The Nation Newspaper

Tag: restructuring

  • Restructuring: ‘North will decide objectively’

    A former National Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Convener of Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP), Dr. Usman Bugaje, has said the North will take a position on restructuring based on research and consensus, rather than on emotion and selfishness.

    According to him, it is necessary for the North to rise above the confusion and present a more rational position.

    He, however, said the use of inaccurate    arguments on restructuring had created tension in the country.

    Bugaje, who spoke in a statement in Abuja, said: “In the last one year or so, ‘restructuring’ and ‘true federalism’ have dominated the political discourse in Nigeria. Unfortunately, when you listen to speeches and read articles on these issues, you will note that there are as many comprehensions of these terms as there are people speaking or writing.

    “Besides, most of the discussions seem to ignore the history of the evolution of our federalism, and this failure has robbed the exercise of its propriety, accuracy and clarity.”

    He noted that although citizens were at liberty to canvass restructuring, “their use of imprecise terms and  inaccurate arguments had not only resulted in communication breakdown, but helped to spread confusion and generate needless tension in the polity”.

    Bugaje hinted that ARDP will hold a two-day conference in Kaduna, to bring clarity, accuracy and coherence into the debate, and provide a sound basis upon which the North will anchor its position.

    According to him, the planning committee drew heavily from northern academic institutions and organisations as NEF, ACF, Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation, Code Group, Northern Delegates Forum, Northern Re-awakening, Jamiyyar Matan Arewa and Arewa Initiative for Good Governance, among others.

    He added: “This conference seeks to blend academic presentations with real politics. While academics and experts will lead with papers, a panel of practitioners will discuss the issues extensively. The audience will also be allowed to raise issues and make input into the discussions.

    “Some of the key papers will be on the historicity of the Nigerian federation; an examination of the constitutional developments in pre- and post-colonial Nigeria; and the dangers of war, the dynamics of peace.

    “Others will look at the principles of fiscal federalism and revenue allocation; the land question and the development agenda of the North. In the afternoons, a panel of experts will focus on these presentations and bring the practical dimensions to the fore, while the audience gets a chance to make their input.”

     

  • In whose interest is political restructuring?

    In whose interest is political restructuring?

    The matter of political restructuring continues to generate political heat in the public domain. It is not unusual to have the kind of robust debate that we have had especially since the beginning of the new administration of President Buhari.

    Even for a party that made change its political totem, the pursuit of change could be unnerving. Who knows what is on the other side? And how does one manage the transition state between the undesirable present and the desirable future state? Every business organisation that seeks profitability must face these questions at some point. Does a political community that seeks stability and prosperity for her citizens need to worry about such issues?  The answer is obvious.

    There is, however, a major difference between a political community and a business organization. A business organization that refuses to change in the light of new developments and the competition around it, will collapse under the weight of its own redundancy.

    On the other hand, in a political community, power is wielded by those who are entrusted with it, ideally on behalf of the people, but realistically for the interest of the powerful few. If business calculations feature at all, it is the business interests of the few that drive political calculations. Thus, the clamor for change may fall into deaf ears for fear of the unknown or for calculations of self-or sectional interests.

    What is lost to those calculations is the inevitability of change which, as Heraclitus observes several millennia ago, is the only constant. Especially, in situations of universal frustration with the status quo, where life is akin to the state of nature condition, change is the only certainty. But in the eternal wisdom of J. F. Kennedy, those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable.

    There have been many attempts at obfuscation. We manufacture confusion where there is none just so we could slow down or disrupt the course of change. There has been fear-mongering of the worst kind. A few weeks ago, I was at the annual convention of the National Association of Yoruba Descendants which had restructuring as a theme. While almost every speaker appeared to have a clear vision of what restructuring meant and what social and economic gains might accrue therefrom, there was a holdout. An otherwise smart and obviously learned gentleman expressed the fear of the unknown. “The Southwest had no oil-fields”, he observed. “From where would our wealth come and how are we to feed our populations if advocates of restructuring had their way?”

    Note that this was a convention of a Southwest Nigerian organization in the most federalized nation in the world, where presidents and congressmen and women jealously guard state rights against the intrusion of federal might. I bring it up to show that in the current debate on restructuring, the resistance to change is not a sectional one. There are equal opportunity resisters in all the zones of the federation.

