By Babatunde Jose
The Prophet (SAW) counselled Mu’adh bin Jabal, new Governor of Yemen as follows: ‘when you get there, my dear Mu‘adh, endear yourself to the people and do not be hostile. Be kind to them and do not be wicked. Be lenient with them and do not be harsh. Be considerate with them and do not be dictatorial. Be compassionate to them and do not be sadistic. Be sensitive to their plight and do not be indifferent. Be transparent and do not be seen as corrupt. Be a man of your words and do not be seen as a liar. Fulfil your promises to them and do not renege on such promises. Be trustworthy in utterances and actions and not be seen as a betrayer of trust. There are three signs by which a hypocrite is known. When he talks he lies; when he promises he reneges and when he is trusted he betrays. Remember that a leader is like a shepherd who cannot claim to be successful in a day until he has coasted home the last sheep in his flock. And every shepherd shall be asked by the Almighty Allah about what he does with the flock in his care’.
This historic conversation between the Prophet (SAW) and Mu‘adh confirms that good leadership is the bedrock of peace, decency and progress in any society.
What are our expectations for the year? It has been ably captured by a sister Onikepo Braithwaite: – “good and responsible governance, security, curbing of corruption to a minimal level, . . . Many are also looking forward to a restructured Nigeria, complete with true federalism, as opposed to the unitary system we are running now, and hopefully, a referendum and the drawing of a new Constitution of the people, by the people, for the people, to replace the 1999 Military Constitution.”
It would be remembered that the political ascendancy of the present president was built on the ‘German floor’ of restructuring, fiscal federalism and ‘true federalism’. His administration would be judged, among other things, by its fidelity to the realization of this all-important paradigm.
It is rather ironic that eight years and seven months into APC’s administration of the country, the issue of restructuring has remained muted: Literally consigned to the dustbin of political irrelevance. Yet, most political analysts are of the very strong conviction that restructuring stands as a pivot to the solution of the country’s problem. Even those in the opposition are beginning to mouth the slogan.
“Nigeria will remain insecure, unstable, stagnant if not restructured”, says Obasanjo; Prof. Attahiru Jega, a former INEC Chairman, claimed that except we restructure, there would be no solution to our problems. And Atiku Abubakar said, “Nigeria can’t progress without restructuring.” Ninety-nine-year-old Obi Chike Edozien, the Asagba of Asaba, Delta State, has warned that ‘sincere restructuring through amendment to the nation’s Constitution remains the panacea to successfully address the challenges of poverty and insecurity in Nigeria.’
Obi Edozien, who noted that ethnicity, which has not abated from the situation it was about 50 years, and pervasive corruption, were at the root of the problems of poverty and insecurity that have greatly undermined Nigeria’s democracy and threatened her very existence with a significant portion of the population practically losing faith in the system.
There is no doubt, the issue of restructuring is the swan song of the political elite because the tempo of the demands seems to be inversely proportional to the cohesiveness or otherwise of the political elite.
Also, in a letter, jointly signed by Edwin Clark, Ayo Adebanjo, Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Dr Pogu Bitrus and Emmanuel Ibok-Essien, insisted that only restructuring could stop the bloodletting on the Plateau.
No doubt, Restructuring has become a ‘hurrah word’, promoted by the elite when they want to capture the attention of the masses. However, when the goodies are being divided on an equitable basis among them, the decibel of the clamor becomes inaudible. Like our people would say ‘dogba dogba lan’pin eru ole’; it is when the proceeds of crime are not shared equitably that we hear the noise and accusations of cheating.
The common thread that runs through all of them is dissatisfaction with the current political arrangements where the center is so strong and has turned the idea of a federal structure on its head.
‘Federal in name, Nigeria nevertheless runs in many ways like a unitary polity where the central government wields overarching powers. Like the other federations, it has states, 36 in all, a federal territory, and 774 local government areas. However, unlike other federal systems, the central government controls along with corporate taxes, all mineral resources, power, railways, ports, and airports, and intrudes on areas such as lottery, inland waterways, hospitality, and tourism, primary school children and even marriages! Revenues accrue to the Federation Account, from where they are shared monthly among the federal, states and the LGs.’ – Punch Editorial.
