On 31st March 1953, Anthony Eromosele Enahoro, 29, and a member of the Action Group, moved a motion for independence from British colonial rule on the floor of the Nigerian Parliament. He proposed 1956 as the year when the British must leave. His motion captured the aspirations of a vast and growing majority of Nigerians at the time. Surprisingly, Enahoro’s motion was opposed by a coalition of parliamentarians from the North. They proceeded to stage a walk-out which effectively crippled the motion. Their reason: The North was “not ready for self rule” as the region did not have enough skilled manpower to take over key positions to be vacated by the British.
The world watched in utter amazement as Enahoro’s motion was stood down. The honor of being Africa’s first country to gain independence from colonial rule subsequently went to Ghana, under Kwame Nkrumah, in 1957. Nigeria’s loss was Ghana’s gain.
The 1953 incident marked the beginning of a long series of events by which Nigerian politicians, regional or ethnic champions as well as religious leaders routinely sabotage proposals, sometimes in the overall best national interest, for the simple reason that such proposals may not yield optimal leverage for their sections of the country. Nearly every group or region is guilty of this. Sacrificing national interest to achieve sub-national or even private goals has become acceptable behavior.
Today, almost 70 years on, calls to “Restructure the Nigerian Federation” on the basis of justice, fairness, equity and equality of all citizens, have fallen into peril thanks to this strange Nigerian code of conduct. As noble as the idea of restructuring is for national advancement, it is viewed by some as a threat and may ultimately be decided on the basis of narrow sectional interests.
So, what are the forces behind current resistance to what looks like a brilliant and progressive idea? Who is against a more just and egalitarian Nigeria and why? What are the spoken and unspoken considerations driving “Northern resistance” to what looks like a universal good? Why is the ghost of 1953 coming back to haunt Nigeria? Who stands to gain from an unchanged Nigeria mired in injustice, bitterness, discontent and strife?
This writer has been researching the subject with a view to finding a pathway forward in the midst of ostensibly conflicting political interests and calculations. My finding: There are more myths than facts at play. Let’s consider some of those myths and examine their validity.
- The North doesn’t want restructuring, only the South does. This is a fallacy. The vast majority of the peoples of Northern Nigeria are dying to have the country restructured. These include the marginalized Habe (Hausa), the Talakawa (commoners), the teeming Northern “minorities”, the pauperized Cattle and Town Fulani and the many “silent” groups of the Middle Belt. Oppressed for generations through a deliberate policy of poverty and limited educational opportunities, these groups are currently in the lowest rungs of human development indices. They would do anything to be liberated from their misery and that includes changing the way Nigeria is governed. So who are those that don’t really want restructuring? They are a handful of feudal elites, politicians and their cronies who have ruled parts of Northern Nigeria since the jihads of 1804 – 1810. They were dispossessed by the British between 1904 and 1960, and dubiously reinstated on the eve of independence to spite the more progressive leaders from other parts of Nigeria who gave Britain a tough time.
- The North will lose everything if Nigeria is restructured. False! The North will gain everything instead. It will gain the liberation of its vast human resources trampled underfoot for centuries by a few scheming politicians using a combination of religion, economics and ignorance. It is only these tyrants that stand to lose if Nigeria is restructured. They will lose their unearned access to the national treasury. They will lose the power which their unmerited wealth gives them over the poor masses of the North. Once the people’s eyes are opened by unfettered education, their vast potentials will be unleashed. In a few generations, they will level the gap with the South – just as the South closed the educational gap with the British.
- There will be war if the South insists on restructuring. This is another falsehood used to scare the fearful among us. Who will fight that war? Who will fight against whom? The Northern and Southern elite are too cowardly to fight. They are too used to comfortable living and will not send their own children to the fronts. The children of the poor whom they have used for so long are no longer willing to be sacrificed for their fraud. The peoples of the Middle Belt who were sent as proxy fighters during the civil war have seen the light since the atrocities of the Herdsmen and will no longer be used. The peoples of the Southwest, Midwest & South-south who were used to divide the power of the South have seen the nakedness of treacherous Feudal ambition and will no longer be fooled. Nigeria’s feudal and political elite are totally exposed and vulnerable for the first time. The only two sides left to “fight” are the long suffering masses of Nigeria on the one hand, and their long-standing oppressors on the other. It will be a total mismatch. The oppressors don’t know how to fight. They only know how to manipulate others to fight on their behalf, and then emerge from their bunkers to take power. They will flee in horror or die in the hands of irate mobs once the people turn against them – Just as the French Monarchy crumbled and fled during the French Revolution.
- Restructuring will result in Southern states getting more money than Northern states. False. Restructuring is about equal opportunity for every Nigerian, irrespective of ethnicity, region, birth, tongue or creed. Productivity, ability and contribution will count for more. It’s about a level playing field for all, including individuals, villages, towns, cities, states and regions. It’s about equity, justice and fairness. It’s about merit being the overriding driver of society. It’s about recognizing and rewarding each individual or unit for what they are able to do for society, not who their parents are, their faith or the region of the country they come from. It’s about bringing out the best from each Nigerian. It’s about increasing Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global arena. Since every region of the country is equally gifted with talented and energetic people, in the long run all will be happier knowing that they were fairly treated.
