Of national dialogue, restructuring

BY JONATHAN NDA-ISAIAH

The most used and abused words in the last three weeks in the country are restructuring and national dialogue. Recall that the southern governors had called for a national dialogue and restructuring of the country.

Since then, all armchair critics and political analysts have been calling for restructuring and national dialogue. When you ask some of them to define the kind of national dialogue and restructuring they want, you hear incoherent ramblings. Some clowns just flow with the time and don’t even have a grasp of what they are advocating.

Do we need another national dialogue? I don’t think so. Dialogues and conferences have never been our problem. Our past national dialogues and conferences are gathering dust on one office shelf right now. I won’t be surprised to buy corn or akara at the roadside and see it wrapped in one of our 2014 national confab documents. Another national dialogue would just be another talk shop and waste of scarce resources.

I strongly suggest that a committee should be set up by the federal government made up of political, ethnic and religious leaders across the 6 geopolitical zones to go through all the previous national dialogues and conferences. Their findings can be made into an executive summary for the president who will, in turn, send the bill to the national assembly as an executive bill. We have a national assembly for a reason. Any talk about the unity or proposals should be channelled through our elected representatives, not some ethnic jingoists who don’t see beyond their animus for other tribes or regions.

Do I support the calls for restructuring? Absolutely. However, not as an instrument of blackmail as being done by some ethnic champions masquerading as political and religious leaders. I don’t think there is any zone in the country that is against restructuring right now. That some clowns who should be agitating for the chairmanship of transport unions are the ones calling for secession and restructuring shows how low the country has sunk.

I completely agree that some provisions in our constitution need to be tinkered with. In spite of fears that governors may abuse state police, I strongly believe that we need to have state police to check the ravaging insecurity in the country. State police is a must if we must defeat insecurity.

I also believe powers should be devolved to states and the revenue allocation formula should be adjusted to give more funds to the states. Each state should determine its own minimum wage according to its peculiarities and financial strength. Most governors abdicate their responsibilities and the federal government is usually the whipping boys. This must stop.

I also agree completely with the assertions of Senate President Ahmed Lawan that governors should start restructuring from their states. Charity should begin at home and not in our neighbours’ house.

Indeed, there should be genuine sincerity in the calls for restructuring of the country to enable the country achieve its full potential and not as a campaign slogan or instrument of blackmail against other regions.

Besides, we should not make the mistake of thinking once we restructure the country, Nigeria will automatically become Dubai overnight, our systems will start working, and our political leaders will start having sense. The most important aspect of nation-building which we often overlook is good leadership at all levels from the state, national assembly and the presidency. Till we begin to have good leaders with the fear of God, in a restructured Nigeria or not, El Dorado will be a mirage.

Jonathan Nda-Isaiah, political director at LEADERSHIP Newspapers, can be reached via 08061573299, 08054518774.