Changing this structure is most desirable and doable. Even in the United Kingdom, devolution of power to the constituent components has been an ongoing exercise. For those who do not know, Scotland has its own parliament and chief minister and its own Central Bank and currency. It even field its own team for international sporting events.
In his contribution to the debate on restructuring, veteran columnist, and ace ‘guerilla journalist’, Prof. Adebayo Williams wrote: “In the history of structural reconfiguration of the country, no civilian regime with the possible exception of the First Republic has had the courage, legitimacy, and historical presence of mind to embark on a restructuring exercise.
“With political paralysis preventing the radical structural surgery needed to halt Nigeria’s slide into terminal catastrophe and with the 1999 military constitution acting as a gag on urgent reforms and productive politics, the prognosis is very dire indeed. The prospect of peaceful disintegration is not even on the card.
Without any prejudice to misgivings about the exponents of restructuring, one is tempted to offer some suggestions as minimum conditions.
· “The proposed restructuring of Nigeria must enable all of the regions or states (each with its own constitution) to decide on and have full control on matters of health, education, industrial development policy, power, agriculture, transport infrastructure, local policing, revenue mobilisation, mining, investment guarantees, local taxes and then leave the Federal Government in Abuja to decide only matters like defence, foreign affairs, immigration, international cooperation, national security and others. No more free money from Abuja to the sub-national tiers of government for unaccountable expenditure.
· Revenue allocation based on derivation with VAT collected and determined by the states or regions. Monkey should no longer work for the baboon to chop!
· The National Assembly shall have only one chamber and the President shall be elected for a single term of 6 years. Members shall sit on an ad-hoc basis and allowances shall be fixed like they do in all progressive countries. The Speaker of the House of Representatives should not be able to amass so much free money as to be able to bequeath an 80-Bed hospital to Surulere when we know he did not inherit money from his parents (a glaring proceeds of corruption).
· Local Government councils should be made more relevant and responsible.
· There must be State Police: This is a sure panacea to the current state of insecurity exacerbated by a policing system that is alien to the environment in which it operates. A police force that is not acquainted with the geography and culture of the environment in which it operates.
These are the minimum provisions of the, would be new structure: That is if our elite have the nerve to sit in conclave and deliberate on our future instead of singing ’Ajekun iya’.
In the 25 years since they have been talking of ‘resource control’, ‘fiscal federalism’, ‘true federalism’ and now ‘restructuring’, no bill has been raised in our ‘collective’ called the National Assembly.
The current president was the ‘national leader’ of the ruling party for 8 years under the presidency of APC’s Buhari, nothing was done about restructuring. He is into nearly a year as president with no indication that restructuring will be formally addressed. Not once has restructuring featured in all his addresses to the nation. Under this tainted and odious climate, we might wait till eternity for any meaningful change; definitely, not from these gangsters and human barracudas.
As my friend Professor Williams said: “. . .the Nigerian economy finally tanked after decades of serial abuse and horrendous mismanagement which qualifies for a new word in the history of state aggression against its own people and corporate larceny: econocide: the deliberate killing of a nation and its people through systematic plunder of its resources by a wayward political elite.”
Where then lies our hope for an Eldorado?
“The key to unlocking the question lies in firm, committed and disciplined leadership. If the massive anger and discontent were not to tip over, if Nigeria were to avoid the terrible fate of the sugarcane plantation rodents, it will require a stern lawgiver; a brutally self-disciplined leader who will show by example that it is no longer business as usual and that he is not hostage to any corrupt elite formation with a feudal sense of entitlement. This is what has brought Nigeria to the gate of economic and political ruination.”
According to Lasisi Olagunju, the current crop of APC leadership will be branded hypocrites “if Nigeria remains un-restructured on May 29, 2027. . . . . . .. . Now, the freedom fighter has become what he wanted to become; he should not wait one day longer before setting in motion the process to do that which he accused . . . all others of not doing. He must recreate Nigeria along the lines of its beginning. If he fails to do and achieve this, all hypocrisy synonyms will apply . . .”
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (SAW) said, “The signs of a munafiq are three: Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie. Whenever he promises, he always breaks it (his promise). If you trust him, he proves to be dishonest.
May Allah save us from the hands of hypocrite rulers.
Barka Juma’at and happy weekend and once again Happy New Year.
+2348033110822