- The Federal Government will become weaker than states if Nigeria is restructured. False. No federating state or region will be as powerful as the central government even with the most radical restructuring possible. Just as no state in the US is as strong as the US Federal Government. The exclusive legislative list of the 1999 Constitution has 68 items reserved as the responsibility of the Federal Government. That list is excessive and burdensome. It was drawn up by a military government intent on consolidating its grip on power, not developing the country by unleashing the creative energies of the people. Restructuring would actually mean taking away some of the extra burdens of responsibility currently weighing down the FG and spreading them among other levels of government more competent and effective in handling them. It would leave the FG to handle only what it is best at – like defense, external affairs, etc.
Most people agree, for instance, that local law enforcement should no longer be controlled from Abuja which is far removed from local realities and too slow to respond adequately. If restructured, law enforcement (police) would be shared between local government, state and federal units. A police unit controlled by the local government authorities will be more knowledgeable of local crime situations and respectful of local norms and sensibilities. If such powers are abused, the local government executive knows he would lose the next election or even face impeachment or recall. It is not so currently. Local crime officers frequently have to get permission and resources from state, zonal and federal levels before they can act effectively in major crime situations. This is needless bureaucracy.
Similarly, in finance & revenue matters today, FG controls and collects from the major sources. It then distributes to all the 774 LGAs, 36 states and Abuja FCT. If restructured, states may be responsible for generating and collecting revenues from sources located within their boundaries. This will be co-supervised by Federal officers. Revenues so collected will be shared according to a constitutionally agreed formula between the state and FG. This would encourage each state to be more creative and competitive in sourcing revenues from its area since this would determine its own financial wellbeing. Currently, most states in Nigeria simply wait for their monthly federal allocations. There is no incentive for creativity, initiative and hard work. This is why Nigeria is getting progressively poorer. Healthy competition improves standards and outcomes for all.
- The South will dominate the North if restructuring happens. False. Each state in a restructured federation would still retain significant autonomy. A man from Oyo cannot become Governor of Bauchi unless he goes there to live, contest election and be voted in by a majority of voters. Similarly, someone cannot go from Kebbi to become Governor of Ebonyi unless he meets all constitutional requirements and gets the mandate of Ebonyians. So the fear of domination is totally misplaced and unfounded.
That said, one of the cardinal principles of restructuring canvassed by well-meaning Nigerians is to redefine the basis of citizenship from place of ancestral origin to place of birth or residence. This means than an Ibrahim Shehu or Nsikak Effiong, born and raised in Anambra and Lagos respectively, and paying their taxes there, can claim those states as places of origin. They can also contest elections there, just as a Biodun Olajimi or Chinedu Okafor can become bonafide citizens of Sokoto and Katsina states respectively if they so wish and meet new citizenship regulations in a restructured Nigeria.
- The North is better off with Nigeria’s current structure. This is also false. It is simply a mindset formed by Northern politicians during colonial times with the encouragement of the British for the purpose of keeping Nigeria under colonial rule for as long as possible. In truth, the peoples of the North get no benefits from blocking progressive ideas ostensibly from other parts of the country. Backwardness profits no one. If Nigeria is more just and equitable for every citizen, Northerners will profit just as much as people from other regions. Indeed a restless and justifiably angry South (or any other region for that matter) is a burden to all.
- Restructuring is a roundabout way of asking for Biafran Secession, Oduduwa Republic & the breakup of Nigeria. False again. It is a patriotic call for reform of the faulty pillars of the Nigerian federation which have kept the nation backward for so long. These pillars include a fraudulent constitution, false population censuses, warped regional, representational and revenue arrangements, rigged elections and an over-centralized (unitary) government that pretends to be a federal republic.
The net effect of these structural defects is to promote mediocrity, nepotism, corruption and a negative value system that suppresses hard work, innovation and public good. It is only if the noble goals of restructuring are frustrated by reactionary forces that Biafrans, Oduduwans, Niger Deltans, Middle Belters and other restive component groups may wish to be excused from the Nigerian “federation” in peace. “Restructuring” is a desperate call for equity and a metaphor for authentic reform. It is in tune with the private aspirations of practically every Nigerian across all divides. It is a call for national rebirth on grounds of truth, virtue, justice & fairness. That such a patriotic call is interpreted as desire for a breakup can only be the handiwork of mischief makers and those profiting from the suffering of the majority.
- The President, Governors & Legislators speak for the people in resisting restructuring. False. They speak for themselves alone and for their small circle of privilege holders who are currently getting a Lion’s share of national resources for no real work done. These people constitute a small fraction of the population of Nigeria, majority of whom are in grinding poverty and praying for redemption. But the politicians use the people of the region as cover for their real motives – state capture.
Stripped of all lies and pretenses, resistance to restructuring Nigeria is simply an attempt to protect unfair economic and power interests neatly woven into the Nigerian Constitution and every other pillar of the governance structure since 1953. That structure lavishly caters for only a few, quite possibly less than 50,000, who are in positions of power across the country. They are in every region of the country – North, South, East and West. The structure promotes not the rise of philosopher-kings and genuine leaders but criminal fiefdoms and war lords. They unlawfully control the political parties and rig elections to get to the top. The rest of Nigeria’s 200 million people are literally sidelined and pauperized by a leadership that pretends to represent the people. In truth, the system is designed by colonialists and military juntas to divide and emasculate the people.
To say that Nigeria, in its current state, is in no need of urgent structural intervention is not a statement of patriotism. It is a statement of denial and culpable negligence. This is a country with no sense of nationhood and common purpose. A country once ranked among the next great nations of the world which now sits comfortably as the Poverty and Insurgency capital of the globe. If the governance structure was working, why are the results so poor? Especially for a people so blessed and so energetic.
Victor Anazonwu, a historian, journalist and author, is on the Editorial Board of The Renaissance Online Magazine.
