It is one thing for the common man in Nigeria -by that definition we mean those who never held any posts or positions of significance at the federal level - to lament the state of things in Nigeria; occasionally pouring imprecations on the founders and rulers of Nigeria. It is a completely different thing for well educated Nigerians who held positions of responsibility at the federal level to lament the nation as currently constituted. The country has been a graveyard of the ?masses? from independence, through the years of military rule to the current civilian government. This is understandably so because there has never been a serious national movement which designed a truly united and people oriented system of government since independence from the British. Nigeria, by every indication is still a nation under a system of colonization; none of the key institutions of colonization was effectively dismantled after the exit of the British. What happened was that the ?inheritors? of the colony (this time chosen internally) were simply handed the reins of power. Nothing was reformed, or created anew. Even the common law system was left intact and the security apparatus still retain a colonial structure and mindset. The only thing that changed was that the British packed and left Nigeria. Everything else remains the same. Through the years, Nigerian leadership has been tossed from one click to the other, all within the confines of the ?internal colonialists?; each government ushers itself in by rolling out long lists of populist programs and agenda, all in attempt to woo, and deceive Nigerians, but subsequently capture and loot the treasury. However, the treasury looting part is just a by-product of the entire exercise and not necessarily the prime motive. The prime motive has always been to keep power in certain parts of Nigeria and to deny same from other parts. Operators of political conservatism in Nigeria ? a caricature of true political conservatism in other parts of the world- devise ultra-revisionist strategies to deceive the nation and buy time. What they fail or refuse to understand is that truth is immortal. Unfortunately for the 150 million Nigerians, humans are mortal, hence the need for urgency in arresting the lies and enforcing the truth in the nick of time. Else no Nigerian will remain alive by the time truth prevails. In light of this need to save the truth, it is the patriotic duty of every Nigerian to rise and defend the nation against agents who make a political career out of mass deception.
In an interview with the daily Sun Newspapers, Alhaji Jubril Aminu was quoted as saying that ordinary Nigerians support the unitary system of government than the current federal system.
Sun Newspaper: But the submission of some people is that, if you give local government elections to INEC, you undermine federalism?
Aminu: No, you don?t undermine any federalism. But if you like, you can talk about federalism, but ordinary Nigerians do not like federalism, they prefer a very strong central government, unitary system which I have advocated and I might not live to see it, but I know that we are going to get there. This country will get to a unitary system.
It is important to highlight Aminu?s response by, and to juxtapose it with the feet dragging of the current government (executive and legislature) to the issues of constitutional amendment and true federalism. This is the most enlightening information coming out of the ruling northern oligarchy since the end of the civil war. Jubril Aminu epitomizes Hausa Fulani power in its rawest and most unapologetic form; here he informs the nation ?probably for the first and only time- that northern Nigerian power brokers will never rest until the whole country becomes a unitary state. This sharply contrasts with all the posturing concerning constitutional amendments by several northern controlled or installed government (Obasanjo?s for instance). This statement says in clear terms, that northern leaders have never been sincere about true federalism and constitution amendments to institutionalize true federalism in Nigeria. Perhaps we needed such a direct information from the north to helps us better understand the issues at play. Perhaps now we can see why the Niger delta military offensive is being prosecuted with such ferocity. We can understand why there is no serious offer of dialogue on the table. In fact the Niger delta struggle is more important than a lot of Nigerians know?
Nigeria as currently constituted is overburdened with contradictions making good governance and leadership next to impossible at the center. There is something disturbing about a situation whereby a leading northern politician thinks that the nation is unitary, while almost every progressive element both in the north and south of the country thinks the future lies with true federalism. It will be next to impossible to find a leading southern politician who thinks the nation is best served by a unitary system. If anything, leading politicians in the south think that the future of Nigeria will be true federalism, outright confederation or complete dissolution. Simple rationality dictates that when a system is not serving the interests of a nation, the system is changed or replaced with a better one. There is overwhelming evidence that the current system is intrinsically dysfunctional; yet, the current system is more unitary than at any other time in Nigeria?s nearly 50 years of independence. So why will a thoroughly educated Nigerian think that the nation is best served by such an intrinsically flawed system? Is there any rational basis or scenario whereby such a Nigerian could be patriotic? Could the current system be really good for the country?
