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The Agitation And Clamoring For Restructuring Of Nigeria As Federation
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Nevertheless, under the current dispensation, states simply go to Abuja
monthly to collect handouts and spend it without recourse to the fact
that they need to invest on their economies. Along this sad situation,
when Nigeria is compared with Brazil, the Asian tigers and other notable
nations who were at same level with her in the 1960s, Ndoma-Egba (2017)
cited in Thisday (2017) said, the argument for or against restructuring
is simply economic and that with the current structure, development
cannot be definitely achieved since states were not created and
administered on the basis of economic consideration. For instance, each
state ought to maintain some measure of autonomy to be able to perform
like the Regions during First Republic. The clamour for restructuring
has become the political slogan that characterises the 8th Republic
particularly from the opposition camp and well meaning Nigerians.
However, the calls as Onaiyekan (2017), in Thisday (2017) observed is
premised on the fact that many things in the country are not going well
as a result of structural imbalance. He added that Nigeria‟s structural
composition needs a rearrangement since the country has an imperfect
constitution.
Since restructuring is now the “song of praise†in this
political dispensation, the answer to the question of what happens to
ethnic minority groups? Where will their religious belief be placed and
which groups gain and loss? These questions are pertinent owing to the
fact that regionalism and states creation exercises during the First
Republic and several Military regimes only perpetuated the interest of
the Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo ethnic groups. For these groups, new,
centrally funded state units represent more of conduit for federal
economic and political patronage than an instrument for securing
self-governance for the politically vulnerable communities (Suberu,
2001:128). Inevitably, the struggle for re-composition of Nigerian
political structure by ethnic minorities of the country after the
independence through the creation of states and local governments in
order to assuage the fear of marginalization by major ethnic groups
failed. Hence, Suberu asserted that ethnic minority elites have
severally condemned the increasing use of states-creation apparatus to
advance the financial and political aggrandizement of the major ethnic
groups, and to promote the economic dispossession and political
re-marginalization of the minorities.
Statement Of The Problem
The
clamour for restructuring has polarised the country. Regions in the
south believe in it, but they have different views of what it is all
about. To the Ibos in the Southeast, restructuring will guarantee
confederation in the constitution; the Yorubas in the Southwest want a
restructuring that would take the country back to regionalism; while the
South south is pushing for resource control. While the positions of
regions in the south are not irreconcilable, that of the three regions
in the north is a different ballgame. The debate has pitched the south
against the north, which is indifferent to restructuring in any form.
Eminent
leaders from the south believe what can save the country from
disintegration is restructuring. They are of the view that the unity of
Nigeria and harmonious co-existence of the various ethnic nationalities
will be strengthened by fiscal federalism and restructuring of the
polity.
In making a case for restructuring, Ijaw leader Chief Edwin
Clark said: “Nigeria is very sick today, because the Nigeria which our
founding fathers like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Sir
Ahmadu Bello bequeathed to us is no longer what we have. At
independence, we had a constitution that said there would be three
regions; no one is superior to the other.â€
To the former
Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, the
disintegration of Nigeria is imminent and the immediate solution is
restructuring. Similarly, Afenifere chieftain Ayo Adebanjo is spitting
fire that Nigeria will break up, unless zones are allowed to control
their resources.
But, the pan-northern socio-cultural group, the
Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has rejected the call for restructuring,
saying what the country needs at the moment is competent leadership at
all levels. The ACF spokesman, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, said heeding the
call for restructuring would weaken the centre. He said Nigerians
fought for the unity and that it is not possible for the north to
support anything that would cause disunity.
Vocal northern politician
Dr Junaid Muhammed said eminent citizens pushing for restructuring are
trying to blackmail Nigerians into an unclear and bogus system of
government. The Second Republic lawmaker posited that none of those
calling for the restructuring of Nigeria had been able to give a clear
cut definition of what they meant.
He added: “Until somebody can tell
me what this restructuring is all about, I won’t be convinced about the
call. These agitators of restructuring like Clark, Ayo Adebanjo, John
Nwodo and others have not actually told us what will be restructured and
how it will be done. That was how we were told that without Sovereign
National Conference (SNC) Nigeria will collapse.â€
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