As the general public continue to make its cry known on the need for the Federal government of Nigerian and other involving major stakeholders to fix the ills and inadequacies of the Nigerian system by putting it back on the path of national growth and development by restructuring the nation.
Many in recent times have believed that the current adopted system of government in the Nigerian setting has so far not worked to the best of the nation’s interest especially given its multi-ethnic identity. Giving the diverse and arrays of both the natural and human resources which the nation possess at its disposal, it’s been expected over the years since the nation amalgamation that the nation Nigeria should have attained a greater height of economic importance and growth among its peers. It is however unfortunate to discover that the case is different as the nation has struggle in recent years to live up to the expectations. One that gave it the identity, Giant of Africa.
While addressing the inevitability of restructuring the nation, the All Progressive Congress (APC) recently praised the strides taken by the incumbent president of the federal republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari. In what it described as a revolutionary step adopted by the president to transpose the nation, while also announcing that the administration has progressively began the findings and report of the 2014 National Conference as well as restricting the Federation.
This was revealed in the September issue of the, “The Progressive”, a monthly published journal in collaboration with the Progressive Governor’s forum [PGF]. In the article Calm down, Restructuring has begun, the party highlighted how the president, Muhammadu Buhari is fronting a real charge at restructuring the country. The party also revealed that past administration in the country had used and wasted billions of taxpayers’ funds to gather different conferences and summit which they have failed to make good use of as they have often like always neglect the recommendations and findings of the conferences they spent so much to organize using the nation’s scarce and vital resources.
Also the All Progressive Congress [APC] seized the opportunity to launch an elusive dig at the People’s Democratic Party [PDP] reproving it and it last presidential candidate in the last presidential election in the Country stating that they have over the years used the call of restructuring to politically steer unnecessary unrest by building vain political narratives around it in order to secure cheap political gains. It also revealed that the several demand for restructuring in the nation from different quarters is nothing but an insincere and sentimental attempt and plot to use the subject matter to deceive and manipulate the members of the public by using it to cause division and instill national unrest.
According to its statement, it was revealed that in the build-up to the 2019 presidential election in the Country, one of the major presidential candidate and his political structure were commonly indicted of false fully using discriminating and modified restructuring oratory for certain audiences during their political campaigns.
It further stated through the publication that while the presidential candidate of the people’s democratic party was busy clamoring for restructuring, he however failed to categorically mention or state the kind of restructuring which the country needs or how it could be attained instead he and his party continued to make a public charade using restructuring as a tool to exploit the public ahead of the 2019 elections in the country. The All Progressive Congress however added that it is no surprise to eventually see them losing the election as the Nigerian Populace trouped out en-masse to re-elect the President Muhammadu Buhari who had openly and sincerely started the restructuring the country in fulfillment of its 2015 election to ensure the proper federalism and decentralization of powers.
They added that while some supposed exponents for restructuring have been truly postured as contentious ethnic supporters looking essentially a geographical restructuring, it is pertinent to understand that in speaking about the case of restructuring, the political framework and administrative template of Nigeria, the major challenge which is to be fully and thoroughly addressed is how the country can properly harness ethnic and religious multiplicity and varieties in our federation and whether the political landscape of Nigeria is really mirroring the principles of a federating system as planned by the founding fathers of the nation, Nigeria.
“This, indeed, informed the setting up of the Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai-chaired APC committee in 2017, which came out with far-reaching recommendations.
This he said prompted the setting up of the APC committee in 2017 which was chaired by the Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai which eventually came up with far-reaching findings and recommendations.
The committee as chaired by Governor Nasir El-Rufai examined several issues from state police, resource control, fiscal federalism, power sharing, states re-alignment, state constitution, resource allocation among its federating units, the land tenure system, independence candidacy to the secular identity of the federation.
The committee considered exploration of mineral resources, state police, devolution of power and resource allocation among federating units, form of government, independent candidacy, state creation, fiscal federalism, the land tenure system, power-sharing and rotation, resource control, state constitution, states re-alignment and border adjustments and the secular status of the federation.
The party stated that the advent of President Muhammadu Buhari have changed the narrative of things in the country as the president have started in his bold move to begin the restructuring process in the nation. Adding that he has turned the nation to a working site as there has been numerous progressive works and developmental strides going on in the country as there is no area devoid of growth irrespective of faith, ethnicity and political affiliations.
From local government autonomy to other recommendations as given by the committee, the APC stated that the Buhari led administration has already started to execute them as it hope to fully restructure the nation.
While this may be considered good news, it is far reaching to note that restructuring the nation needs more than just the activities or the efforts of the Nigerian populace for it to be effectively carried out. It is one that must be done without attaching the tentacles of politics and propagandas.
While some recent activities and efforts of the Muhammadu Buhari led administration in the nation can be said to be in line with the demands and factors necessary for restructuring, it must be accepted the need to restructure the nation is more than just fulfilling electoral or campaign promises. It is one that must not only be carried out by the federal government alone but also by its federal units. Each states as well as it populace must be united with a sense of purpose and direction as it is one that must be birth from the grass-roots.
By Marcus Amudipe