Amidst apprehension among Nigerians over the fresh round of threats to national unity, KUNLE ODEREMI brings some of the emerging issues, level of subdued anger, among others.
NIGERIANS are frustrated with their country. The situation has triggered a fresh wave of uncertainties about the future of the largest Black country in the world. Years of bottled up emotions are giving way to a seeming volcanic eruption. The picture of the frustration and anger among the majority of the more than 180 million population of the country is evident almost everywhere, as the near despondency has found an expression in curious actions, unguarded utterances and proclamation by some youths and elders.
Indeed, there is no better way to capture this than through the testimonies of three prominent individuals, which have since gone viral on the internet. One of the views is credited to Femi, son of the late music legend, Fela Anikulapo, which reads: “I was three years old when my father started fighting the government and now, I’m 53, and nothing has changed.” The other statement is credited to the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, who was once quoted as saying: “I started fighting on the street of Nigeria in 1962 so the demons can leave common people in peace. This is 2012, nothing has changed,” while the last of such expression of utter disappointment and disenchantment is linked to Abdul, a son of the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola., the symbol of June 12, who was said to have asserted, “My father jumped the fence to escape because the enemies of Nigeria wanted to arrest him and he had manifesto to deal with unemployment and insecurity, 24 years after nothing has changed. 14million children are out of school.”
The quit notice of the Coalition of Arewa Youths to the persons of the Igbo extraction domiciled in the Northern axis of the country, has compounded the precarious state of the Nigerian federation, acting as a catalyst for the pervasive but hitherto subdued public frustration and anger from Sokoto to Calabar; and Lagos to Enugu. The Arewa ‘bombshell’ has resulted in the birth of an avalanche of groups individually making real and imagined demands; mature and infantile requests; sublime and straw-like threats to bring the house down, if their separate dreams are frustrated by a perceived section of country deemed as constituting an adversary.
Under 60 years of post-independence, the country has gone through very difficult and challenging times that shook it to its foundations as a corporate entity: Civil War; June 12 crisis, militancy in the Niger Delta and vehement demand for self-determination by various ethnic nationalities with the crippling ripple effects. The number of such groups professing such variegated demands and agenda keeps rising by the daily, with almost every ethnic nationality ready to assert its separate identity and affirm its recognition as equal stakeholders in the country. The resurgence of such groups and centrifugal forces have cumulatively brought the country to the current crossroads. In the quest to achieve national integration, the leadership of the country, had in its wisdom, considered, it expedient to introduce such novel concepts as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme, the Unity Schools, the Federal Character Principle, and state creation, to name a few. The gains have been rather salutary because of controversial issues and quasi-federal arrangement foisted on the nation by the military, as primordial ethnic loyalties are still deep-seated. Today, those schemes designed to foster national unity and integration have become subject of serious national discourse on their relevance, as Nigeria cannot really be considered a nation, where the critical elements of shared identity and nationalism reign. According to some joint owners, Nigeria remains a work in progress.
The experience of other lands in nation-building attests to the fact that the attainment requires an interplay of some intrinsic elements. It is a nexus of factors such as attitude and thinking, which encourage people from diverse ethnic nationalities to unite, as well as the existence of a constitutional framework that gives people a sense of belonging; fair distribution of national resources, and guarantees equal rights and fosters national unity. These factors, according to most stakeholders in the Nigerian project, appear not deep-rooted in the psyche of the country. A larger proportion of the joint owners of the federation believe unless what they regard as the National question, coupled with the mistake of the 1914 when the British colonialists coupled the Northern and Southern Nigeria Protectorates without consultations with the real ethnic nationalities, the attainment of national integration.
