TonyeBarcanista:

When discussing intellectually always avoid bringing petty gist.

Which part of the constitution allows for Referendum? Why do we like to rely on lies? If you think federalism is about good roads then you should stop quoting me plz as I feel embarrassed.

I know it's not your fault at all because most Nigerians are misinformed on the concept of federalism. No sane or insane country worldwide practice the kind of system we are practicing. I mean our system is beyond just insanity

The presidential powers under the 1999 constitution as amended gives the power to the president to call a referendum. it's a presidential power. what else is federalism about? resource control state police fiscal autonomy.....

You are deluded if you think all that will magically solve all the problems. I just told you that Ibori and Co and all the former govs have mismanaged tons of funds... and you are here clamoring to give them more when they have squandered the little they got. How will resource control make things better? it will just be giving power to a new set of rogues....Imagine if these criminals have there own state police...you can imagine the brazen impunity that will be going on....

If you can't see all these then i don't know what to say.

The system we run in Nigeria is absolute madness! It vexes my soul to see people writing that the problem if Nigeria is her people, not the system.

May I make it known that humans naturally abhor being controlled; it is then the system and laws in place that mould and force humans to flow in a particular direction.

Isn't it madness to have a constitution without referendum? Whether for determination of rights, the way a country is run, or whatever, the input of the masses MUST be considered. Isn't it obvious that the people who wrote the current constitution had a sinister mindset of controlling the Nigerian populace forever?

Confabs, and all its likes, are nonsense. We run a repressive system of government where the President is EVERYTHING, the politicians are SOMETHING, and the people are NOTHING.

It will not always be this way. People will keep fighting until the center can no longer hold and things will indeed fall apart, except the errors are rectified now.

Convenient or not, nigeria as it is is sinking

Time to do something different for the sake of your children and grandchildren so that they may have a better future

This is not the time for mindless politics

dyydxx:

ll just be giving power to a new set of rogues....Imagine if these criminals have there own state police...you can imagine the brazen impunity that will be going on....

If you can't see all these then i don't know what to say.

Let me stop you there on resources control snd state police. Resource control handing control to governors dumb but to individuals like you and no. This will make people land owners not occupiers. Get direct access to royalty money if there something in land. Easier collateral for banking.

State police I disagree with but local police are good. We had them in previous system that worked great. The police were international recognized for good work they did in training Congolese Police.

Next like above the process needs to be democratic people should vote of their sheriff like is done in places like United States. Federal police can still exist with more specific functions. I have whole form post explainin concept and historical backing.

The second link is about LG autonomy. I wrote about weakness embedded in structure. People play by rules if Nigerians are self destructive as you seem to believe inherently it shouldn't matter what comes next.

https://www.nairaland.com/3768272/why-nigeria-needs-state-local

https://www.nairaland.com/3744204/no-tyrannical-governors-yes-local

TonyeBarcanista:
Pls stop insulting sanity and commonsense.

All I see is "Military appoints" so and so to do so and so. who is even the military? From where did they derive authority? Have you heard about REFERENDUM? The people are said to have input when proposals for a country's system pass through referendum, otherwise, it is RUBBISH.

WHY did Turkey hold referendum to amend the country's constitution? Why didn't the PM setup "committee" or confab to do the job? Why didn't Britain setup committee to determine Brexit? Why did it go through referendum? Take a look at the Americans and their first, second, third etc amendment, it went through referendum for it to be considered sacred.

I don't blame you Sir, because most Nigerians have little or no idea on how people determines system of government.

Oga, Turkey wey be say the opposition is crying foul which just buttresses my point. You can try any style, method, format, structure you want. If the people are intent on sabotaging it, it will not work.

Blue3k:
I read alot of sides but I do think restructuring could work better. I don't see point going back to region again they were fragmenting just like states did because minorities felt marginalized. I don't agree with allocation system and federal government owning all land and mineral rights exclusively.

Alot of this is nature vs nuture. Good policies will make this nation better. The millitary government distorted some of the progress due to their tendencies of centralization.

The LG failed due to constitutional handicap. I wrote 1000 word piece on it.

http://www.waado.org/nigerdelta/Nigeria_Facts/MilitaryRule/federalism_ekeh.htm

You made good points in that piece but what you did not identify is the tendency of Nigerians to mess-up every conceivable method of governance under the planet.

maclatunji:


You made good points in that piece but what you did not identify is the tendency of Nigerians to mess-up every conceivable method of governance under the planet.

