All the reasons adduced against restructuring Nigeria before the 2019
elections arose from misunderstanding of the term restructuring and what is
involved. General Gowon who created the first 12 States in 1967 recently
saw it as “impossible” because he imagined that no consensus can be reached
amongst the over 500 ethnic groups debating the best way out. His reason
for creating States was to allay minority fears about domination and to win
the civil war. Late Gen. Ironsi suspended parts of the 1963 constitution
that guarantees participation and rights because he wanted to ” restore law
and order”. He then ruled with decrees and made Nigeria into a unitary
system of command because of military rule requirements.
After 50 years we know better about these fears. We know how Nigeria has
become. Now if we truly desire changes,that is if we do not want the
present conditions to continue,and only on this basis do I continue this
analysis,we have to make fundamental changes in our erroneous beliefs by
correcting our past mistakes. The first step is to consider the facts on
ground.
1. Nigeria had chosen as a nation only once and established a nation
building plan applauded world over. We cannot chose another foundation for
Nigeria. So the question of choice is out if it. We can only build up on
what we have as foundation in 1963.
2. The reason adduced by Late Gen. Ironsi for suspending parts of the
constitution in order to restore law and order has expired. So it is time
to restore the suspended constitution since the military is not qualified
to decide in the contrary on an issue Nigerians had decided as a nation.
3. The issue of majority domination has been cleared after 50 years to the
extent that we now know that one majority domination was merely replaced
with another. Today we know that the Niger Delta oil does not truly benefit
them but rather another majority group. We know that 13 percent derivation
is way lower than 50% but we acknowledge that States creation can remain
under regionalism to ensure that 50% gets to the States concerned.
4. The issue of expediency to fight and win a civil war has also expired
with the long stretch after the war has ended. Also with the no victor no
vanquished declaration,there is no reason why civil war policies should
persist in some of these territories. Marshal law ends with the war end
everywhere and Nigeria should not be an exception. So those decrees such as
land use decree now Acts of the National Assembly are not only null and
void but can only harm the economy on the long run if allowed to persist.
5. In the same vein,since the military does not have the peoples mandate to
build another nation midstream and indeed are incapable of doing so all
military decrees and interventions for emergency purposes should be seen as
expired and null and void.
We can retain state creation as long as it conforms to the original
provinces and do not cross old Regional boundaries. If they do then a
boundary commission will be set up to correct such in order to retain the
stable tripod.
Now all the National Assembly or individuals or even executive needs to do
is sponsor bills to effect the above realities. One of the bills will
simply ask for a declaration that the civil war has ended.
If this declaration is made then it means that all the reasons adduced by
General Gowon for making war decrees are null and void since the military
cannot indeed decide against what Nigeria has decided. This has nothing to
do with minority concerns which has been tabled since the Wilinks
Commission of the late 50s. It only supports the use of Provincial
boundaries and retention of States.
Another bill should seek to clarify whether Late Gen. Ironsi ‘s quest to
restore law and order in Nigeria has been achieved today or not. If it was
achieved,then further military engagement was unnecessary. If it was not so
then General Gowon’s intervention and the civil war becomes our basis for
analysis. It will be resolved when a bill seeks to declare the war ended
and therefore wars emergency measures closed for all sides. In that case
the petroleum decrees now Acts of National Assembly,the land use decree or
Acts with much of what you now call the 1999 constitution will be thrown
off over night. Let those who have something or the other to gain
individually or in groups know that the call is for them to make personal
sacrifices
to salvage Nigeria. Of course there are legal ways of compensation due
them. For instance oil wells will continue to produce but only pay
commission to different bodies in accordance to industry practice world
wide. It does not mean they lose their licence except in breach of the law.
So indeed it is very easy to restructure Nigeria next week.