By\u00a0 Nwokedi Nworisara<\/p>\n
Election is a function in the process arising from the structure. It is
\ndefined by the structure and serves as a vehicle to achieving the goal. Now
\nwhen you have a wrong structure,a distorted goal emerges leading to a
\npurposeless election which cannot further democracy no matter how you
\ndefine it.<\/p>\n
Before now I had called for restructuring before the 2019 elections to make
\nits outcome meaningful. I called on the National Assembly to initiate bills
\nto ensure true federalism before elections. I called for the states to join
\nthemselves along the three original regions in line with the 1963
\nConstitution. These are inevitable processes that will make meaningful
\nrestructuring possible before the elections or at least to prepare the
\npeople for what must be. There is nothing like choice about it. We chose
\nonce in 1960 and nothing can change it because we had set up an avalanche
\nof activities spiritual and physical that is likened to a building and we
\ncan only build upwards! But that does not mean we cannot decide to demolish
\nthis building. What we need to understand is that we cannot remodel this
\nbuilding at the second floor outside approved plan. The least we can do is
\ndemolish it and obtain another plan ,another name perhaps to start another
\nbuilding!<\/p>\n
So for those who go about hoping for another country out of the parts its
\nconsequences are great and it may not happen. For those who want to remodel
\nNigeria midstream,by introducing six geo political zones or middle belt or
\nthe like, it is part of the problem itself because the structure does not
\nrecognise it. For the military with their learning process creating states
\nevery corner and multiplying local councils at will,they need to find
\nanother country or name to sustain it but not Nigeria. The State structure
\ncannot stand under the 1963 constitution except it is subsumed under the
\nthree regions as were provinces. The states will not have its boundaries
\noutside the regional boundaries because that nullifies it. The states will
\ntake its authority from regional houses of Assembly\u00a0 resolutions and
\nedicts. It is only then you can have 50% derivation and all the freedoms to
\ncreate and be productive.
\nThe alternative of course is to continue in this blind alley as today. What
\ndo you get? Unviable states with no true federating powers because truly
\nthe state cannot become a federating unit. It also means that the states
\ncannot have a state police only the original three regions can have such
\nattribute to federating units. Sorry for the national assembly who just
\nwoke up to my warnings to sponsor a bill for state police. There are other
\nbills that should have been pushed through by now but you too\u00a0 thought that
\nelection was more important than restructuring until you began to
\nunderstand that PVCs may not be Uhuru after all.<\/p>\n
Restructuring cannot be given or even debated or is it a token like
\nfighting corruption. It is either whole or nothing. Not restructuring means
\nsupporting corruption ,sustaining poverty and unemployment. Each election
\nwithout restructuring means another 4 years of sustaining these vices and
\nyou cannot say you were not forewarned. What each four years will bring is
\ndecreasing productivity of states,insecurity because the states cannot
\nsecure themselves not being federating units. It means increasing federal
\nallocation through foreign loans that impoverishes the coming generation.
\nIt means unpaid salaries and increasing inflation. It means land use decree
\na.k.a.\u00a0 Acts of National Assembly for want of what else to call it.<\/p>\n
And I hear that some Presidential Aspirants are promising to restructure
\nNigeria when they get elected into office and many Nigerians are deceived.
\nIn the first place what oat will they take on swearing in? Is it not to
\ndefend the 1999 constitution? How can you defend something and change it?
\nLet’s get it straight here. Most of these people enamoured by the glitter
\nof money politics know that you can only play it under this unstructured
\npolity. Money is only a bridge that keeps this unworkable constitution
\nworking for a while. It was the gun during the charade of military rule but
\nhas to be replaced by another source of impunity cash. Yet you see them
\ngoing about saying they are fighting corruption the very fabric that is
\nkeeping them in power! Remove money politics,buying of votes inducement and
\nnobody will bother to vote in elections under the 1999 constitution!!<\/p>\n
So if you want to fight corruption,then you cannot mount the rostrum of
\ncorruption\u00a0 provided by the 1999 constitution and promise to defend it by
\noat and still deceive Nigerians and yourself saying you are fighting
\ncorruption. You do not need the recent Ekiti\u00a0 debacle to have known it. So
\nunless you want to continue for the next four years this system,the time to
\nchange to the original structure that bears the name Nigeria is now not
\nafter the 2019 elections.<\/p>\n
So you can understand the dilemma of those who still aspire to be By\u00a0 Nwokedi Nworisara Election is a function in the process arising from the structure. It is defined by the structure and serves as a vehicle to achieving the goal. Now…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":62745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nconstrained under this system for another four years, those who have no
\nqualms joining the money support while ignoring their own healthy legs.
\nThese people are not patriotic and cannot be leaders!
\nThey have defined themselves as not capable of joining the new Nigeria. By
\ntheir aspiration alone under such circumstances they inadvertently seek to
\nfurther our miseries for another four years.\u00a0 They help extend the expiring
\npolitical capital from the international community in the belief that if
\nsuch calibre of people have confidence in this system then it can be
\nreformed. It happened to Shagari,to Obasanjo,to Yar Adua,to Goodluck even
\nto Buhari …. and now we are 11 trillion Naira in debt for it. But I know
\nthat so many of them have such good heart and mean well and want to help
\nbut it has always been so. What is more important is not array of good men
\nwilling to work an unworkable system only to apologise\u00a0in four years<\/span><\/span>\u00a0but a
\nmodicum of them willing to do the right thing.<\/p>\n