As the nation marks another Democracy Day on Monday, it is an auspicious time for a candid discourse on where we were, where we are and where we could be in the journey to nationhood and true democracy. Notice my sense of what the nation is about to do on Monday: We will mark, not celebrate.
It has been built into the national psyche that, on May 29, the workforce in the public and formal private sectors should mark the day with a holiday from work. It is also a fact that millions of citizens in the informal sector, including millions of petty traders, cannot afford that luxury. Working hard seven days a week with little to no improvement in their conditions, a day-off could be economically fatal.
However, even those who enjoy a day off on Monday will not be celebrating. What is Democracy Day to workers unable to pay their bills or feed their families because they have worked without pay for months? This is a reality of the situation that must not escape us. An economy in doldrums is truly dispiriting.
Yet as important for our physical survival and material well-being as the economy is, it is not the be-all and end-all of national greatness. Nations have pulled themselves together out of worse economic conditions. From the depth of national malaise that the Great Depression tossed the United States in the first quarter of the 20th century, the New Deal was born and the nation bounced back to life and to an enduring greatness. That feat took leadership courage and knowledge. It also took, significantly, an overwhelming embrace of the national cause by citizens.
On the part of Nigeria, I have no illusion, of course, that not a few may consider my statement of the challenge a bit pretentious. “Who says that Nigeria is on a journey to nationhood and democracy?” they will ask. And frankly, I have no convincing answer to this overriding question other than refer them to the professions and proclamations made on behalf of scores of millions of citizens by the writers of the constitution.
First, the document reports that we have all “firmly and solemnly resolved, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God” (my emphasis). Second, it states that “the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice” (my emphasis).
Third, the constitution spells out what democracy requires with its declaration that “(a) sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority; (b) the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government; and (c) the participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with (its) provisions.”
There have been negative reactions to the declarations contained in the 1999 Constitution. For its apparent evocation of a unanimous authorship of the document, reflective citizens have considered it a “big lie” and a “fraud”. To the extent that it was a military-imposed document, which was hastily approved on the eve of its departure, without a formal referendum that sought the approval of the people for its adoption, these charges cannot be pushed away.
For comparison, with the 1979 Constitution, at least the military pretended that the people mattered. They made efforts to involve civilians, first, through the appointment of a 49-member Constitution Drafting Committee and second, through a partially elected Constituent Assembly.
But if the 1999 Constitution was flawed for the reasons adduced, what have we done since civilians took over the reins of governance? The fundamentals of the constitution which was imposed by the military have remained untouched. If the constitution remains a fraud and a big lie, then, it is either because most citizens have no interest in attaining the truth and freeing themselves from the negativity of fraud, or they are too powerless to demand that freedom. A consequence of the truth of this disjunction is that the “big lie” remains the foundation of our compact.
But not all is lost. Of the three fundamental principles that the constitution identifies, namely nationhood, democracy and social justice, I do not think that the last two are as contentious as the first. Whether we end up as citizens of our various clans, tribes, nationalities, or as one indivisible country, I am sure that everyone still yearns to be part of a governance system that prioritises the principles of democracy and social justice. Complaints of marginalisation across every zone of this country are about the abandonment of democracy and justice.
The Southwest has been the hotbed of the agitation for a true federal structure for the nation. It has also been the epicentre of sectional agitation for recognition and inclusion by “marginalised minorities” or “sidelined majorities” in states within the zone. Whether it is the Oke-ogun people in Oyo State, or residents of Ajegunle in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government of Lagos State, or Yewa people of Ogun State, what we are seeing is an intra-zonal affirmation of the national agitation of IPOB or MASSOB or Afenifere for restructuring and true federalism.
One major reason for the near-universal mockery of the constitutionally-declared aspiration for national unity and nationhood then is that the aspiration lacks substance and credibility, and cannot motivate action if the effective drivers and motivators of national unity, namely democracy and social justice, are missing. The agitators are declaring that “we are not ‘one people’ if you deliberately treat one section of a state or one zone of the nation as a door-mat to be used and dumped, and not good enough for leadership of the state or the nation.”
This is the fundamental issue. Most citizens are not against the country’s aspiration to nationhood. They are not against national integration. But first, they are against the injustice of exploitation and marginalisation in the name of national unity.
Second, they are against any policy which privileges a uniformity that seeks to obliterate cultural, religious or linguistic diversities. Nigerians still subscribe to the ideal of unity in diversity which animated healthy competition in the areas of education, social welfare and infrastructural development at the beginning of the republic. Third, the demand for political restructuring should be seen in the context of its attraction for economic prosperity and national advancement. Let me elaborate a bit on this last point.
Unfortunately, some thoughtful citizens, with demonstrable leadership credentials in various capacities, still misconstrue the idea of restructuring. They think wrongly that it is a demand by some zones for the deliberate underdevelopment of other zones. At the same time, they nostalgically recall the quantum of development that Nigeria experienced when she operated a true federal structure. But this is precisely the point of the advocacy of restructuring from our current unitarised federalism to a truly federal structure.
Due to limitation of space, I can offer just one example of our current tendency toward over-centralisation. On May 14, 2017, Premium Times published its Special Report on the dilapidated state of Federal Government Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the country. The focus of the report was on the poor state of the PHCs and the need for budgetary allocation to make them function properly.
However, there are fundamental questions: Should the Federal Government be involved in building, equipping and staffing PHCs across the country? Or should it, through the Federal Ministry of Health (FMH), focus on health policies, such as National Health Insurance and broad guidelines for their implementation, while the states are empowered with resources to provide health facilities for their residents?
That PHCs are dilapidated is not a surprise. The Second Republic Federal Housing Scheme suffered a similar fate, as most of the buildings became shelters for rats and reptiles. The Federal Government cannot effectively supervise such facilities scattered across the country. States are suffering from stunted growth because a greedy Federal Government has starved them of resources. The surprise is that two years on, a progressive party in power has not recognised the imperative of restructuring for balanced and equitable development.
Follow me on Twitter:
@SegunGbadeg2002
@HarvestDayPub
