In a March article, I declared that the Nigerian debacle was impossible to solve. I said I had an idea of how to address the doldrums because it stemmed from my understanding that they accompanied the inherited African state.
The conversation may now be fully clear from the analysis that has manifested on many platforms: the problem of the Nigerian state is not a crisis of development, but it was constructed not for development. Another declaration I made recently.
But there are those who want restructuring. They exist in five strata, even though their nuances of restructuring differ depending on ethnic identity, geographical location, and context of optimism. However, they all, except the last stratum, know what they want, which is different from what their apostles had in mind.
- Creationists: these categories wanted more states to be created to create more political structures and powerful men.
- Regionalists: these are those who want to disrupt the center so that they have the unchecked power to feast on the state’s resources.
- Separatists: There are the secessionists too, whose major grouse is the inability to access national power. They have once been in power, not only threatening separatist agendas but also wanting a strong unitary government.
- Local autonomists: there emerged a new restructuring bloc that demanded local autonomy from malfeasance governors.
- Confusionists: the last and worst in the strata are the confusionists, notably the academics who insist on finding initiatives on how democracy can work in a mercantilist state.
The restructuring agenda is centered on political power negotiations and distribution, which only benefit the elite circle. There is none that features economic development or the principle of good governance that the masses stand to gain from. The Nigerian state, like many African states, needs to be reset and focused on constructing a state. You cannot restructure a contraption that is destined to collapse. I dare say these five strata of restructurenists are, in my opinion, only seeking anarchy. Otherwise, how do we gain a key restructuring that harbors these different and antagonistic agendas?
If I am to speak in an ethnic sense, I will note that today’s secessionists, the Easterners, were yesterday’s statists and even Unitarians. Yesterday’s secessionists, the Northerners, are today’s statists. Today’s regionalists, the Westerners, were yesterday’s federalists. The restructuring agendas therefore represent a process of renegotiation and allocation of political power along ethnic lines. It is a lie that it is committed to Nigeria’s development.
Salako is a political activist.
3 Comments
A refreshing thoughtful and well articulated perspective. Well done! We need more political scientists and sociologists to join the discussions and debates to find a path of progress for Nigeria.
The above writer is writing from a an ignorant point of view, since he has no good knowledge of our political evolution, and has not bothered to research how the founding fathers of our nation arrived at the self reliant first Republic. The event that brought about the unitary constitution and the catastrophic effect that we are all dealing with now.
It is hoped that the restructuring embarked upon now will succeed to return our country to the path of progress as witnessed in the first Republic.
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Pls I need the phone no of this Author.
We need to have a dialogue.
He can also chat me up.
Thank you.
Engr. (Dr) Ajibola Abiola
08076550585