S/West govs and the burden of Yoruba agenda

The meeting of South-West governors on Wednesday in Ibadan, reinforces the contents and demands of the Yoruba ethnic nationality as the country grapples with fundamental issues of nationhood, writes KUNLE ODEREMI.

RISING from about three hours closed door meeting on Wednesday, governors from the South-West chose to do one thing: to stand on the side of the people in the quest to evolve a new Nigeria. Though their resolution was couched in epigram, the primary message was unambiguously given by Governor Rotimi Akeredeolu of Ondo State, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues.

He was emphatic that they had resolved to bond with their kinsmen especially in the ongoing efforts to amend the much-vilified 1999 Constitution.  He said: “As you can see, all of us are one from Oduduwa. All of us, being brothers, are presenting the same position on matters that are of common interest to all of us and we are doing it together. If you are talking about specific issues, one of the issues that we tried to look at is the issue of constitution (amendment). There are many things that we have endorsed, but it is so clear to us that there is more on the issue of amendment of the constitution.”

While the National Assembly has not totally bought into the demand for restructuring, a leading advocate like Chief Ayo Adebanjo, had advised President Muhammadu Buhari, to choose and implement aspects of the reports of the 2014 National Conference report that he was favourable disposed to, which majority of stakeholders in the Nigerian project insist are capable of re-launching the country on the path of glory.

In a report number 878 for 1914, the year that the Northern and Southern Protectorates were amalgamated, the colonial authorities noted the huge disparities between the two major political and geographical divides. It noted that the general policy in the North and the South had in the past ‘differed both in aim and method.’ It noted that in particular, it observed that “Southern Nigeria presented a picture which was in almost all points the exact converse of that of the North. Here, the material prosperity had been extraordinary. The revenue had almost doubled itself in a period of five years. The surplus balances exceeded a million and half. The trade of the interior had been greatly developed by the construction of a splendid system of roads, and by the opening to navigation of waterways hitherto choked with vegetation, while railways, harbour works, and other capital expenditure, aggregating many millions of loans commitments, were in process….and so while northern Nigeria was devoting itself to building up a system of native administration and laboriously raising a revenue by direct taxation, southern Nigeria had found itself engrossed in material development.”

But, where are those gains today, especially in the South-West regarded as the commercial heartbeat of world’s most populous country? In Yoruba land, the vision to break new ground and create a new vista was not lacking. With late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, on the driver’s seat, the defunct Western Region became the veritable template for economic growth and development.  The pioneering feat of his team laid the foundation for prosperity, a huge human capital development in all ramifications such that the little effort in that regard soon paled into insignificance. Sadly, the tragic collapse of the First Republic via military coup, enthroned a reign of terror and systematic massive destruction of values and legacies. The system became fully compromised paving the way for some of the frightening challenges stalling not only the progress and stability of the South-West, but also the corporate existence of the country.

For decades, the Yoruba have been consistent on how to make Nigeria work; their agitation centred on the existing fractured federal system that supports and promotes a parasitic, instead of a symbiotic and coordinate relationship among the federating units.  Therefore, the meeting of the governors on Wednesday, though not the first in recent times, has brought into a proper perspective on the arduous task before them as critical stakeholders in the South-West by virtue of their exalted office. The Yoruba agenda has blossomed into an oak tree; elicited passion and commitment from diverse groups and interests within and outside the South-West. The clarity of the mission and vision has led to many other nationalities escalating the demand for restructuring by domesticating the values hence the preponderance of other nationalities buying into the call for the evolution of a new Nigeria, where equity and justice will prevail. And successive leaders of thought and traditional rulers have played key roles in updating the Yoruba agenda. One of such efforts was made by them in 1994 with a memorandum that stated, among others that “we are convinced that the cause of Nigeria’s federalism will be well and truly advanced if we return to the pre-1966 evolutionary path; a balanced federal structure which recognises fully the legitimate claims of all ethnic groups for self-determination and where no single entity among the federating units, will be strong or powerful enough to hold the others to ransom, but where each of the federating units is large enough, both in terms of size and population as well as of resources, to be viable, self-reliant and dynamic. Other relevant factors include the homogeneity of each federating unit, geographic contiguity among the units of a region and demonstrable willingness to be together. In pursuance of the principle of self-determination and in the interest of the sustainability, any state or community shall have the opportunity to decide, through the democratic process, the region of its choice in the light of these criteria. In the light of the foregoing criteria, we propose the restructuring of Nigeria into six federating units to be known as regions. The six regions shall be Western, Eastern, Southern, North-Western, North-Eastern and Middle Belt Regions. The Western Region will group together the following States: Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo and all other Yoruba-speaking communities wherever they may be in the federation. The states that will constitute the other regions will be decided by their people subject to the observation of the principle of self-determination.”