Matters arising
There is the raging debate if the action of the Arewa youths constituted an act of treasonable felony, just as the activities of the core promoters of a separatist agenda from the South-East and their leaders giving them tacit backing, constitute another level of national discourse. Demand for 100 per cent control of the resources in the Niger Delta by militants, coupled with the insistence on fiscal federalism and autonomy by other ethnic nationalities, especially those cautioning the pro-Biafra agitators against trying to coopt South-South Minority ethnic groups into their proposed enclave. All these agitations and demands are being aggravated by perceived skewed federal appointments by the Buhari administration, a similar cry of marginalisation by the South-West under the preceding administration. Then, there is the insistence of several groups and individuals that the report of the 2914 National Conference be implemented. One of those who said the report could not be compromised is the chancellor of the Eastern Mandate Union (EMU), Dr Arthur Nwankwo, who was among the arrowheads of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) that led the struggle against military annulment of June 12. He said: “If your assumption that the recommendations of the 2014 National Political Reform Conference has ended up in the trashcan is correct, then I can tell you authoritatively that the end is near for this country. The outcome of that conference cannot possibly end up in the dustbin because Nigeria’s safety valve is embedded in that document; and restructuring is part of the solution. The only alternative for getting the country out of her present predicament is to restructure. We really do not have any alternative to this. For crying out loud, we cannot continue like this. ”
Constitution review
Under successive administration since 1999, attempts have been made to either amend or review the Constitution midwifed by the military. The project has gulped scarce resources, which ought to have gone into addressing the infrastructural deficit and decay of more than three decades. Each effort at rejigging the document has either been salutary or hit the rock because of the parochial political interest of the initiators and their collaborators, including the Presidency and the National assembly. Even though a similar effort is ongoing on the 1999 Constitution as amended, there is little or no glimmer of hope of success because of the vagaries of the time and ambivalence on the part of the major political gladiators.
Issue of restructuring
The plethora of groups that have subsisted over the years, demanding the restructuring of the country, are the Movement for National Reformation (MNR); Middle Belt Forum; Pro-National Conference (PRONACO), which proposed a 12 zonal structure; The Patriots, which comprised elder statesmen, seasoned politicians and distinguished professionals. Some of the new groups seeking self-determination include the Lower Niger Congress, which is threatening to lead a boycott of general election if its demands are ignored; Middle Belt Youths Forum, New Niger Militants’ Group.
The apprehension created by the current cacophonies occasioned by the Arewa youth ultimatum to the Igbo to relocate from the North has necessitated some leaders of thought in the country to launch a fresh project on national reconciliation and rebirth. The recent 24th anniversary of June 12 became auspicious for the leaders under the aegis of June 12 Democracy Movement to fast-track the project aimed at saving the country from the alleys of collapse. The group’s proposal reads: “The Presidency should urgently invoke its powers under section 5 of the current de facto Constitution of Nigeria, as a matter of urgency, to formally establish, an independent intervention panel to be known as Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Panel, to reconcile Nigerians and douse the growing ethnic acrimony and tension in the country. This initiative should however go beyond the present selective approach of the Acting President in engaging stakeholders from only the North and South East on the current ethnic logjam in the country; the proposed interventionist panel should however be designed to recognise that the 2014 National Confab resolutions among others like the PRONACO, Peoples’ National Conference resolutions provide a basis for its success in appeasing the popular desire of the diverse peoples in Nigeria for a new peoples’ democratic constitution to drive a fair and just democratic political system and culture in Nigeria.
“The proposed panel, working with Civil Society Groups and organised self-determination movements should take profound cognizance of the longstanding popular advocacy and agitations of the various sections of the country towards the restructuring of the Nigerian state into viable geopolitical regions to contain the lingering acrimony and deep seated animosity among the diverse constituents and citizens of Nigeria.
“The proposed Truth, Justice and reconciliation panel should be empowered to invoke the required capacity to mobilise and orientate the generality of Nigerian Citizens to appreciate and imbibe the need for tolerance of one another in a sustainable, just and equitable Union.”
Apprehensive over the precarious state of the country following the festering imbroglio over the Arewa youth threat, the chairman, Afenifere Renewal Group, Honourable Wale Oshun, another NADECO top shot, noted that nation’s democracy after 18 years of civil rule would have been better than it currently is if the needed constitutional reforms had been carried out. He said such reforms would help define the relationship between the Federal Government and federating units; eliminate the current command structure and engender political and economic reforms. While advocating restructuring in relationship among levels of government,
Oshun added that the electoral process could be much better than it currently is. “I believe almost everything could have been done better whether in terms of the processes that surround our elections which nurture our democracy. When we started this current journey, we thought hopefully we would get it right this time by having proper elections conducted, we will have the opportunity to review how we live together as a people in terms of the structure of the country, as it has always been an issue. When the coup of 1966 took place, it was obvious that there were certain changes that should not take place. The coup happened because those who ruled then decided to encroach on the constitutional rights of the Western region. The developments that happened then indicated the need for a proper evaluation of how we want to live together. What about the relationship between the federal government, which I will refer to as unitary government, and the federating units. It is that of master-servant relationship where the fiscal management of our resources is not fair.
