Lately, the call for the country’s re-structuring is unbridled.
The clamour for it rents the air as if without it , the country shall go
asunder. The issue is over-dramatised to the point of nausea, and to such
degree that every Tom , Dick and Harry is climbing on the bandwagon of the
agitation for re-structuring whether or not they understand re-structuring, its
processes and implications.
If it is
examined critically, it shall be discovered that the agitation for
re-structuring is from disgruntled elements; those whose political horizon is
bleak and their influence, not to mention affluence, is progressively ebbing.
For an example, if a person like Atiku Abubakar, with 954 votes compared with
Muhammadu Buhari’s score of 3,430 votes in the 2015 APC primary election, was
successful to be the sitting President today, would he be calling for
re-structuring? Definitely not. Therefore, the callers for re-structuring are
not sincere.
None of the
callers for re-structuring except Chief Emeka Anyaoku who once suggested that
the country should be collapsed to six geo-political zones has explained what
they really want. This is physical re-structure and not power re-structure. In
my piece on March 2, 2016, titled “Of Buhari’s Critics, Counsellors”. I opposed
this, because I doubted if any of the existing states could be prepared to
surrender its hard-earned autonomy.
In the past 53 years, states were created.
In 1960, there were three regions – West, East and North ; in 1963 , Midwest
was created ; in 1967 , it increased to 12 states ; 1976 produced 19 states
;1987 witnessed 21 states ; in 1991 , it increased to 30 states ;1996 ,36
states ,with the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja , meaning that seven times
, the country was re- structured . Therefore, if someone suggests the collapse
of 36 states to six, it is to put back the hand of the clock. The reasons for
the creations were to enhance holistic competitions and bring governance to the
door of the people. A collapse has the opposite effect of suppressing
competition and governance.
Every protagonist of restructuring hinges the argument on the National
Conference of 2014. In
the first place, that the ex-President (Dr.) Goodluck Jonathan, held on closely
till the end of his tenure to organise the Conference demonstrated clearly his
facetiousness. A more thoughtful and earnest President would not wait till the
dyeing days of his administration for an important Conference. Of course, the
PDP contemplated ruling the country for 60 years. One was not surprised at
Jonathan’s antics and tactics. Therefore, if the sitting President Muhammadu
Buhari describes the National Conference of 2014, with 454 members on whom N9
billion was expended, as wasteful, he is right.
There are
too many problems for Buhari to contend with. Without claiming to be the
President’s advocate, I am aware that like a juggler with many balls in the
air, there are the problems of corruption, insecurity, unemployment and the
unsafety of the pipelines central to our economic survival. Now, some
disillusioned politicians are adding the bogey of “re-structuring” to cause
diversion, create sin jobs for themselves and thereby disgrace a well-meaning
government. Corruption is the most debilitating to our growth. A former U.S.
Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright and a former Assistant Secretary of
State for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, once called on President Muhammadu
Buhari to tackle corruption as his first order of business. In a joint piece by
the duo, published in U.S. Nigeria
Latest in
the series of corruption is the $2.1 billion arms deal, shared by our leaders,
who nearly dispatched innocent soldiers to their untimely graves for failure to
confront well armed Boko Haram insurgents. The protagonists of re-structuring
are unperturbed by these revelations. What with the gargantuan retrieval of
funds from looters within the past one year, and the expectation for additional
sums? Proponents of “re-structure” are yet to convince Nigerians of such
parallel achievement in the annals of our history.
Consequent upon President Umaru Yar’Adua’s demise on May 5, 2010, the Vice-
President Goodluck Jonathan first acted, but was later confirmed to become the
country’s 14th president. His boss bequeathed a Seven-Point Programme to him.
Jonathan’s regime remained the most corrupt. In my considered opinion, those
who are crying hoarse to high heavens over re-structuring are merely trying to
draw red-herrings across the trail.
Talking of
allocation formula. This has been a topic of contention for ages. Is it
determined by the principles of derivation or of needs? If there is state
police, will it not be politicised by the party in control in the state?
One-time chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and Rivers State Governor,
Chibuike Amaechi now in Buhari’s administration, reiterated that the forum
adopted a unanimous resolution during its summit endorsing state police as a
solution to the security challenges in the country. Amaechi was reported to be
the proponent of state police. All the 31 members in attendance at the forum
supported the call for state police. On true Federalism, military regimes of
decades caused its atrophy which can be rectified with time. Therefore, as a
concerned citizen, I believe that President Buhari must not be stampeded into
putting the cart before the horse.
* Oshisada, a veteran
journalist, lives at Ikorodu, Lagos
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