    Resisters hide behind such platitudes as “we need mind-restructuring, not political restructuring”, “ we must pursue poverty alleviation not political restructuring”, or “we need constitutional amendment not political restructuring.” Still others continue to ask for the meaning of restructuring, or they dismiss true federalism as nonsensical because, in their confused judgment, there is nothing like false federalism. But pray, how else does one describe a unitary system that camouflages as a federal system?

    I have tried, in several comments on this page, to isolate the issues and clarify confusions. But it appears for one who is determined to avoid thorough understanding, there is nothing much that can be done even by the most down-to-earth simplification. But I have also learnt from the wisdom of the elders that the one who genuinely asks questions deserves satisfying answers.

    From recent debates on this matter, there are two questions that deserve answers. First, to the still yet to be convinced about what restructuring is, perhaps a better approach is to first answer the question what restructuring is not. Second, an answer is required to the question “in whose interest is political restructuring?”

    Restructuring is not secession. This horse has been flogged so mercilessly that by now one would expect it dead and buried. But in low and high places, the argument is still being frustratingly canvassed that talk about restructuring empowers and inspires the rhetoric and threat of secession. This is far from the truth.

    Secession demand is for an out of a marriage that both believe no longer works. The demand for restructuring is for an acceptable modification to the terms of the relationship to make it happy and endure the vicissitude of life. The one is negative while the other is positive. There is no denying the fact, however, that if the positive drive is discountenanced, it sends a wrong signal to those who might resolve to engage the negative gear.

    Restructuring is not against national unity. Advocates of restructuring are some of the most patriotic and nationalistic groups whose love of country is beyond doubt. What they espouse are the principles of governing a diverse nation so that the ideal of unity in diversity is preserved and respected. They are genuinely concerned that when diversity is blurred for the sake of uniformity, the country loses out on one of its most profoundly potential contributions to the world political community: the idea of the many voluntarily becoming one without losing their diverse cultures.

    Restructuring is not the imposition of the will of one group or section over others. In the first place, it is, in reality, impossible for advocates of restructuring to impose their will on the nation since their demand must go through the crucible of public opinion and be acceptable to all for it to be adopted as the law of the land.

    Second, that an individual or a group or section is persistent in the advocacy of a cause does not reveal anything about a motive and none can be judiciously attributed. In the case of restructuring, advocates have good arguments and must hope that they can persuade opponents to their side. This has always been the rational course of our political debates since the days of the nationalist struggles.

    Restructuring is not an irrational pursuit of danger. A person who runs towards an obvious danger without minding the outcome is at best irrational, at worst, insane. While some may think that advocates of restructuring are irrational, they are nothing but. As I observed above, the fear of the unknown is what is irrational. Surely, a demand for the return to a principle of governance that worked well in the past cannot be considered irrational. Besides, the only danger is to continue the path that has not worked for the good of the people.

    Political restructuring is the alignment of levels of government vertically, and branches of government horizontally, for the deepening of democracy and the promotion of the welfare of citizens.

    Advocates of restructuring have variously asked for devolution of power to the states, regionalism, or return to the 1963 constitution, which gave more power to the regions and prioritized derivation as a revenue formula. It is disingenuous to conclude that advocates are mired in confusion because of the differences in their demands. We know better that when there is a consensus on moving with restructuring, all metals will be thrown in the fire and subjected to the heat of public debate.

    In whose interest, then, is political restructuring? Every level of government, every branch of government, every zone and every state of the federation, labor, the poor, the rich, and most important of all, national unity, stands to benefit from a well-planned political restructuring.

    With states cooperating in zonal arrangements in the areas of education, agriculture, mining, and infrastructure, economy of scale kicks in for maximum benefit for citizens. As current experience demonstrates, the future of fossil fuel is bleak. In any case, this nation is sufficient evidence that it has been a curse against development and national unity. Do we really need further evidence in favor of restructuring?

     

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  • Restructuring: The cry of Owl

     “And fear a calamity that may afflict not only those who engineered it but also the innocent ones who had no hands in its engineering, and be assured that Allah’s punishment can be very severe.”                                  Q8 v 25              

    Preamble

    In the aquatic world, when a dragon dances ceaselessly on the surface of a brook, the wise sees it as a bad omen.