Prof Mariam Ikejiani Clerk states in unequivocal terms that Nigeria is a failed state. While delivering a lecture at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture in Onitsha, Prof Clerk said; ?We have a classical case of a non-functional state. Nigeria cannot even refine its oil. Nigeria is not functioning,? The country had failed to live up to the expectations of a modern state, having been crippled by corruption, politics of patronage and collapse of basic infrastructure. In the same lecture, she lambasted a system which could not successfully conduct a simple bye-election in wards of a state. She describes the Ekiti elections as a shame of a nation. She concluded that any talk of creating a truly functional state must begin with the people of the country sitting down to discuss how they want to form a union and how much stakes each member holds in the union.
At 50, most nations of the world have laid down solid foundations of nationhood and are moving into the next phase which is usually the phase of consolidation. The next phase as evidenced in India, Malasia, Israel and Singapore, is when such properly constituted nations start operating at the fringes of economic revolution. They start exporting highly technical products and machines. They churn out highly skilled workforce some of who set up outsource companies serving the needs of first world economies. Their economies grow at double digit rates and are not commodity dependent. They maintain huge and sustainable foreign exchange reserves which they actually lend out to first world economies. Their institutions are manned by the best and nothing but the but best; not the most politically expedient.
Contrast that with the Nigeria at 50, where the ruling party is scheming to ?capture? more states even as it has failed to provide effective leadership to the nation for 10 years. In fact the ruling party is planning to rule (irrespective of peoples will or votes) for the next 60 years. In Nigeria, a well educated, smart, hardworking and highly ambitious Central Bank Governor is replaced in the middle of a global economic meltdown, in order to satisfy sectional interests. The nation is still in darkness from failure to revolutionalize power generation and distribution. A quiet but potent insurgency is going on in a part of the country; the bone of contention? An issue which the ruling power ?as evidenced by Aminu?s statements- denies its existence.
One of the leaders of the fragmented opposition has said that with the way the People Democratic Party (PDP) is carrying on, only a military coup can free the nation from the stranglehold of the PDP. That statement should be condemned because that is what led to the first military coup of January 1966. The same call (after the NPN rigging during the 1983 elections) led to the military coup of December 1983. That call, therefore signals a dangerous decent of the civil society to lawlessness, as a direct result of the PDP style of leadership. However, the call is likely to go louder as the PDP continues to choke the political space. History has shown that democracy can only be sustained when there is a viable opposition. In fact it should be in the interest of the ruling party for the opposition to be robust and viable. Opposition gives vibrancy to the political process and offers a steady voice to dissent. Even some PDP chieftains understand the need for dissension in building a sustainable democratic culture, and lamented the open rigging that marked the Ekiti elections.
The PDP agenda of seizing the entire political space seems to echo the views of Aminu who is an open advocate of unitary system for a nation of 150 million with at least 5 viable nationalities. It is time that lovers of peace and democracy prevail upon the PDP and the current government, to spare Nigeria a predictable conflict which can engulf the entire West African sub-region. Already the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has intensified its attacks on oil installations and vow to bring Nigeria?s oil export to zero. The Nigerian military on the other hand has vowed to ?crush the militants?, thereby setting the stage for a conflagration. The only certainty coming out of both threats is increase in civilian deaths and environmental degradation caused my bombings and blowing up of oil pipelines.
There are sane alternatives to these and Nigerians know better. We as a nation can rise above the unreasonable belligerency, to seek a more perfect union through the pursuit of peace and justice. We as Nigerians need to sit down and talk.
(okechukwugregory@yahoo.com)
Chicago, IL USA
