By Olu ‘Gboye
A cursory look at most economically and politically developed nations reveals an almost common denominator – they were at some point driven by near-apocalyptic experiences to chart a beneficial course for themselves. Beleaguered by catastrophes ranging from economic turbulences, wars, resource-starvation, multiracialism, invasions, population explosions to natural disasters, these countries found creative ways to pull themselves out of the dust heap. No country started out great; the great ones marshaled themselves to high standing.
It is obvious even to the casual observer that Nigeria is not living up to its existential potentials. Despite a teeming population and resource-laden land space, the so-called giant of Africa has taken only baby steps in its developmental trajectory. 104 and 58 years post-amalgamation and independence respectively, the country is still under the spell of extreme poverty, ethnic and religious conflicts, gross infrastructural deficit, high maternal and infant mortality rates, internal disharmony etc. These and recent events in the country influence my opinion that only drastic measures can rescue Nigeria from the abyss which she is currently flirting with. Many commentators have tagged Nigeria a failed or failing State but I hold on to the belief that all hope is not lost.
I am however under no illusions that the tide can turn overnight. Nigeria will not become great by some sudden mystical or magical occurrence. The people love to leave it all in the hands of God. They say ‘e go better,’ but this is not underpinned by any real plans. Hope is good for consolation, but is is not a strategy; prayers are good for inspiration, but insufficient if we do nothing. We will not accidentally become a revered nation. Actions must be taken, plans made and executed, and work must be done!
Over time, what we have merely done is apply cosmetics to the issues bedeviling us. We need to face reality and embrace the hard facts we are confronted with. Acknowledgment of truth is the root of real change. Further to this, we must realize that there is no easy path to progress for Nigeria. Far reaching decisions would need to be brokered and very radical steps taken. Anything short of this will leave us in this never ending state of quasi-development.
There have been recent calls and agitations for the restructuring of Nigeria with assorted perspectives as to exactly what that means, and how it should be implemented – from the placatory to the outrightly ludicrous. It is however gratifying to note that a growing number of compatriots identify that there are fundamental issues in the construct called Nigeria that need to be confronted. I aver that the structural defects of the Nigerian Nation State are largely foundational. This is why we have been slow in moving forward and why the patchwork attempted by different government administrations since independence have had minimal effects even when the motives behind them were virtuous.
In civil construction, when a beam is cast and it is realized that it has taken the wrong form after the concrete has set, harder measures (regrettably costly and painful) need to be taken to correct the defect than if the discovery was made before it set. Nigeria over time has taken a shape and form which has pretty much set. Again, when our phones or laptops begin to malfunction, the manufacturers often suggest a hard reset when all else fails. Nigeria is in urgent need of a hard reset. The clamour for restructuring is a good start, but we need more than that; we need a total reset.
THE SOFT
I will get to the point of our political structures, but my first port of visit is our values and orientation as a people. The first thing Nigeria needs is social restructuring. It precedes all else. Restructuring as proposed will be garnished with intrigues, sentiments, and primitive aspirations, and greeted with mutual suspicion, cynicism and disgruntlement, if we do not begin by restructuring our minds.
There are basic human decencies which we have long abandoned for less noble virtues. Simple things like the discipline of keeping to time an excellent example. The cliche ‘Nigerian time’ is an absurdity borne out of a collective predisposition towards tardiness that has done more injury to our corporate existence than we can imagine. It has affected our productivity and credibility. Any person that does not keep to time will not be taken seriously by someone who knows the value of time. Disregard for time is the birthplace of corruption. It starts by being late, then being absent, then evolves into a belief that you can get something having done nothing. Highly industrialized countries are propelled by exceptionally industrious people – Japan, Germany, South Korea, China are shinning examples. The work ethic of a people is sine qua non in their pilgrimage towards progress.
We must relearn how to stand in line and wait our turn. Many times, in Lagos especially, hours are spent in traffic logjams only to get to the head and realize that ‘nothing caused it.’ Of course something did! Lane-hugging and lane-jumping, shunting and animalistic impatience are the joint culprits.
Then respect for the rule of law. This is not limited to just obeying court rulings and judgments. How about simple things like renewing your car papers, or settling your bills, or delivering excellently on your job, not bribing your lecturers, not sleeping with your students; not peeing by the roadside or throwing trash out your car window? The red on the traffic light means stop, it is not a signal to zoom past as fast as you can. How about we agree to start rewarding the quality of people’s work (merit) and not the names of their villages (nepotism)?
All it takes is changing our basic everyday attitudes and actions. In reality, it is as simple as doing the right things all the time. The Nigeria we all wish for, pray for, and ask for is inside of all of us. This may sound like a call to morality but, in truth, only reformed people can produce a reformed society. This is the starting point of a restructured Nigeria. This is the real job of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), not heralding the intrigues of the political class! We must promote and imbibe these values at all levels – from State House to school halls; cascading across urban municipalities and rural courtyards.
