By Nwogboji Emmanuel {a.k.a No-Nonsense}
08063558464[only text]

Nigeria is in crisis because it was built on faulty foundation whose existence is now threatened. In this case, a multi ethnic, multi lingual and multi religious society such as ours cannot and should not be administered in a highly centralized manner.

Presently, the problem with Nigeria boils down to the 'structure of its defective federal system'. It is surprising that Nigeria only operates federal system on paper. For the most part, the federal system has never existed in Nigeria society. This is because, the arrangements in the last 50 years or so have not served us very well. As such, the need to restructure Nigeria is absolutely beyond political rhetoric and ethnic polemics.

Restructuring is simply a call for the restoration of federalism which is the foundational structure that is encapsulated in the independence constitution of 1960. This constitution was violated in 1966 when General Ironsi emerged as the military head of state after the first coup. He abrogated the federal system and substituted with a centralized structure arguing that the military could only govern by that method.
Consequently, all the ills presently plaguing the country are directly or indirectly a corollary of the anti federalist diversion. Nevertheless, the Nigerian centralized system of administration which we have now is not only an illegal constitutional contraption, but also an unworkable political system and a harbinger of a perverse, chaotic, political and economic conundrum. Under this ill-fated system, Nigerians are subsequently getting poorer and poorer.

Obviously, Nigeria’s restructuring campaign jives with Buhari’s ‘change” agenda. President Buhari, in his campaign manifesto, promised to “Initiate action to amend the Nigerian Constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties, and responsibilities to states in order to entrench true Federalism and the Federal spirit.” In all fairness, Buhari never used the word, “ restructure ”; but it was implied. In that vein, the present demand is to make the Nigerian and its integral parts, more efficient, more acceptable, more productive, more functional and above all, more equitable.

Restructuring Nigeria will definitely bring competition among states and local regions . Competition drives productivity, productivity inspires innovation, innovations drives development. This is exactly what Nigeria lacks; competition, productivity, innovation, efficient and sustainable development.

However, through restructuring, marginalization will become unnecessary as every state and community will be solely responsible for their own development or underdevelopment.

Through restructuring, centralization of political and economic powers will be eliminated thereby empowering the local people and their communities to take charge of their own development. States and local communities will no longer have to depend on federal allocations to survive. Similarly, federal government will no longer be blamed for the underdevelopment of any state or local region.

Therefore, we must begin to sensitize and educate Nigerian youths on the defects of the present system and the need for them to support the campaign for restructuring and denounce agitations for secession in its totality.

Finally, the youths must participate in the restructuring process. We should not allow the restructuring process to be hijacked by the same marauding politicians who have held the country hostage for the past decades.

Thanks!