    The similitude of the dancing dragon in this case is like that of an owl. Anybody who is familiar with the lifestyle of the owl will know why that bird lives in isolation and depends on propaganda for survival. The current brouhaha on a dubious issue called restructuring is not in any way different from the meaningless and ineffective cry of the Owl. By implication, therefore, the callers for restructuring are most likely to end up in the ineffective lifestyle of the Owl.

    The Owl becomes an isolated entity in the world of Birds because of its hypocrisy and indefinable antics. Today, Nigeria’s callers for restructuring are like the Owl, in a confused state. They can neither define the meaning of restructuring nor specify its practical contents. To them, the unwarranted propaganda on restructuring is a means of getting their hidden agenda executed.

     

    Hidden agenda

    “Abstain completely from guessing, some of the guessings you are engaged in are iniquitous and do not be indulged in poke nosing…” Q49 v12

    For 18 years of Nigeria’s dispensation since 1999 till date, these same callers have been alive and available in the country. They were aware of the contents of Nigeria’s constitution with its positive and negative aspects. Yet, they were silent because it suited the purpose of their hidden agenda. They knew that the 1999 constitution which is in use in Nigeria today was imposed on the country by the military.

    They knew that that constitution which started with such a deceptive cliché as “We the people of Nigeria….” was fraudulent and undemocratic. Yet, they did not see any need for its amendment. They had known all along how the military changed the destiny of Nigeria from federal to unitary system and how the concurrent aspects of our 1963 republican constitution were decimated by the ruling  junta to the disadvantage of democracy. Yet, they remained silent because they enjoyed the benefits of that political absurdity.

     

    National Confab

    The callers for restructuring were also in the country in 2014 when a political demagogue in the name of President decided to constitute a National confab which was meant to accentuate his political agenda.

    They were aware that the process of that exercise was dictatorial and insensitive to democracy. They knew that the demagogue resorted to selection of participants in that confab directly or indirectly to the exclusion of people who mattered but did not belong to his camp. For instance, less than one-third of those participants throughout the country were Muslims in a multi-religious country like Nigeria where Muslims are in the Majority. That tragic antique was an obvious confirmation of a hidden agenda on the part of the initiator. To correct that obvious, bias and sectarian anomaly, The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) set up a powerful committee headed by its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar. But after presenting its case with facts and figures the then president further exhibited his own restrained bias by trivializing the matter with another Religious bias. He queried the NSCIA which is a non-political body on why the Northern governors did not grant the Christians Land authority for building churches. Though, this same president knew that Land authorities were not granted to non-igbos in Eastern Nigeria for private or corporate business to build economic, political or religious outfits, yet he never asked the Easterners any question on that.

    It can be assumed that the so called National Confab was part of the then ruling party’s agenda for self-perpetuation in Governance. Now to rise up with Owls propaganda for restructuring on the platform of illegitimate National Confab and expect a new ruling political party that abhorred that confab is a parochial oddity on the part of the propagandist.

     

    Clarification

    As a matter of reality based on sincerity, this Columnist does not and has never agreed with the unitary system imposed on Nigerian people by the military junta. And I have written severally in the past calling for either a re-writing of the Nigerian Constitution by the people of Nigeria, or a fundamental amendment to the existing imposed constitution. It is therefore a deliberate accentuation of confusion by a political clique in the land to want to impose another subjective hidden agenda on the nation in the name of restructuring. The word restructuring cannot be found in the current Nigerian constitution and it cannot be smuggled into it through the back door by some human owls who are trying to overwhelm the populace with unpalatable media propaganda.

     

    Federal System

    Ordinarily, a Federal system in any democratic dispensation must have two wings which are technically called Exclusive and Concurrent lists.