From 1999, the South-West’s campaign for restructuring in consonance with the principle of federalism, espoused K.C. Wheare in his authoritative book, Federal Government, formed the fulcrum of the demand. Despite the preponderance of groups with seemingly disparate methodology and tactics, the agenda is a rallying point with the unanimity of purpose crystallising in the historical summit held in Ibadan in September 2017. One of the major resolutions of the leaders is that Nigeria must return to true federalism so as to save the country from the abyss.

“Yoruba insists that Nigeria must return to a proper federation as obtained in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions. This has been our position since the 1950 Ibadan conference and developments in Nigeria over the last 50 years reinforce our conviction. My counsel is for all of us to be united. If we want to restructure, let us do it with one mind, I want us to consider the future of our youths. With good health, we can get our benefits. I want us to be united in all we are doing. I hope all we are doing is for the benefit of all and not for selfish reasons,” the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, gave his word of wisdom at the Summit.

Incidentally, the governors and other interests in the South-West appeared to have embraced that position, given the recent surprise visit of Senator Bola Tinubu to the leader of the Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure, as part of efforts to broaden the frontiers of current alignments in the South-West.  The governors’ meeting last Wednesday, observers noted, only ventilated the wishes and aspirations of the Yoruba ethnic nationality within the context of the Nigerian State.

“That they had to come out publicly now affirms the constitutional provision that the primary responsibility and role of government is the welfare of the citizens. It coincides with the fact that the South-West needs to make sure that whatever must be agreed on the constitution amendment must accord priority to the Yoruba agenda for new Nigeria. The issue of restructuring and adjunct of power devolution, fiscal federalism, are not compromised, in the light of the decision of the National Assembly to transmit the items it proposed for amendments to the state Houses of Assembly,” a political observer noted.

The constitution makes it mandatory for at least 24 out of the 36 state Houses of Assembly to concur on any particular issue before any amendment to sail through.

Restructuring: The Yoruba Agenda 2017

The demands of the people and leaders of the Yoruba in the South-west, Kogi and Kwara states and the Diaspora, encapsulated in the Yoruba agenda, include a six-regional structure, devolution of 25 items on the Exclusive List in the 1999 Constitution, which include customs duties, exchange control, currency, coinage and legal tender, arms, ammunition and explosives, and citizenship, naturalisation and aliens. The Yoruba believe that the existing federal structure had unleashed retrogression on the South-West, known for pioneering tracks before Nigeria’s independence in 1960. According to them, the country is tottering on the edge of an abyss as a result of country-wide disaffection brought about by a dysfunctional unitary structure of governance in a multi-ethnic country, hence the need for concerted effort to stem this drift to the precipice by restructuring.

The agenda read: “The states within a region shall determine the items on the legislative lists in the regional constitution for the purpose of government and the administration and provision of common inter-state social, economic and infrastructure requirements. Residual powers shall be vested in the states.

“The power to create states shall be within the exclusive powers of the region, which shall be obliged to create a state provided a plebiscite is conducted following a request by an agreed percentage of the residents of the ethnic nationality within a state. The procedure for conducting a plebiscite and the percentage of any ethnic nationality as well as the definition of ethnic nationality shall be set out in the regional constitution.

“That states shall be entitled to manage all resources found within their boundaries and the revenue accruing therefrom. The issues of the entitlement of littoral states to offshore resources and the extension of such rights from the continental shelf and rights accruing to the federal government shall be determined by the National Assembly.”

The Summit equally proposed the sharing ratio of all revenues raised by all means of taxation which “shall be 50 per cent to the states, 35 per cent of the regional government and 15 per cent to the Government of the Federation.”