Thank you just hope you got right one. That long Article was not written by me. Mine is on Nairaland.

https://www.nairaland.com/3744204/no-tyrannical-governors-yes-local

TonyeBarcanista:
It's obvious that a lot of people don't know the effect of a working system in a society. Unfortunately, you are among this group.

Why would an educated man play down the importance of restructuring simply because of unfounded fear that the new system won't be of favor to him even when such is unfounded?

For the sake of emphasis, a restructured Nigeria that operates Federal system will solve problems of continuous cry of marginalisation by almost every part of the country, it will help tackle insecurity, it will open the eyes of citizens to elect leaders that are capable because they know that doing the contrary will spell doom on them since no free money will come from anywhere, it will also lead to development of federating units.

Even thought I agree that we need to restructure the country, restructuring is not a magic wand that will solve all our problems. Our values also need restructuring else the same problems will beset Rivers State if it were made a sovereign country.

We need to also define what we mean by restructuring. If restructuring means the number of regions or states we want to divide Nigeria into, then we are simply multiplying the problems.

wirinet:

Even thought I agree that we need to restructure the country, restructuring is not a magic wand that will solve all our problems. Our values also need restructuring else the same problems will beset Rivers State if it were made a sovereign country.

My brother, the beauty about restructuring is that the people will understand that they and their elected leaders are to blame should their society go wrong instead of looking for blame game of the north or some elite. It solves the agitation against marginalisation as no group will hold the other responsible for their underdevelopment anymore. Because there will be state Police with locals, it helps solve crime and investigation without the usual tribal coloration. People will also cooperate with security agents knowing that These agents are their own brothers and sisters.

I agree with you on the need for change in values and I also insist that restructuring is very necessary especially at this time.

TonyeBarcanista:
There is no lie anywhere, Nigeria has never given this issue the needed attention at any time.

What Ironsi and other Generals did was not restructuring but putting system in place to consolidate their hold on power. Nobody asked Ironsi to abolish regional system, he did it for his personal interest.

We now operate a fraudulent constitution that was imposed on us by Abdulsallam and his friends without any space for REFERENDUM, neither were Nigerians involved at any stage in the draft of the system we presently practice. Where lies the Power of the people? Why should Nigeria be structured in a way that leaders at state level still look up to Abuja? Which society is that done? No wonder Abuja determines who becomes who become what at state level.

Guy why are you always off and on.
This is about the best thing i have read on nairaland.
It seems you are back on again.

dyydxx:


Maclatunji is right on this. it's not the system per say, it's the people and that's the truth.

We have practiced this federal system you guys are clamoring for?... why do you think the first coup happenned?, even with a weak centre. Nothing will change if the basic orientation of the people do not change, whatever the system. Nigeria needs meritocracy instead of primodial religious bigotry and nepotism.

For example, Look at Ibori and Alamesigha. With the billions they got from the federal allocations plus 13% derivatives did they turn Delta and Bayelsa states too dubai you can imagine now giving the same rougues full control of the resources..what do you think will happen?
Imagine if them corrupt Ibori are the one's incharge of the whole oil wealth.... it's just crazy...and this goes to all the states and their respective governors. While I agree that some functions could be devolved, Nigeria urgently needs an electoral reform that would make sure people's votes actually count and that elected officials can be held to account and that will be the beginning to better accountablility in our system. We have a long way to go.

Whatever behaviour exhibited by Nigerians can be found everywhere in the world.
System both political and social keep these human attributes in check.

Nigerians are no where near the greed of the Europeans but its kept in check by their existing systems and nothing else

maclatunji:
There are always buzzwords within the Nigerian polity at any point in time and currently, the popular one is ‘restructuring’. Former, Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Afenifere and other groups have all called for restructuring as the panacea for solving Nigeria’s problems. Even the APC during the 2015 general election promised restructuring of the country.

However, the problem I have with this line of reasoning is that it actually fails to address the real trouble with Nigeria which is its people. It is tempting to identify our problem as that of poor leadership but if you consider the fact that leaders do not fall from outer space and emerge from among us the followers, you will understand the limitations of this line of thought.

A look at history shows several attempts to restructure Nigeria. In 1963, Nigeria abandoned the parliamentary system of government for the presidential one as it became a republic. Late Gen. Aguyi Ironsi when he came to power in 1966 essentially turned Nigeria to a unitary state, that failed too.

