There is a strong wave of discontent in the land. There is anger, induced by hunger, on the streets. Even among ardent supporters of Nigerian President Tinubu, there are more than a few murmurs. For various reasons. Some Tinubu supporters are disappointed not so much with the state of the economy but with the state of their pockets- they have not seen much of the largesse they are promised, or feel entitled to. Still others are angry that their region of the country, which has dominated Nigeria’s political space for a long time, has been side-lined and left, as far as they are concerned, to feed on crumbs at the margins of power and privilege. For others on the other side of the country, it is good riddance to bad rubbish and a euphoric embrace of the era of “awa lokan”. For many ordinary Nigerians, it is just the basic, primal matters of struggle for dignified life- food, shelter, and security. For them, Nigeria is a living hell, worse than it was under Buhari, and Buhari, let us remember, set the bar to the lowest level it has been in the history of modern Nigeria.
Amid all the doom and gloom, which show no signs of slowing down or getting better anytime soon, there is still one scenario in which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may emerge as the most consequential president in Nigeria’s entire history. And I mean consequential in a positive, good way. Yes, I repeat; President Tinubu, whatever you make of the circumstances of his controversial ascent to power, could very well emerge as the midwife of modern Nigeria. He can achieve what Nigeria’s fabled founding fathers were unable to achieve. This may sound to some as the most outrageous thing to say, but I am in dead earnest.
Mr Tinubu has the singular, and almost last chance opportunity to restructure this unwieldy behemoth called Nigeria. No amount of patchwork can fix this lumbering giant that has become a self-ravaging monstrosity. Restructure this country, and unleash its true potentials. Continue the whitewash and hasten unmitigated disaster, for which the present reality is but child’s play. Nigeria’s is an unwieldy agglomeration of wildly different cultures and nations, vastly different history, and, I dare say, different expectations and aspirations. It has all the great recipes for a dream (confederation) and, in the same breadth, all the ingredient for a nightmare union. Free up the constituent nations, and then they can work together in productive partnership.
I am convinced that there is no better time to restructure the Nigerian state than now. The Northern oligarchs who, to the detriment of their own people and benefit of their pockets were, for long, the committed heralds of “One Nigeria”, are now losing steam. They are now feeling the pinch on the other side. They are getting a bit- and it is just a bit- of what it feels to be in a forced union that works much better for the elite of the region in power. If there is any time they would be open to the idea of decentralised power, self-determination and resource control, it is now. It has to be now. it is interesting. Privation of power and control has a way of clearing peoples’ minds for their own good. I have always thought that, when you remove elite greed from the equation, restructuring Nigeria is in fact much better for the people of the North than it is for Southern Nigerian peoples. There is so much potential to be unleashed, now held back by a desperate, and self-defeating, latch unto Southern oil.
Away with the patch and get on with it already. And listen up, “Obidients”: this is the meat of the matter. An Obi presidency, absent restructuring, is a tokenistic waste of time. It will not even begin to scratch the surface. My advice to the coalition of “opposition” parties is this: give restructuring one last push. if Tinubu is serious-minded about restructuring Nigeria, give him your full support. It is the only way to save Nigeria from itself.
In the meantime, let’s get back to reality, shall we? Do I really believe President Tinubu will make real effort to restructure Nigeria? No, I do not. Do I think he can do it? Yes, indeed. And if he does drive this, he will, no doubt in my mind, become Nigeria’s most consequential president. One is allowed to dream the “impossible”.
Kolade is a professor of entrepreneurship and digital transformation and head of research (interim) at Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University, UK.
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