    The Federal system used in Nigeria today is fundamentally different from the one adopted at the time of Independence in 1960 which was confirmed in the republican constitution of 1963. In that federal system, the Exclusive list which was to be maintained by the Federal Government contained only four items. These are The Central Bank, National Defense, The Foreign Affairs, and Immigration. Other issues such as education, prison, Police, and even constitution were concurrent. In other words, each region was entitled to having its own constitution, its own police, its own educational methodology and a substantial control on its human and material resources. Even the adoption of the American Federal System in 1979 was not supposed to make any serious difference from what had obtained in Nigeria. But like any other thing in Nigeria, the newly adopted Federal system became grossly abused through usurpation of power engendered by incessant military coups. Thus, the so called Federal Government based in the Federal capital allots much more percentage of the national budget to itself than to the states and the local governments. This is the main cause of the endemic corruption that we experience in the country today. The unwarranted enormous resources apportioned to the Federal Government are perceived as a fictitious booty by those at the helm of affairs at the federal level. And this has hindered any economic growth and infrastructural development at the state level where Governors and Civil Servants also want to live in affluence as much as those at the federal level. It was this scenario that created a platform for stealing competition and turned Nigeria into a nation of official thieves which could not be trusted with business transaction in the committee of Nations. The result is the pervading poverty and economic hopelessness which Nigerians are now passing through.

     

    Alternative to restructuring

    Calling for undefined restructuring at this time of Nigeria’s life is an obvious mischief indicating a hidden agenda. Rather than calling for unidentifiable restructuring, what reasonable people should advocate is amendment to the constitution. While the latter is straight-forward and constitutional the former is dubious and mischievous. Constitutional amendment has a legal procedure which can easily be followed on the basis of law; restructuring on the other hand is a confusion which cannot be authenticated by any sane law because of its tendency for misinterpretation and accommodation of hidden agenda. Calling for it therefore, is a glaring evidence of ignorance.

     

    The role of southern media

    The most disheartening and ridiculous aspect of the ongoing mischievous propaganda on restructuring is the role of Southern Nigerian media. In what looks like a professional bastardisation, the southern Nigeria media has thrown away the toga of professionalism and decorum while championing the propaganda on restructuring with shamelessness. The private radio stations and some state owned ones are the worst in this sphere. What they do on a daily basis is to constitute themselves into a court of law and invite sympathizers to their cause as prosecuting lawyers to discuss the matter.

    Incidentally, virtually all the invited discussants and the moderators are from the same tribe and the same religion. If you tune to 20 stations especially in Ibadan, the heart of Yoruba Land, you cannot hear a divergent opinion. They all sing the same tune and dance to the same music of their call for senseless restructuring. That trend only changed briefly when President Muhammadu Buhari went on a medical trip to UK and Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo acted as president. The trend of discussion in the Southwest media at that time clearly showed the Hidden Agenda of the mischief makers. And as soon as the President arrived in the country, the hatred for his person in this part of the country became manifest once again as evidence of the hidden agenda.

    The South-west media is therefore the prosecutor and the Judge on the issue of restructuring. If this kind of trend were to be followed in the Northern media according to the wish and desire of the people of that region, nobody would have been in a position to talk of peace in

    Nigeria. The southwest media is the main platform for promoting hate speech in Nigeria today and that is a misfortune of immeasurable stance. In any sane society, the media stands as a moderator of issues and an arbiter of conflicts rather than a promoter of hatred.

    “Surely Allah will not change the situation of a community until the people of such a community moderate their lifestyle” Q13 v11.

    If Nigeria must remain a country for all, the obnoxious stance of southwest media in Nigeria must stop henceforth. Criticism must be constructive and not destructive. A word is enough for the wise.

    Nothing makes America the obvious leader of the contemporary world than the great thought of some great American intellectuals and statesmen who from time to time encourage Goodness, Unity and Love among Americans irrespective of races, colours and religions. One of such men is Williams Webster who said as follows in one of his poems “If we work marble it will perish; if we rear temples they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds and instil in them just principles: we are then engraving that upon tablets which no time can efface but will brighten to all eternity”.

    That should be the principle with which to propel Nigeria from a country into a Nation that can raise its head in the committee of Nations. It is not enough to copy America’s constitution and its style of governance. To be great as a Nation, we must also copy the great principles that make America a great Nation. GOD Bless Nigeria and Nigerians.

  • Constitution review better than restructuring, says APC stalwart

    A STALWART of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State Chief Remi William has urged those canvassing restructuring to stop their campaigns and root for constitution review as the solution to the national question.

    He said constitution review would give everyone a sense of belonging and satisfaction unlike which tend towards satisfaction a dominant group in the region. He said the United States that we copied our presidential system of government from in place of regionalism are still using their own to run their country. He however advised that we look for capable and credible hands to run the country.

    In an interview, Williams said restructuring was not the answer as it meant going years backwards in nation building. The octogenarian said: “We must move forward. The leaders who cancelled the regions have their reasons for adopting smaller structures like states.’’