We used to have a regional form of government, that was dropped in favour of states. I can go on with the different attempts to restructure Nigeria that have all failed to lead us to the promised land.

Why?

The answer is simple, we the people of Nigerians have mastered the art of sabotage. We excel at undermining systems with our primitive greed, corruption, tribalism and nepotism. Until we significantly shed these negative attributes, we will not experience true progress and development.

Every country, institution and even individuals require positive change from time-to-time and the true reforms and restructuring that we require as a nation will evolve over time rather than be contrived for personal interests and gain which seem to be the motivation for those clamouring loudest for restructuring Nigeria at the moment. We need to change ourselves first and make the most of what we have at the moment before any restructuring will add any value to us as a people.

Source: http://www.opinions.ng/restructuring-nigeria-convenient-chant-political-opportunists/

The term, restructure, as it pertain to Nigeria is a hogwash. Nigeria needs total and practicable disintegration. This will allow individual nation state to choose the system of government to pursue.

maclatunji:


Source: http://www.opinions.ng/restructuring-nigeria-convenient-chant-political-opportunists/

@OP

The Americans and British are not better than Nigerians.

Systems, Checks and balances are the reasons US and UK is working

Nigerians are one of the most enduring poeple on Earth.
But we all know the Unitary system we have is absolutely wrong.
This is why everybody is always looking up to Abuja.

It's either we return to Regional government or give full resource control and fiscal Federalism​to the states.

Anyone as against this is benefiting from the Unitary system.

TonyeBarcanista:

My brother, the beauty about restructuring is that the people will understand that they and their elected leaders are to blame should their society go wrong instead of looking for blame game of the north or some elite. It solves the agitation against marginalisation as no group will hold the other responsible for their underdevelopment anymore. Because there will be state Police with locals, it helps solve crime and investigation without the usual tribal coloration. People will also cooperate with security agents knowing that These agents are their own brothers and sisters.

I agree with you on the need for change in values and I also insist that restructuring is very necessary especially at this time.

I still ask; what do you understand by restructuring? If what you mean by restructuring is dividing the country into smaller political units - countries or states, then you will only exacerbate the problems. Remember that is the same argument that made Former Bendel break off from the Western region in1963, was bendel any better off than when they were in the western region? No! Did the break up of Bendel into Edo and Delta make life better for its citizens? No!
Do you think those same problem will marginalization will not present if Rivers State is made an independent country? Will you advocate that only Ijaw security agents and police should investigate crimes in Ijaw parts of Rivers state instead of agents from other tribes?
Even among the Yoruba's, there are cries if marginalization in Ogun State between the Egbas and Ijebus, which will still be there if Ogun is made a sovereign country.
The problem of Africa is like the problem of ancient Greece or medieval Europe, there are too many tribes and Sub tribes with different identities. It was consumption and assimilation of smaller tribes into larger ones that allowed larger political units with similar identities to emerge.

Observant:



Whatever behaviour exhibited by Nigerians can be found everywhere in the world.
System both political and social keep these human attributes in check.

Nigerians are no where near the greed of the Europeans but its kept in check by their existing systems and nothing else

I disagree with you sir. Nigerians exhibit many deviant behaviours not found anywhere else in the world.
Nigerians are the only ones I know that celebrate known and convicted thieves. Nigerians are only ones I know that would put a tyre around a petty thief and watch a live human burn to death. Nigerians are the only ones l know that would give a testimony of buying a multimillion naira car and building a house within a very short period of time without a job, winning a lottery or gaining inheritance and everybody would celebrate the person.

maclatunji:


I am not afraid of any 'unfavourable' outcome. I am just a good student of history. We have been peddling these lies to ourselves probably since Independence. It is the people that have to change more than any system.

This guy just keeps on disgracing Yoruba everywhere. People like you make Ibos tag every Yoruba cowards and slaves not knowing you filthy Yoruba Muslims with unkempt beards are the slaves. they swear for una ni? jeez

You yoruba Muslims can carry on with your perpetual servitude to the caliphate while we sane and progressive Yorubas (mainly Christians, traditionalist, agnostics and atheists) will advocate that the country be restructured.

