press release on the subject, where he stated that “Even if states are given half of the resources of the Federal Government, the situation will not change. The only change is to diversify the economy,”

What informed the decision of the vice president is not yet explained but it is obvious the position of the government as reiterated by Prof Osibanjo is not empirical and it is against the interest of the nation. At a recent survey conducted by one of the leading newspapers in the country, it shows that most Nigerians believe that it is long overdue for the country to be restructured and that restructuring will go a long way to solve 80% of the problems we are facing today as a nation. Those refusing the restructuring should tell us why it is not necessary, and remember that only diversification and good governance cannot solve these issues.

I still hold the view that this feeding bottle federalism, this act of robbing Peter to pay Paul, which we have gradually enthroned as state policy since the fall of the First Republic, remains the cause of our economic quandary.

As a child, I started hearing the axiom "power belongs to the people" but here in Nigeria, power belongs to those in corridors of power. If actually the power belongs to the people as we are made to believe, then the demand for restructuring is a better way to actually prove the above dictum right.

It is important that the federal government take a more critical look at this issue of restructuring and other relevant issues contained in the National conference report (Confab report) and make the necessary steps to put the country on the road to greatness again through the implementation of some of these recommendations.

  

If really the power belongs to the people, then the Government should as matter of importance listen to the citizens that they govern. We need restructuring, the center is too concentrated. It needs to be diluted and to achieve that and many more we need to restructure. God bless Nigeria and her leaders.