Predicament of the Yoruba nation

More than 100 years after the amalgamation, the pace of development in the South-West had been slowed down because of the current system foisted on the country. Much of the gains of the early days of responsive and responsible administration had been destroyed and consigned to history owing to subversion and substitution of federalism with a unitary system. These were underscored by unjust skewed federal allocation; despite being the economic heartbeat and hub of the country, skewed federal appointments in spite of its pioneering role in human capacity and skilled labour force, collapsed infrastructure and amenities that were indeed originally brought about by prevalent practice of true federal system at post-independence. And all these defects had come with dire consequences of social and economic distortions and dislocations coupled with the devastating domino effects on the political space. The reckless abandonment of the agriculture sector, hitherto the mainstay of the nation’s economy, culminating in the rural-urban migration, the near total crash of the industrial sector and the collapse in the standard of formal education, which propelled the South-West to the zenith in virtually all spheres of human endeavour and indices of economic growth and development, also became evident.

Despite the abundant deposit of solid minerals in the region, it has continued to sit on the goldmine, having been hamstrung by constitutional framework, which inhibits states controlling of their resources as required under true federalism.  Most appalling is the callous system that has continued to promote and sustain unjust taxation, where the bulk of revenues coming from the Valued Added Tax (VAT) and seaports go to other states that contribute little or nothing to that pool. States that outlawed the consumption of alcohol still derive huge allocations from revenue accruing from taxes imposed the consumption of alcohol in the South-West.

The classic marginalisation of the South-West was most upsetting not-too-long ago, when no Yoruba man was among the chairmen of the 10 key federal agencies listed in section 153 of the constitution, which included the Code of Conduct Bureau; Federal Character Commission; Federal Civil Service Commission; Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission; Independent Corrupt Practices and Allied Offences Commission, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. There was also an era when the South-West was not represented at the top architecture of federal level. These positions were that of the President, Vice-President, Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives, Chief Justice of the Federation, Deputy Senate President, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Acting President, Court of Appeal, secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief of Staff to the President, National Security Adviser and Head of Service of the Federation.

This disdain for a major ethnic nationality fast-tracked the convergence of opinions and coalescence of the agenda of the various interest in the Yoruba Nation retooling the Yoruba agenda, which the convener of the recent summit in Ibadan, Dr Kunle Olajide, said is designed to rescue the “ship of the Nigerian State that is floundering, heading towards a titanic rock and Nigerians from all parts of the country must rise up to halt the drift.” He added that the motivation behind the evolution of the agenda “is the collective interest of the Yoruba to champion the birth of a new Nigeria,” because “presently, by the fake constitution we are operating, Nigeria has been put in a consumption mode, sharing and sharing and not baking the cake.”

For foremost legal luminary and educationist, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), the Yoruba agenda is instructive given the dilemma and predicament the country has found itself. The miasma of uncertainty and confusion surrounding the Nigerian federation after more than 100 years after amalgamation and more than 57 years of Independence makes restructuring imperative. “The truth is that today, there is a strong wind of restructuring blowing over the country. It is not just strong a wind, it is a hurricane restructure. The loud voice of those who desire a united and strong country, which would Deo Volente metamorphose into a nation is that the country should be restructured.” He added: “The only change that can change the country and pave way for the nationhood is the change that changes the structure of project Nigeria. No amount of sermon from the pulpit can change the country. It is that change that will bring about the necessary interest and determination to succeed. That change is restructuring.”

Therefore, the agenda of the South-West, which the governors and other key stakeholders are duty-bound to protect and promote to the highest level to a logical conclusion, has the input of another formidable pan-Yoruba body called the Yoruba Assembly, under the leadership of Lieutenant-General Alani Akinrinade (retd). The coalition comprises the Afenifere Renewal Group, O’dua Liberation Movement, Yoruba Council of Youth, Coalition of O’dua Self-determination Groups, O’dua Nationalist Coalition, O’dua Peoples Congress Reformed, O’dua National Congress and Agbekoya Reformed Society, among others. The assembly advocates the conduct of a referendum because the modern concept of sustainable development “is a process that must begin with the active consultation and participation of the people.

It stated that “in this age, every federating unit must be able to pilot its own development affair in accordance with its pace and socio-cultural peculiarities and uniqueness. This is unity that is negotiable. The Yoruba nation is and has always been in thought-leading position on nationhood and we will continue with this leadership behaviour, especially at times like this. Hence we will not condone, nor engage with any recklessness that is against our core values and essence as a people.