I strongly doubt if you're Yoruba, else, why would any sane person still wants the status quo to remain if not a leech and parasites like that up north

wirinet:

I still ask; what do you understand by restructuring? If what you mean by restructuring is dividing the country into smaller political units - countries or states, then you will only exacerbate the problems. Remember that is the same argument that made Former Bendel break off from the Western region in1963, was bendel any better off than when they were in the western region? No! Did the break up of Bendel into Edo and Delta make life better for its citizens? No!
Do you think those same problem will marginalization will not present if Rivers State is made an independent country? Will you advocate that only Ijaw security agents and police should investigate crimes in Ijaw parts of Rivers state instead of agents from other tribes?
Even among the Yoruba's, there are cries if marginalization in Ogun State between the Egbas and Ijebus, which will still be there if Ogun is made a sovereign country.
The problem of Africa is like the problem of ancient Greece or medieval Europe, there are too many tribes and Sub tribes with different identities. It was consumption and assimilation of smaller tribes into larger ones that allowed larger political units with similar identities to emerge.

Restructuring has to do with decentralising powers that hitherto lies with the center. A restructured Nigeria to capture fiscal federalism will see federating units solely responsible for revenue generation, distribution and project implementation without looking up to Abuja, while contributing their respective quotas to the centre for the FG to carry out some statutory responsibilities.

Federating units Can create as many LGAs as they deemed fit to bring government closer to the people and by the people. It allows for federating units to take full control of education, road, security, healthcare etc, and will also allows LGAs to exercise their own autonomy also.

It is insane for everybody to be looking up to Abuja for everything even as little as road construction when the people in Abuja have no clue about what is going on in states.

Let me state that the issue of states will be redefined in the event of restructuring as several states were drawn without recourse to the feelings of the people. The people MUST decide for themselves for sanity to reign.


As for Midwest, I think you should go back and see the gains they had after gaining autonomy. Sadly, the military came and reversed virtually everything.

ColonelDrake:

This guy just keeps on disgracing Yoruba everywhere. People like you make Ibos tag every Yoruba cowards and slaves not knowing you filthy Yoruba Muslims with unkempt beards are the slaves. they swear for una ni? jeez

You yoruba Muslims can carry on with your perpetual servitude to the caliphate while we sane and progressive Yorubas (mainly Christians, traditionalist, agnostics and atheists) will advocate that the country be restructured.

I strongly doubt if you're Yoruba, else, why would any sane person still wants the status quo to remain if not a leech and parasites like that up north

Thats too harsh man

TonyeBarcanista:
Thats too harsh man

he deserves it bro. He should stop disgracing us with his slave mentality. Even abokis don't defend themselves like this. The way these Yoruba Moslems go any length to defend the cluelessness of buhari and anything pro north at their own expense. imagine that we don't even get to control our own port. Abokis add zilch value to the country yet controls the port industry that should be controlled by Yorubas.

Only a fool will prefer the status quo.
I supported buhari during the 2015 election but I'll be a fool if I don't know where to cross the line. These people allegiance is to the caliphate. They see them as brothers even more than own fellow Yoruba who aren't muslims.

what is even more annoying is that aboki consider them as inferior and infidels and this doesn't bother them. They tend to outdo each other on licking the assess of the aboki. nonsense

TonyeBarcanista:
Restructuring has to do with decentralising powers that hitherto lies with the center. A restructured Nigeria to capture fiscal federalism will see federating units solely responsible for revenue generation, distribution and project implementation without looking up to Abuja, while contributing their respective quotas to the centre for the FG to carry out some statutory responsibilities.

Federating units Can create as many LGAs as they deemed fit to bring government closer to the people and by the people. It allows for federating units to take full control of education, road, security, healthcare etc, and will also allows LGAs to exercise their own autonomy also.

It is insane for everybody to be looking up to Abuja for everything even as little as road construction when the people in Abuja have no clue about what is going on in states.

Let me state that the issue of states will be redefined in the event of restructuring as several states were drawn without recourse to the feelings of the people. The people MUST decide for themselves for sanity to reign.


As for Midwest, I think you should go back and see the gains they had after gaining autonomy. Sadly, the military came and reversed virtually everything.

i agree with you totally on Fiscal Federalism and resource control. But but i believe restructuring is much more than that. The most important question on this restructuring is; how many federating units will we have, what is the basis of dividing the federating units and how are the rights and interests of minorities in the federating units going to be protected? Minority rights have always been a problem in Nigeria from colonial times.
How do you avoid nepotism, tribalism and greed by politicians in the federating units?

dyydxx:


i dont think you even understand what you are clamoring for. if you can't see beyond systems to know that systems are made by humans, for humans and not vice versa then frankly it's a moot point debating with you. Your so called 'federalism' in what ever forms, whether it is the true federalism or fiscal federalism or whatever kind of federalism is already primed to fail if it's still the same mindset operating now that will still exist.

