Opinion: Why Nigeria Can’t Be Restructured Soon

It is a known fact that in every deplorable situation, there are those reaping the gains in any misfortunes.

As the situation of Nigeria stands now, the people campaigning for restructuring are of no measure in numbers, neither in political/financial wherewithal nor braveries in comparison to the people who are rather not interested anymore about restructuring.

Thus, the prevailing situations in Nigeria endangering virtually all aspects of life have unpredictably exposed the glaring failures of the country resulting in the clarion calls for restructuring receiving several backlashes as crux of exigency and abrupt negligence by the government of the day.

Meanwhile, every nation, country or state has a structure upon which its polity, law and systems, as well as the people’s way of life, are formulated and governed. Hence, in view of the above assertion, the kind of sociopolitical and or religious structure among different sectors in a particular country determines the pace of development, peace, progress and unity in such a society.

Consequent upon the aforementioned, Nigeria, a country of over 200 million population, comprising different ethnic nationalities with divergent belief system was created on February 14, 1914, when Lord Fredrick Lugard proclaimed the amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates.

Prior to the independence of Nigeria on 1st October 1960 where the activities of the foremost nationalists in the likes of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Alhaji Tafawa Belawa, etc. prodded the nation toward achieving a sovereign state.

Nonetheless, the post-independent events tremendously reshaped the original purpose of the founding fathers who via the pages of newspapers, accomplished their mission on a platter of gold. The unfortunate events including the series of coups, Nigeria/Biafra civil war, Secessionists’ agitations, the later evolution of insurgencies, terrorism among other factors have inadvertently torn apart the foundation upon which Nigeria was built.

However, it’s very worrisome that the failure in governance had ever since the supposed end of the civil war became ubiquitously prevalent in the country’s cadres of leadership circle.

Recall that at the dawn of the 70s, the then head of state, Major General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd) declared the implementation of the failed 3Rs, Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction which in reality if had been been made to become effective would have helped in healing greatly the wounds of the pasts, including the civil war wounds. This inability of successive governments to put into effect the imports of the 3R’s also drew credence to the failure of the Aburi Accord, which its abandonment resulted in chaos.

In the meantime, many Nigerians no longer express optimism over the unity and oneness of the country, which has birthed the latest spate of agitations by the Campaigners of Secession.

Issues of marginalization, inequality, nepotism and total negligence raised by some regions in the country especially the southeast/Southsouth/SouthWest and some parts of North Central (Middle Belt) geopolitical zones are now seen as stale and no longer draw the attention of the Federal Government.

Meanwhile, the questions that beg for answers are; can Nigeria be Restructured any time soon? What areas of the system are to be reshaped? Who are to be involved in the process of restructuring?

Ones’ understanding of the situation in Nigeria in line with the posed questions would probably be each individuals answers to these questions.

Nonetheless, in time like this, it is expected that leaders from the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria sit back and consensually map out strategies toward restoring the confidence of the people in the presumed indivisibility of the country. Of course, the ongoing constitution review may end up like that of the 2014 confab, which never saw the light of day.

However, the growing political divisiveness embedded in ethnic/ regional jingoism has undoubtedly aided the unabated unrest in Nigeria. The actions and inactions of the Nigerian leaders in curtailing the situation have proven abortive actualisation of the clamours of restructuring as preached by its campaigners.

Just recently, the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) described those calling for restructuring as “naive and dangerous.”

In his words, he said;
“And again those who are discussing restructuring, my question is, what are you going to restructure? If you ask many Nigerians what they are going to restructure, you will find out that they have nothing to talk about.

“Some of them have not even studied the 1999 Constitution.
The 1999 Constitution is almost 70 to 80 per cent 1979 Constitution,” Buhari said during this during the launch of Kudirat Abiola Sabon Gari, Zaria Peace Foundation which took place at Ahmadu Bello University Hotels, Zaria.

Meanwhile, recall that the five governors of the South East zone under the chairmanship of Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state and Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership presided over by the immediate former president of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo general Chief Nnia Nwaodo, in 2017 convened at Awka Anambra state where they proposed restructuring as the panacea to the marginalization and agitations by the people of the region. Albeit, it was a welcome development in the sight of the people of the region at that time, while it turned out a tool to be discarded due to other regions lack of support especially the northern part of Nigeria.

Again, the recent statement of the five governors of the south eastern region to the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, disowning and condemning the group and its Eastern Security Network (ESN), rather than inviting them for peaceful negotiation indicates further discordant in the region that earlier pushed for restructuring.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government proposed the reclaiming of grazing routes which would cut across every state of the country. This also has received negative reactions by the leaders of other regions particularly the 17 governors of the Southeast, southwest and southsouth states in Nigeria, while some governors of the states in the northern region have started to implement the quest for the Fulani herders.

On the other hand, Federal Government sweeping under the carpet the 2014 resolutions of the confabulation is worrisomly glaring that none of the tiers of government is willing for restructuring.

To this extent, the country is facing the worst security situation, whereby no one is free enough to gallivant and brag about as usual. Things are no longer at ease, while sectors decay amidst several threats.

Hence to restructure or disintegrate remains another point of view to be analyzed and responded to.