There have been strident calls from parts of the country for a break up of Nigeria. SAMUEL ALONGE in this piece postulates that of recent, such agitations have been drowned by the voices of proponents of restructuring who prefer a return to the 1963 constitution to secession.
The ranks of those calling for the break-up of Nigeria appear to be depleting with the recent affirmation by the Southern governors, various minority groups, political party leaders and other opinion leaders, that Nigeria should remain as one. Earlier, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, also stood for a united Nigeria.
Its nonagenarian leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, particularly said that “we have invested so much in the Nigerian project that we, in Yorubaland, cannot afford to lose it.” Also, during a recent call on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, the leader of the mainstream Igbo socio-political group, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prof. Chidi Osuagwu, declared that the Igbo had no intention of breaking away from Nigeria at this time.
All these, apparently, are dampeners for those agitating for the splitting of the country. On the other hand, a group of Yoruba scholars led by Prof. Stephen Banji Akintoye and Yoruba’s freedom fighter, Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a Sunday Igboho, are calling for Oduduwa Republic for the Yoruba, while the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wants the Igbo of Eastern Nigeria to secede. However, despite the overwhelming demand for a united Nigeria, not a few Nigerians are agreed to the urgent need to restructure the country, especially before the next general elections. The demand has been accentuated by the increase in the wave of insecurity, typified by insurgencies, banditry, Fulani herdsmen attacks and kidnapping.
The Southern governors in their meeting in Asaba, Delta State, on May 11, had restated their commitment to the unity of Nigeria. The governors, however, called for the restructuring of the country, and review of the revenue allocation formula in favour of the sub-national governments, among others. Also, the governors, among other things, banned open grazing, and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to convene a national dialogue to address widespread agitations among various groups in the region. The governors’ communiqué partly reads: “Affirmed that the peoples of Southern Nigeria remain committed to the unity of Nigeria on the basis of justice, fairness, equity and oneness and peaceful co-existence between and among its peoples with a focus on the attainment of shared goals for economic development and prosperity.
“That the progress of the nation requires that urgent and bold steps be taken to restructure the Nigerian federation leading to the evolution of state police, review of revenue allocation formula in favour of the sub-national governments and creation of other institutions which legitimately advance our commitment to, and practice of true federalism. “Recommend that in view of widespread agitations among our various peoples for greater inclusiveness in existing governance arrangements, the Federal Government should convoke a national dialogue as a matter of urgency.”
But, while the Presidency is tactful and measured in its reply to the demands by the governors for the restructuring of the country, it, however, took exception to the governors’ blanket ban on open grazing, against the itinerant Fulani herdsmen. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said President Muhammadu Buhari had expressed a strong resolve to address the conflicts of herders and farmers in a sustained and lasting manner.
He said the latest approach should lead to the emergence of a permanent solution to the frequent clashes between them, as well as the associated problem of the gun-wielding killer herdsmen, adding further that “the President had approved a number of specific measures to bring a permanent end to the frequent skirmishes as recommended by Alhaji Sabo Nanono, the Minister of Agriculture in a report he submitted and the President signed off on back in April, well before the actions of the Southern Governors Forum which attempts to place a ban on open grazing and other acts of politicking intended by its signatories to demonstrate their power,” Shehu demurred. He also averred that it was very clear that there was no solution offered by the southern governors’ in their resolution to end the herders farmers clashes that had continued in the country, adding that “but the citizens of the southern states – indeed citizens of all states of Nigeria – have a right to expect their elected leaders and representatives to find answers to challenges of governance and rights, and not to wash their hands off hard choices by, instead, issuing bans that say not in my state.
“It is equally true that their announcement is of questionable legality, given the constitutional right of all Nigerians to enjoy the same rights and freedoms within every one of our 36 states (and FCT) -regardless of the state of their birth or residence. “Fortunately, this declaration has been preempted, for whatever it is intended to achieve and Mr. President, who has rightly been worried about these problems more than any other citizen in consultation with farmers and herders alike, commissioned and approved an actionable plan of rehabilitating grazing reserves in the states, starting with those that are truly committed to the solution and compliant with stated requirements.
“With veterinary clinics, water points for animals, and facilities for herders and their families including schooling – through these rehabilitated reserves, the Federal Government is making far-reaching and practical changes allowing for different communities to co-exist side-by-side: supporting farmers to till their fields, herders to rear their livestock and Nigerians everywhere to be safe. “The entire country is acutely aware of the strain the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on public finances, for both federal and states. Still, given the pressing urgency of addressing the perennial challenges, the federal funding for the project that has been delayed is now being partly unlocked,” the President’s spokesman further explained. However, at a closed-door meeting in Lagos last Sunday, hosted by the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, leaders of the APC in the South-West supported the position of the southern governors both on restructuring and the ban on open grazing.
The meeting, which was attended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, among others, was chaired by a former interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande. However, while all are agreed to restructuring, a grey area appears to be, which road should the journey to restructuring take? While a section of the political class believes that the ongoing constitution reform of the National Assembly can lead to restructuring, others hold a separate view. For instance, Pa Adebanjo of Afenifere believes that the National Assembly which is a product of the current defective constitution cannot produce a constitution desired by Nigerians.
The elder statesman is insisting on the people’s constitution and would prefer the re-awakening of the dumped National Confab report of 2014, in the era of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The last is still to be heard on the agitation for restructuring
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