Restructuring gains ground as former rulers support true federalism
The campaign for a new federal structure that gained momentum following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election has been receiving new converts in the past months. The first major convert was former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Many were puzzled when he declared that the solution to the country’s deformed federation is a review of the political structure, by which more power is devolved to the federating units, thus limiting the inter-ethnic struggle to occupy the central government.
It was the more surprising that a former maximum ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida who ran affairs between 1985 and 1993, and whose actions and inactions led to the crisis of the 1990s, declared support for the clamour for a new political system. In his eid-el-fitri message to the nation, Babangida said the only way forward is to bow to the growing pressure to redistribute powers in the country.
Since he made the submission, he has been the butt of attacks from many who believe he, more than any other, should take the blame for the existing iniquitous system. Babangida and other converts have seen the retrogression in the system and the brewing near anarchy. He thus chose to change camp. It is true that the former military President enacted many of the pernicious laws that seized power from the states, but his decision to make public his new position should be seen as a plus for the restructuring campaign. There is a need to separate the messenger from the message.
We reiterate our position that the only means of enhancing national pride and development is to ensure power returns to the federating units as was the case under the 1963 Constitution when the regions controlled their resources, and the Premiers delicately shared powers with the Prime Minister. It was impossible for the federal government to lord it over the regions. Each decided its priorities and there was healthy competition among the regions.
The preponderance of centrifugal forces of recent has shown that over concentration of power at the centre cannot work in a plural society like ours. There are multiplicity of cultures, values and cultures. Therefore, it follows that priorities are different. This is the underlying reason for growing chaos and anarchy in the country. The federal government has a duty to move beyond pettiness and sentiments. The Nigerian people voted for a change in 2015 because they believed the All Progressives Congress’s promise of instituting a true federal structure.
We note that President Muhammadu Buhari, perhaps because of his military background, has always been reluctant to join the train, but with the imminent breakdown of law and order, he has to reconsider his position, especially given that his party campaigned on the promise. He now has the opportunity to undo the evil that the military establishment to which he belonged and that he served for much of his working years at the highest echelon has done. The military seized power, thus lording it over the country, and promoted ethnic tension in the country. The establishment also foisted the central command system, as unsuitable as it is, on the country after the coup of January 1966. It has thereafter made it possible for the people to evolve an autochthonous constitution by the penchant to seize power at random and hold on to it for as long as it could. It took thirteen years after the first coup before power could be turned over to civilians. Even at that, the constitution was heavily influenced by the military lords. The putschists only tolerated the Shagari administration for four short years before taking over again. Babangida who took over the reins of administration in November 1985 held on for eight years.
Like Babangida, Buhari who was military Head of State for 20 months, after participating at the highest level in the Obasanjo military administration may find it difficult to adjust to the urgent need for national political rebirth, but it has become imperative. This is more so since APC governors have unanimously supported a wholesale review of the federation. The governors said: “It appears that demands framed by different groups in terms of political restructuring or true federalism can be met through adjustment in Nigeria’s federal system. “Although such adjustment will not on its own address the root and branch of Nigeria’s challenges, it is worth pursuing in order to meet the demands of various Nigerian groups. The focus of this restructuring is to restore the principle of non centralisation of power in the country’s federal arrangement being the defining element of a federal polity.
If Nigeria is to pull out of this quagmire and overcome the conundrum, the pernicious unitary system dressed up as federal has to give way to a system that would promote healthy competition among the component units and give all a sense of belonging. Babangida could have been part of the problem, but now that he seeks to cross to the side of solution seekers, he should be recognized.