“There is the need for economic, political and social reforms because in the course of military rule, there was a lot of violations and every Nigerian lives within a command structure. This results in impunity that is so extreme that you wonder if it can be worse in any part of the world. When you have these extreme actions of impunity, it means that even if you will have good governance, you will need to tinker with that. You now find a situation in which the central government is uninterested in looking at issues of reforms that has to do with the constitution. The constitution determines our collaboration as Nigerians. For instance, the Commissioner of Police has to take instructions from the Inspector General of Police when there is a state governor who is the head of government and responsible for security in the state, yet has no command over the police commissioner, you know there is a problem. The sum total is that those calling for restructuring are calling for restructuring in defining those relationships whether of the police and whether a state can generate revenue and pay tax to the federal government,” Oshun said.
The Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF) is also apprehensive about the Arewa youth outburst, describing it as a provocative and shameful act. Accordingly, it wants the authorities to the Arewa youths for making such inciting statement.
On their part, the Middle Belt Youth Council said they were “extremely concerned about the ongoing regional tension in Nigeria today and we want to make our position clear to the world.” In a statement by the president of the group, the leaders declared: “We want to clarify those who think that the Middle Belt is part of the North: God created everywhere and everyone and He gave it to whom He chooses and Middle Belt is a creation of God and not man (Usman dan Fodio). Therefore, we choose what to use our land for, how to run it and where we want to be….Over the years, our federalism has been a fat lie that deprives political rights and freedom of some sections of the country while others benefit immensely from it. Middle Belt has been at the receiving end of this inequitable arrangement in which our people in Southern Kaduna, Southern Bauchi, Southern Borno, Southern Kebbi, Adamawa are under constant alienation and annihilation.
Therefore, Middle Belt strongly stands for reconstruction of Nigeria not only restructuring. We’ll join hands with Southern Nigerian people to actualise it. In view of this press statement, we want to urge Middle Belters to remain resolute in making sure we protect our future against the claims by the Hausa/Fulani.”
In the South-South, a coalition of militants in the Niger Delta demanded outright transfer of all oil blocs owned and controlled by northerners to the people of the region on or before October 1, this year. The group comprises the Niger Delta Watchdogs, Niger Delta Volunteers, Niger Delta Peoples Fighters, Niger Delta Warriors, Bakassi Freedom Fighters, Niger Delta Movement for Justice, Niger Delta Fighters Network and Niger Delta Freedom Mandate. It noted:
“We see the declaration by Arewa Youths as well coordinated. The northern elders, leaders, political elite, security heads from the North and governors were fully aware of it. We demand 100 per cent control of our resources. We demand that the Federal Government should hand over all oil blocs owned by the northerners to Niger Delta indigenes. All the companies operating in such oil blocs/wells should vacate within three months.
We demand an independent and sovereign Republic of Niger Delta. We are tired of living with the North under Nigeria. We are tired of the President’s sentiments to the Niger Delta people.” The militants raised the issue of alleged lopsided power configuration in security apparatus of the Federal Government and demanded that the authority “should immediately replace the Inspector General of Police with an indigene of the South West, the Director General of DSS with an indigene of South East, and the National Security Adviser with an indigene of South- South. The Speaker, House of Representatives should voluntarily resign and hand over to an indigene of the South-South.”
Presidency’s intervention
While acting President Yemi Osinbajo, meets a broad-based assemblage of main stakeholders comprising traditional rulers, leaders of thought, as part of his ongoing consultations, observers have raised posers on how far the effort can go in calming frayed nerves over the state of the Nigerian federation. Dating back to the era of absolutism under the military, threats to national existence based on genuine agitations on issues of equity, fairness and justice as well restoration of federalism only received cosmetic treatment, leaving room for intermittent volcanic eruptions arising from years of bottled emotions and anger. Government had always failed to address the core issues underlining the agitations but chose to descend heavily on ‘troublemakers.’ Once it restores the peace of the grave yard, the authorities return to business as usual. Are there indices that the government of the day will rise above rhetoric and do the needful this time? What is the concrete agenda of the government designed to tackle the root cause of the agitations? Do those claiming to be speaking on behalf of the various geopolitical zones and ethnic nationalities truly represent the people? What is the government solution to the question of the Minority tribes that have used the opportunity of the ongoing hoopla to re-launch a renaissance on self-discovery and autonomy as equal stakeholders and partners in the Nigerian project?
and then