By Nze Nwabueze Umeji-Akabogu
The current debate on the vexed issue of restructuring of the Nigerian polity seems to be on the front burner of national discourse. The rather tense debate across the Political spectrum in the country on the imperative for the urgent devolution of power to the Federating Units based on regional arrangements seem to have captured the present mood of the Nigerian People who for long had suffered under the terrible weight of over centralization of power at the centre to the detriment of the Federating units.
It has become absolutely necessary therefore, that this terribly flawed democratic system which was imposed on the people by the erstwhile military regime should be jettisoned or dismantled as a matter of utmost urgency to pave the way for a truly Fiscal Federalism in the country.
It is pertinent to observe that Nigeria achieved her Independence from the erstwhile British Colonial Powers in 1960 on the basis of the tripod mantra as was agreed upon by our founding fathers whereby the original three regions of the North, East and West enjoyed considerable autonomy within the Federation. The regions then controlled their resources both on land and sea.
They equally had their own constitution; anthem and flag. Nigeria was then operating the ideals and tenets of True Federalism even as the regions had their respective Ambassadors known as Agent-Generals in the United Kingdom (UK) during that memorable era as was recently amplified by the elder statesman Chief Olu Falae who is one of the strong advocates for regional autonomy. Each region created its own Provinces and districts or divisions as well as organizing elections within its territory.
And under the Richards Constitution, the Regions were granted self government in 1957 with the exception of the Northern region where the Late Premier Sir Ahamadu Bello had declared that the North was not yet ready for self government and only the Eastern and Western Regions enjoyed self rule. It is no gainsaying the fact that Regional System of Government has tremendous benefits or advantages as against the current suffocating and retrogressive Unitary Government that has terribly retarded the socio-economic cum political development of the nation since the advent of the 1999 anti-people’s constitution.
In the United State of America (USA) from where Nigeria borrowed the Presidential System of government, each State has considerable powers and autonomy and maintains its peculiarity as a State. Every State in the US operates its own judicial system even as it has its own Court of Appeal and Supreme Court as distinct from the Federal Judicial System.
Each state has its own Municipal, Country and State Police even as security management is simply local hence, the operatives of the Police Establishments were recruited locally from the State thereby ensuring effective policing within the State.
Furthermore, under the U.S Constitution, each State is at liberty to withdraw or exit from the Union whenever it wishes to leave the Union (US). The States voluntarily came together to form the United States of America (USA) which is a complete contrast to the Nigerian system whereby Nigeria created her own States based on the whims and caprices and primordial sentiments of the ruling class and hence, the perennial political quagmire the country has unfortunately found herself today.
It is needless to emphasize the point that Nigeria is currently on cross roads and urgently needs soul searching and decisive action to correct the obvious anomaly in her political system. It is instructive to note however, that time is no longer on the side of the country called Nigeria as things have already fallen apart and the centre could no longer hold. Time is running out for the country to avert the looming catastrophe and possible disintegration of the Nation.
The only viable option open to the country is to quickly return to the parliamentary system of government as was successfully operated under the 1963 Republican constitution whereby the regions formed the Federating units with considerable powers and fiscal autonomy. The present six geo-political zones and possibly increased to eight would form the federating units and be called regions or canton or indeed any other suitable name.
All the States within the regions would be under the authority of the respective regions. The States with residual or limited powers within the regions could retain their present nomenclature or be called provinces as was obtainable under the 18963 Republican Constitution. The new regions or whatever name to be called would be at liberty to create as many States or provinces within their areas of authority or jurisdiction as they deem fit.
Each region under a brand new constitution would control its own resources and required only to remit an agreed percentage to the centre or Federal Government for its own statutory functions. The recommended new arrangements would obviously encourage healthy competition among the various regions as each region would develop at its own pace and would not be dependent on the Federal government for its survival as is the case with the current archaic, obsolete and unworkable Federal system of government which obviously is an aberration of the ideals and tenets of a true federalism.
It is hereby recommended that all the previous constitutional conferences held in the past in the country such as the much discussed 2014 National Confab among others should immediately be exhumed, harmonized and blended into a brand new Nigerian constitution to be called a truly people’s constitution.
Many advanced nations of the world that are operating a truly Federal System of Government based on their socio-cultural diversities such as the US, Switzerland, Canada, India etc had maintained their unity and also made tremendous progress in the socio-economic cum political development within their respective nations.
The concept of unity in diversity could equally be achieved in Nigeria if the country today could adopt a new constitution that would embrace the ideals and tenets of a true Fiscal Federalism whereby the component regions of the country would enjoy unfettered freedom, dignity, justice and fairness in the affairs of the nation without any inhibition or impediment whatsoever.
The clock is already ticking and Nigeria has no luxury of time but to quickly put her hopelessly divided house in order to avert the impending doom and ultimate collapse and dismemberment of the utterly unwieldy and unworkable political union called Nigeria which is currently staring the nation in the face, even as the country is presently sitting precariously on the keg of gun powder waiting to explode.
This rather ugly and extremely frightening scenario could only be avoided if her leaders could summon up the political will and courage to embark on the urgent Restructuring of the Polity without any further delay. It is said that a stitch in time saves nine and Nigeria could still be saved for the benefit of our present and future generations.
Nze Nwabueze Umeji-Akabogu (JP) is a Regular Public Affairs
Commentator and Analyst.
He wrote from Enugwu-Ukwu, Anambra State.
G.S.M: 08074942671, 07037256684
E-mail: nzenwabuezeakabogu@yahoo.com
25th June, 2024