“We reiterate the need for restructuring of Nigeria’s governance structure as our minimum demand. In our view, restructuring is desirable and currently inevitable. This must be restructuring on the terms that are attractive to all ethnic nationalities and if necessary, fought for….As it is our culture, the Yoruba Assembly will begin a consultative process with all Yoruba people including conducting an internal referendum and their decision will determine the next steps.

“We will take this proactive step to avoid the senseless warmongering. It is our position and advice that all other ethnic nationalities conduct similar consultative and engaging process among their peoples.”

Therefore, the position of the South-West governors to advance a common position on the issues of interest to their people has been received with cheers among opinion leaders and the people of the region, with political observers noting that the region might be on the path to the realisation of its development agenda going by the manner the governors, despite individual and political differences, have resolved to present the same positions on the effort to review the constitution.

In the views of Chief Supo Shonibare, a leader of the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, “we must commend the efforts of the South-West governors, to seek avenues of economic cooperation, adopting economies of scale, to enhance the economic and social wellbeing of all Nigerians resident in the South-West. Any process leading to our having an alternative developmental vehicle in preference to the ineffective multi functions of the Federal entity in the various States must be commended. We must continue to applaud the unity the South-West governors have displayed both in adopting the Yoruba Agenda 2017 by the Ibadan declaration, which calls for a truly federal entity, with the states being the major developmental level of government, regions coordinating the common infrastructural, economic and social services of the States within the region and parliamentary system of government to reduce the unproductive and unsustainable costs of running the Federal Government. The federal entity will of course, continue to exercise functions of government on an agreed Legislative List for the collective good and security of the entire Nation. This will unleash the great potential of this nation to produce and enable us depart from the present unitary, unproductive, unsustainable rent system. This is the only trajectory capable of pulling us back from the precipice of being a failed Nation with a continued rising population, rampant crime, general insecurity, as well as massive youth unemployment.”

Similarly, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, who was among the forces behind the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and Afenifere that fought gallantly for the restoration of civil in the country, said the advocates of restructuring should remain focus and uncompromising if the country must survive.

“With the benefit of hindsight concerning the pioneering role of Yoruba nation in pre and post-Independence Nigeria, ostensibly before military rule, he said: “Nigeria, to survive, must be restructured. If you don’t know where you are coming from, it may be hard to locate your destination,” Adebayo said.

Similarly, an elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, said the meeting of the South-West governors at a time like this was good and healthy for the nation. But he said there was need for synergy among the constituent units of the country to achieve any constitutional amendment. His words: “I think it is a good thing for Nigerians, particularly leaders to begin to put heads together in order to exchange ideas regarding issues of policy and constitution amendment. I hope leaders from other parts will do likewise so that national consensus in that can be evolved. National consensus is essential ingredient for effecting changes in our constitution. Constitutional amendment cannot be realised without support from all parts of the country. Synergy is an essential prerequisite for constitutional changes in Nigeria.”

In X-raying the Yoruba agenda against the background of the governors, a former senatorial aspirant in Ogun State and member of the Black Caucus that mobilised for former US President Barack Obama, Bankole Hammed, however, said the governors’ move was suspect because it might be another bait as the election year approaches.

“The issue of federating units in the Nigerian setup is one; fiscal federalism is not addressed and the fallout of disregard for a very important part of governance.  Another issue is that of constituent states and independence of local government.  Another may be the apparent lopsided nature of representation at the apex of governance – the Presidency.  It does seem that no other regions except those of the North may determine the outcome of the presidency.  The core reasons for need for revisiting the 1999 Constitution may derive from the non-representative nature and the obvious omission of key issues bothering on security, economic and environmental as regards the minority.  I don’t think that the governors can do much.

“The issue of constitution amendments is largely the realm of members of House of Representatives and the Senate.  If they really want to make changes, they need to work through their respective federal constituencies.  The implications of the current move by the governors are to overheat the polity and create diversion from their collective failure.  The governors have failed, irrespective of political affiliation.  I note that an election year is around the corner, and the voters need to be kept busy, buried in the irrelevance,” he claimed.