When the so called Northerns are not there anymore, it would devolved into I'm itsekiri, I'm an Ikwerre man, I'm egba,I'm ijebu blah blah blah.
Just a waste of time

you have a well thought out sense bro...I understand perfectly what u mean..you are a realist

wirinet:


i agree with you totally on Fiscal Federalism and resource control. But but i believe restructuring is much more than that. The most important question on this restructuring is; how many federating units will we have, what is the basis of dividing the federating units and how are the rights and interests of minorities in the federating units going to be protected? Minority rights have always been a problem in Nigeria from colonial times.
How do you avoid nepotism, tribalism and greed by politicians in the federating units?

Again, you are looking at it with the lens of the present system. A restructured Nigeria does not necessarily mean that Ogoni will continue to share same state wiyh Okrika or Ikwerre. In fact, most ethnic nationalities will vote to stay on their own during referendum. The issue of politicians and their nuisance will even be reduced considering that the people know that the power now rest with them and no Abuja topshot will give cover. Also know that ethnic groups staying together still have the privilege of separation through referendum in future. The idea is power resting in the hands of the common man not the Abuja elite

ColonelDrake:

he deserves it bro. He should stop disgracing us with his slave mentality. Even abokis don't defend themselves like this. The way these Yoruba Moslems go any length to defend the cluelessness of buhari and anything pro north at their own expense. imagine that we don't even get to control our own port. Abokis add zilch value to the country yet controls the port industry that should be controlled by Yorubas.

Only a fool will prefer the status quo.
I supported buhari during the 2015 elwon but I'll be a fool if I don't know where to cross the line. These people allegiance is to the caliphate. They see them as brothers even more than own fellow Yoruba who aren't muslims.

what is even more annoying is that aboki consider them as inferior and infidels and this doesn't bother them. They tend to outdo each other on licking the assess of the aboki. nonsense

my bro am more shocked than you are,am always very surprise with the way some of this so called "yoruba muslims" defend buhari,the buhari government has really failed,phones are now so fucking expensive,can you imagine Gionee M5 back then in 2015 was sold for 45k,but its now sold for 57k in 2017...this buhari government is the worst i have experience,i supported him in 2015 just the way i supported gej in 2011,but i will be voting against him in 2019.
as for most of this yoruba muslims,i think most of them must be hausa,fulani or kanuri because a lot of yoruba muslims i know here in ogun and lagos hardly give a dam about an hausa man or woman not to now know about a sultan in sokoto,i was talking to a muslim friend of mine yesterday who is a muslim,and was telling me sanusi the emir of kano is the head of all muslims in the north,i smiled and told him he is wrong,i told him the sultan of sokoto is the number one,he does not even know tge state the sultan lives
a lot of yorubas dont give a fvck about mallams,,and this so called yoruba muslims might be those confused ones in kwara and kogi,i heard they live and do like mallams in those two places.

walemoney007:
my bro am more shocked than you are,am always very surprise with the way some of this so called "yoruba muslims" defend buhari,the buhari government has really failed,phones are now so fucking expensive,can you imagine Gionee M5 back then in 2015 was sold for 45k,but its now sold for 57k in 2017...this buhari government is the worst i have experience,i supported him in 2015 just the way i supported gej in 2011,but i will be voting against him in 2019.
as for most of this yoruba muslims,i think most of them must be hausa,fulani or kanuri because a lot of yoruba muslims i know here in ogun and lagos hardly give a dam about an hausa man or woman not to now know about a sultan in sokoto,i was talking to a muslim friend of mine yesterday who is a muslim,and was telling me sanusi the emir of kano is the head of all muslims in the north,i smiled and told him he is wrong,i told him the sultan of sokoto is the number one,he does not even know tge state the sultan lives
a lot of yorubas dont give a fvck about mallams,,and this so called yoruba muslims might be those confused ones in kwara and kogi,i heard they live and do like mallams in those two places.

The thing shock me oo asswear

Blue3k:


Thank you just hope you got right one. That long Article was not written by me. Mine is on Nairaland.

https://www.nairaland.com/3744204/no-tyrannical-governors-yes-local

Finally read it, a good piece. Sadly, even if local governments get full allocation, it would still be stolen by those governing at that level. It is the way things are in Nigeria. That is why I say, it is we the people that need to change first before any restructuring can work.