    He said it would be very difficult to control the regions and get input as quickly as one could do in the states. “If you are in the states, you can easily be heard. In the regions, your opinion may not be heard because you will meet stiffer competition and opposition from others,’’ he said.

    Williams cited the late Premier of the Western Region, Chief Ladoke Akintola, who once told his people that they needed to work harder to match the competition from others in areas, such as getting scholarship, where they were lagging. “Because many of the premier’s people only had West African School certificates in subjects like Yoruba and Bible Knowledge (BK), the premier told them that these papers were not saleable as those from Ekiti and Ondo had better qualifications, such as BSc in Physics and Chemistry. He told them, “if you were in my shoes, who would you prefer to give scholarships?’ That is the problem with a region because it is so large,’’ he added.

    Williams said those seeking restructuring should know that it would not end with satisfying the agitators. He said those asking for Lagoon state to be carved out of Lagos or Ijebu from Ogun State would not stop as sooner than later other groups would come up with a litany of grievances and ask for their own state. ‘’Those agitators feel they are not going to be heard or be part of decision-making that is why they are crying. They also feel that they have been sidelined by the Federal Government. For them to be recognised, there would be need to do constitution amendment.’’

  • Unitary federalism, bane of Nigeria’s development – Group

    Unitary federalism, bane of Nigeria’s development – Group

    The Ondo Renaissance Group (ORG) Tuesday said Nigerians are tired of unitary federalism, stressing that the only way out of the agitations from various ethnic groups in the country is restructuring.

    A communique issued after its quarterly meeting in Akure, the Ondo state capital signed by its chairman, Sunday Menukuro and Acting Secretary, Odunayo Nifemi said unitary federalism had not been beneficial to the masses.
    The group said “The military that put us into this are the major albatross to our national development. Each region used to develop at its on pace until the military came. Then, there used to be good education, good economy, good security, peaceful environment and what have you, until the military came in with its diversionary ideas.
    “Enough of the system that makes Nigeria to be recycling, we must make progress. It is no more news that this current system makes the nation indolent as we cannot produce again, we only rely on oil thereby abandoning agriculture which was our economy mainstay”

    The group appreciated the former President, Atiku Abubakar on his strong disposition to restructuring, stressing that its members have been following him closely on his support for Nigeria’s development.

    ORG noted that among those interested in the position of President in 2019, Atiku appeared to have vast knowledge of restructuring with strong determination for its realisation.

    The communique stressed that its members were in tune with Atiku’s position, urging Nigerians to support him in his desire to rule the nation.

  • Restructuring and states’ fiscal crisis

    To the club of governors currently chaffing under the burden of their workers’ wages and salaries, the modest resurgence of crude prices should offer cold comfort of some sorts. That the Brent – finally hit $58.38 a barrel last week should be good music to the ears of the club of insolvent governors; not least the managers of the piggy bank called Excess Crude Account: a furlough from the troubling wintry season which would have been inconceivable only a few months back has suddenly become a distinct possibility.

    It’s still a long way out of the winter though. Two bailouts and two tranches of Paris Club largess to boot, there are, as yet no signs, that the interventions by the federal government have made appreciable dent on the precarious financial situation in the states. Only two weeks back, NLC President Ayuba Wabba threatened to name and shame governors, who, he accused of refusing to pay complete salaries to workers, in spite of the bailout funds. Never mind, he listed 10 states as being particularly guilty, and then went on to name the six states of Imo, Bayelsa, Ondo, Ekiti, Benue and Kogi as the most terrible of the lot. Kogi, with 40 per cent of workers paid up to date and 25 per cent not paid for between eight and 21 months takes the cake as the worst among the worst.

    To the extent that none of the affected states has put any sustainable structure in place to guarantee their exit from the crisis which attenuated the oil price slump, it seems reasonable to expect the situation to endure a while longer – in which case, another cycle of bailout would appear as not entirely, foreclosed. In other words, I see the worst affected states, pushed to the wall, seeking another tranche of Paris Club loan refunds in no distant time – until things, hopefully, normalise!