Ideally, societal order ought to be administered by relevant agencies of state, but regrettably a lot of them are caught somewhere on the spectrum between compromise and political misuse. I strongly desire that those who hold such positions and responsibilities would bear this charge but a lot of them see their posts as mere ‘settlement (political compensation) andor a platform for advancing their ‘rankadedeism.’
I have met and interacted with some Nigerians who exhibit a love for country and yearn for a Nigeria where things work. I see their commentaries on Social Media. Some here at home, others in diaspora not because they dislike their origins, but simply because they have gone in search of an orderly existence. One of them told me that “the creative solutions that caused countries to develop were results of passionate compatriots who fought to penetrate relevant spheres of influence to become architects of effective social and political structures that lead the populace towards desired change.” So I call on compatriots of the Nigerian estate to champion, exemplify and drive positive behavioral and attitudinal changes wherever they find themselves. Rise up where you are! This country needs us! This is but the beginning.
THE HARD
Let’s move on to more radical prescriptions – the sub-divisions – into States and a Federal Capital Territory. The brutal truth is that Nigeria has too many States and is consequently over-governed! The more states we have, the more the multiplication of all the apparatus and machinery of government – governors, ministries, personnel, aides, parliaments, secretariats, supposed-to-be-official vehicles etc. The sheer cost of governance is mind boggling. Most of the states have been reduced to salary payment agencies for civil servants or ATMs for politicians. Frankly, a good number of them are non-viable and are no more than glorified Local Government Areas. They can only do so much with their allocations which they come to collect, bowl in hand, from the center every month.
Brazil (land mass – 8,515,767 sq.km; population – estimated at 209 million) is 9 times the size of Nigeria (land mass – 923,768 sq.km). It is made up of only 27 Federative Units, some of them larger (Amazonas and Para) than the whole of Nigeria! It is arguable that Nigeria was better governed when we had fewer States, or maybe when we had the Regions.
It is my opinion that the manner in which we created our States (mainly around ethnic configurations) has exacerbated the divisions between us. The way we view and agitate for even more states tends to suggest a lack of understanding of what they are or should be. The argument for more of them is counter-intuitive. Do we ceaselessly continue to decimate our composite units until every hamlet becomes a state?
It is pertinent to mention here that States are artificial creations of man for the purpose of effective administration. As opposed to ethnicities, they are not people groups with a shared ancestry, language or culture. They exist strictly for administrative convenience. The concept of State of Origin is therefore a misnomer. For younger Nigerians, there was no state in Nigeria before 1967, when Gen. Yakubu Gowon created 12. We then moved to 19 and the FCT (by Gen. Murtala Mohammed in 1976), then Gen. IB Babangida expanded them to 21 (1987), then 30 (1991) and finally Gen. Sani Abacha increased them to 36 in 1996.
All our existing States were creations of military fiat, not natural distribution. So when we say we are Jigawites, or Deltans etc., we deceive ourselves for there is no such thing really. Let us take Abia as an example. The name itself is an acronym representing the four major densely populated regions in that pocket of space -Aba, Bende, Isuikwuato & Afikpo (A-B-I-A). So what then or who then is an Abian? The identifier is nothing but a myth. In reality, there is nothing like an Abia origin, unless we want to allude that IBB created a new race or tribe with his proclamation in 1991. The present day Abia State is comprised of multiple Igbo subgroups which are spread across the Eastern States and beyond. For example, the Aro people have a mixed Akpa and Ibibio ancestry originating from Arochukwu, but are today found across Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, Anambra and Rivers States, in all of which they are considered indigent. What then is the purpose or meaning of a State of Origin seeing that all Aro people have a common origin which is not linked to any one State?
As a result of demographic evolution and migrations, the historical possession of territories by ethnicities is impracticable in a modern and pluralistic society, more so in one as diverse as Nigeria. To truly have a united Nation, we must come to terms with the fact that the entire territory belongs to the Nigerian State and that though we have locational origins, they should impose no bearing on administrative governance. We can and should indeed preserve our cultures by retaining our traditional institutions. However, the partitions of governance should be for the intendment of strategic national benefits.
What do we then do? I am of the opinion that we reduce the number of federating units to no more than 12, and then realign and strengthen Local Governments so that every Nigeria feels the impact of government at the minutest level. We then adopt State of Abode or Residence, but retain Ethnic Groupings as a demographic index aimed at preserving our cultural heritage.
The 12 states (would help if called something else – Provinces maybe) can be determined and distributed based on size (for instance most of the Sates on the Western US Coast were demarcated this way using longitude and latitude); population spread (so as to have numerical balance); resource distribution; or a combination of all or any of these. We can then follow with proper devolution of powers, state policing, strategic planning etc. For sure, we will need to convene some sort of sovereign conference to accommodate and debate varying opinions, and of course amend the constitution accordingly. There is no easy path to sustainable advancement.
The ideas I have advanced here are intended to stimulate us to venture into new thought frontiers concerning Nigeria. They may come across as extreme or even border on the eccentric to some, but if the soft approach hasn’t worked, it appears the hard way has become inevitable.
Olu Gboye is a business executive, and an advocate for better governance and patriotic citizenship.
