Nigeria’s Best Bet In Crisis

Let me now lend my piece to this restructuring and secession saga. My problem with Nigeria and Nigerians is the spontaneity of their decision making in times of pressure and at the other extreme, the inactions offered to situations that demand urgency. I am not against restructuring nor secession but I am just amazed at the rash attitude toward it that makes both decisions so irrational at arrival. Pathetically enough, one of these lullabies is gradually becoming a political campaign chant and a ploy to deceive the masses again.

The last confederation we had was during the buildup to 1960 and spanned through very few years. No doubt that it had enormous benefits and profited the masses greatly. However, we should not fail to recall that the sophistry of that nation then was too infantile compared to what we have now. The educated were a privileged few and the political machinery was way less than being sophisticated. Today, it's a different game. Every region in Nigeria today is being graced cum flawed with powerful people that are capable of suffocating the so-called powerful institutions. Restructuring entails these same persons calling the shots which might not be farfetched from what we have now. Based on this circumstance, what measure is on ground now or in the process to guarantee the sanity of the restructured system being agitated for?

On secession, it is too criminal to want to be like God who took the Israelites out of Egypt to a land they toiled for centuries before arriving. The case of Southern Sudan explains better. The truth remains that secession is too big a word not to be defined by commitment and pursued with same commitment, steadfastness and evidences of something better for an unknown future. It is easier to secede from a Confederation than an imbecilic Federation. Reason being that under the former, there is an existing framework for a nation with available institutions working under a supervised autonomy. All you need do is to stop the supervision. For the latter, you are doing nothing but gathering bits to form a whole. My question is, what existing tangible proof is there to show how this aggregation will be made, institutions will be developed and resources will be utilized? Anything that falls below these expectations remains cerebrally imbecilic.

Pay attention to my summation. Since Nigeria's return to democracy, we have had two national conferences under two different leaders. The findings of the recent conference captured those of 2004 and truly refined them. Can we start first by implementing the recommendations of the National Conference which remains the only rational solution to our problems that was brewed out of over 11 years of calculations, permutation and combination. With that implementation, federating units will start familiarizing themselves with autonomy and creating autonomous institutions. Regions, based on this autonomy can start synergizing and pulling concerted efforts toward development. This would then become the basis for rationally arguing the possibility of restructuring or secession. If we finally decide to choose any of them, it will be lot easier because the frameworks would now be there. This is the reason why Scotland would easily move away from the UK. All they have do is to put a stop to UK's supervision.

I crave the indulgence of Nigerians to understand the severe implications of their spontaneous judgements. For now, implementing the demands of the National Conference remains our only viable option to national serenity. Any other choice, will have us meet doom.

Thank you.
About the author: Agwu, Prince Chiemeka is an academic staff with the Department of Social Work, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He has his specialty in social policy and is the founder of The Rhetorics Project which is a pet project of The Rhetorics Consult, a firm reputed for value reorientation and communication consultancy. He is a radical social worker, public speaker and sociopolitical commentator.