Emergency declaration mandatory for Nigeria’s rescue
Today, all Nigerians should see themselves as a rabbit which, when devoured by the hunter in the bush, held its peace uncorcernedly. But when it was later brought to Ife market as dry meat to be sold for human consumption, it raised its arms and hands up wards in praise of its follies!
Thus, Nigerians come to the stark reality that, for over 55 years, our socio-economic and political unwellness has been induced not only by the conditioned souls among the leadership, but also by the hydra-headed monster known as corruption.
Conditioned souls and the unprecedented massive corruption are now holding the entire nation to ransom! Before the 2015 general election, the APC initiated an amazing slogan: CHANGE. This term can be viewed from two perspectives. First, in its literal or ordinary sense, it may mean replacement of the existing regime for a new one to enable its own aims, objectives, programmes and policies be carried out. Secondly, the change may be deep-rooted and fundamental to enable a new and flourishing state emerge in all its ramifications.
Thus, when the APC came on board, Nigeria and the party itself discovered to their dismay that the needed change is not the ordinary, for all know too well that., Nigeria- now in an awful widowed state; our urgent task is to remarry; otherwise, we may till our farm to the points where the gods would snatch our hoes and cutlasses! Therefore, the real change as earlier stated is deep rooted and fundamental change. The term given to it by Flinch, H.L. is epochal change.
He asserts:
“The change we are speaking about is an epochal change that will be at once subtle and all pervasive. The expressions that come to mind to describe it are a new way of looking at things, a new way of thinking and a new arrangement of emphases on what is important and not important in human life.This kind of change has occurred only two or three times in the course of Western civilization at the beginning of the 5th and 5th before the common era (BCE) Athens, Greece, at the beginning of the Christian world in the 4th century of this era (C.E) and in the renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries. Flinch, H.L. (1995).”
Why emergency declaration
Before the emergency declaration, our attention should be focused on the following crucial issues:
(a) Recovery of looted funds at home and abroad as well as properties from all Kleptocrats and embezzlers at all the three levels of our administration-centre, state and local government council areas.
(b) Establishment of a formidable National committee to probe into the causes, effects of corruption in our body-politic and strategies to combat and reduce corruption to the bearest minimum.
(c) Constitution of a constituent Assembly to fashion a True federal constitution to ~ccommodate our most complex ethnic dimensions.
(d) Establishment of a two-party system.
(e) Embrace of parliamentary or cabinet system of the 1st republic. It is less expansive and could accommodate the non-elected indigenous leaders obas, emirs and chiefs. Though the life span L.F cabinet system may be fragile, where liberated souls or products of the schools of man and nature are elected, there would be no course for alarm!
(f) Review of the Nigerian educational system and its philosophy. I humbly recommend the programme and philosophy of Education in the two of Baba Awolowo’s invaluable books. The peoples’s Republic (1968) and Thoughts on Nigerian Constitution (1966). Another book which critically focused on the analysis of Awo’s theory of Education is by Akin Omoboriowo’s Awoism (1982).
(g) Solutions to Boko Haram and Fulani cattle rearers’ debacles and terrorism.
(h) Ethnicity and religion-divisiveness, dogmatic rascality and lawlessness must be addressed in the interest of our nation- state.
(i) The idea and policy of tagging any group as minority must be discarded for ever. All humans are, by right, God- incarnate.
(j) Gender equality must be embraced and accorded impartial recognition both in the moral and legal dimensions. All mythological claims in churchianistic and popular religions are not only religious lyings but they are as well the deep rooted ignorance and imbecility in the products of the schools of man- Awon Igi woroko ti n da inu ru! In the history of mankind from the inception of creation, male and female have been working together for development and progress of their societies.
(k) Downward review of the salaries and allowances of all political appointees. elected members-executive and their surrogates. The annual salary and allowances of a senator in Nigeria is 353,756,988. For an average Nigerian worker on N18,000 minimum wage per month, it will take this Nigerian worker 1628 to receive a Nigerian senator’s pay. An outrageous and kleptocratic payment which has thrown the nation to economic, social and political dislocation and embarrassment. Politics is an ardent call to service, not a call to ruin the peace, harmony and prosperity of the nation.
(l) Nigeria’s cultural heritage must be revisited and brought back to life; it is the bed rock of eternal development for any nation.
Emergency rule mandatory
Now that a number of critical items which Nigeria needs most to survive has been itemized, what shall we do to achieve their essence to rescue us for good from self-induced ruin and retrogression?
Before national emergency is put in place, the Presidency shall hold a crucial parley with the National Assembly, the judiciary and the National Council of State to deliberate and review; the nauseating problems and, difficult Justs, steering Nigeria in the face.
Odekanyin is a former special adviser at the Presidency