    Let’s be clear about the nature of the current problem. The states have, rightly in my view, been accused of not doing enough to rebalance their finances in the wake of the crisis. Much has been said on the need for them to drain their swamps – to borrow the cliché from Donald Trump – given the level of profligacy at that level of government. We do know about the bloated payrolls and the subterfuge going on in many states of the federation in the guise of staff verification – exercises more often than not designed by their Excellencies to buy time as against the stated objective of payroll clean up.

    Could the states have fared better in the circumstance? That seems debatable. Earlier on, I wrote about the governors as being endangered. Now let me stretch the argument a bit further:  while the attempts by the governors to draw attention to the cold realism of financial arithmetic underlying their predicament may have failed to impress many; yet, it seems to me that the arithmetic must be located at the very heart of the current fiscal crisis threatening to overwhelm them. Again, I am reminded that while all eyes are on the governors to explain how their state’s shares of the bailout and Paris Club refund were spent, with many of the governors’ critics having long concluded that the one-off intervention fund should actually offer a permanent elixir to the fiscal crisis facing their states, not very many Nigerians are minded to ask where the funds that the federal government has found necessary to disburse are coming from. Most certainly, it cannot be from the whopping 52 percent it takes from the distributable pool, which are expectedly, captured in the annual budgets. Hard to imagine a piggy bank somewhere from where the federal government which insists on playing the baseless donor role, can draw the kind of funds being deployed to bail out the states!

    Now, the suggestion that Nigerians are before now, oblivious of the fiscal waywardness of the federal government is certainly not true. The difference is the government currently striving to put things on the table which of course is the esence of the current debate. Thanks to the operations of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), and the streamlining of the budgetary process by the Buhari administration, we are suddenly finding out about agencies of the federal government running budgets outside of the contemplation of the law. There were before now, agencies whose annual budgets, although exceeded three or four states combined – were never brought under the normal appropriation process. And now that some agencies federal government are suddenly remitting their operating surpluses into the federation account, we are supposed to be in glee over the dawn of a new era.

    And so I look at the texture of the current debates on restructuring and observe a lot of exertions on geography and ethnography of the concept as against what should ordinarily be a simple and deliberate move to evolve a federation that is functional and truly productive. Yes, we know that the federal government is inept, wasteful and dysfunctional; that Abuja needs to be drained of the swamp (that expression again!). For a bureaucracy so evidently removed from the grind of our day to day experiences of citizens, and where the kind of stealing that are daily reported goes on, I would argue that it not only needs a fraction of what it current gets to get its jobs done, some of its organs truly needs to be taken out. The problem is that some actually imagine that we require a high-octane constitutional affair and all the works to effect changes that are so easily achievable even under the current constitutional strictures.

    As my colleague Segun Ayobolu brilliantly argued in his column on Saturday, we do not require a new conference to effect changes to the lopsided fiscal architecture that puts the states in such terrible disadvantage. And so he puts it aptly: “The 1999 constitution makes provision for a continuous revision of the revenue allocation mechanism every five years obviously to take account of changing dynamics and circumstances. If the political actors refuse to continuously adjust the revenue allocation formula  as constitutionally stipulated and the electorate is impotent to elect into office those who will do so, is the constitution to blame?”

    Let me close by saying that more funds in the states isn’t just good politics but sound economics. The question is – how do you get the funds through when the federal government while keeping a disproportionate share of the common pool also insists on putting shackles on the feet of states? Over to you – our Abuja exports!

  • NLC: restructuring without good governance useless

    NLC: restructuring without good governance useless

    •Fed Govt urged to constitute national minimum wage panel 

    THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said restructuring, devolution of power and resources to states will mean nothing unless they are accompanied by good governance and respect for the rule of law.

    The congress asked the Federal Government to constitute the national minimum wage negotiation committee to begin the immediate negotiation of the national minimum wage.

    It said yesterday that workers were gradually running out of patience over the government’s delay in constituting the committee.

    Congress President Comrade Ayuba Abba, who spoke at a symposium to mark the nation’s Independence Day celebration in Abuja, said workers believed that the country’s greatest problem is the absence of good governance.

    He mentioned massive corruption as part of lack of good governance.

    According to the NLC President,  the congress believes that restructuring the country would not replace good governance, which, he said, is responsible for the huge unemployment crisis, poor service delivery and absence of dividends of democracy for the massive majority of the people.

