True federalism, panacea for underdevelopment

Recent happenings in Nigeria have shown that all is not well with the country. It is almost impossible to point a finger at a sector of our national life where things go on according to expectation and plans. Everything is on auto-pilot. Security has degenerated to an all time low, to the extent that mass killings are now the order of the day.

Kidnappers and armed herdsmen have almost turned the country to another Somalia. The education sector is comatose. The economy is nothing to write home about. Recent releases by the Debt Management Office (DMO) shows that the country is so neck-deep in debt that going forward we might just have to devote close to 25 per cent of subsequent national budgets on debt servicing alone.

• Giving back to society: Robert Smith’s example

It seems the government of the day has no idea how to steer this national ship out of troubled waters. People often say that bad leadership and corruption are the cause of chaos in Nigeria. But I beg to differ. Truth is these are the manifestations of Nigeria’s real problems. We operate an unjust system that is quite anti-progress. Our government and governance structure encourage impunity in the highest order. Nigeria’s biggest problem as a country is not corruption but the system of government.

Nigeria operates a unitary system of government falsely disguised as federalism. Our system of governance is all about resource allocation, as against generation. Nigeria is a conglomeration of states tied together by crude oil. Nigeria is too diverse to be run with a unitary constitution. Political actors view leadership positions as an opportunity to siphon money and resources because our first allegiance is to our primordial leanings before Nigeria.

The inability to effect these changes that guarantee multiple growths across boards at different paces is the country’s biggest undoing. Most of the states that make up Nigeria are not financially viable enough to pay staff salaries. How sustainable is this system? This needed shift from a unitary to a federal system of government is possible and achievable if we have visionary leaders who are selfless enough to put the Nigerian people first before their personal aggrandisement. Therefore, if Nigeria must be set on the path of peace, progress and stability, we must return to the basics of governing a multi-ethnic entity such as ours and that is true federalism.

Aigbogun Osaze,

Port-Harcourt