    Wabba said: “During the colloquium we organised recently on the discourse on ‘Restructuring and the role of the working class’, a dominant issue that emerged was the fact that one of the greatest problems or challenges of our nation has being the absence of good governance in our polity.

    “This crisis of good governance is exemplified by the massive corruption in our body politics. This in turn is responsible for the huge unemployment crisis, poor service delivery and the continuing absence of dividends of democracy for the massive majority of our people.

    “The latest manifestation of this is the refusal by a number of state governments to fulfil their elementary obligations to their workers, by not paying salaries and pensions as at when due.

    “As we have seen from the various discourse/debate on restructuring, it means different things to different people depending on their standpoints. For us in the Congress, however, we look at it that restructuring cannot be a substitute for good governance and respect for the rule of law.

    “Therefore, for our members from all the nooks and crannies of our country, the discourse makes little meaning to them when as workers and pensioners they are owed salaries and pensions running into several months.”

    The NLC President added: “We must state from the outset that for us, restructuring, devolution of more powers and resources can only make sense if there is good governance. We have heard in the course of these conversations talks about our reverting to regions, with suggestions ranging from three, four to eight regions as of the last count.

    “As long as our political and bureaucratic elite continue to misappropriate and divert resources made available for development, we cannot hope to overcome our current developmental challenges.

    “This much Mr. President’s figures on bailouts and refunds on Paris debts refunds and the persistent diversion by some state governors.”

    On the failure of government to constitute the committee to negotiate the minimum wage, Wabba said: “We must again ask the Federal Government to reconstitute the national minimum wage negotiating council to enable us negotiate a new national minimum wage for this country urgently. The 2011 collective agreement entered into with the government at the end of the last negotiations, provided for a five-year cycle, for reopening negotiations, which is overdue.

    “Secondly, all economic indexes such as inflationary rate, cost of living index, exchange rate, high cost of goods and services among others, have all shown that the current minimum wage of N18, 000 is obsolete. There is an urgent need for the government to give the go-ahead for these negotiations to start as workers are running out of patience.”

     

  • Restructuring is nothing without good governance – NLC

    Restructuring is nothing without good governance – NLC

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said Monday that the on going debate about restructuring and evolution of power and resources to states will mean nothing to the Nigerian worker and Nigerians generally unless it is accompanied by good governance and respect for the rule of law.

    The congress also ask the federal government to immediately constitute the national minimum wage negotiation committee to commence the immediate negotiation of the current national minimum wage saying workers were gradually running out of patience over government delay in constituting the committee.

    Congress President, Comrade Ayuba Abba who spoke at a symposium to mark the nation’s Independence Day celebration on Monday in Abuja said Nigerian workers believe that the greatest problem facing the country today is the absence of good governance as exemplified in massive corruption in the nation’s body policy.

    According to the NLC President,  the congress believe that restructuring the country cannot replace good governance which he said is responsible for the huge unemployment crisis, poor service delivery, and the continuing absence of dividends of democracy for the massive majority of our people. 

    Wabba said “during the colloquium we organised recently on the discourse on Restructuring and the Role of the Working Class, a dominant issue that emerged was the fact that one of the greatest problems or challenges of our nation has being the absence of good governance in our polity. 

    “This crisis of good governance is exemplified by the massive corruption in our body politics. This in turn is responsible for the huge unemployment crisis, poor service delivery, and the continuing absence of dividends of democracy for the massive majority of our people. 

    “The latest manifestation of this is the refusal by a number of state governments to fulfil their elementary obligations to their workers, by not paying salaries and pensions as at when due.

    “As we have seen from the various discourse/debate on restructuring, it means different things to different people depending on their standpoints. For us in congress, however we look at it that restructuring cannot be a substitute for good governance and respect for the rule of law. 

    “Therefore for our members from all the nooks and crannies of our country, the discourse makes little meaning to them when as workers and pensioners they are owned salaries and pensions running into several months. 

    “We must state from the outset that for us, restructuring, devolution of more powers and resources can only make sense if there is good governance. We have heard in the course of these conversations talks about our reverting to regions, with suggestions ranging from 3, 4 to 8 regions as of the last count. 

    “As long as our political and bureaucratic elite continue to misappropriate and divert resources made available for development, we cannot hope to overcome our current developmental challenges. This much Mr President’s figures on bailouts and refunds on Paris debts refunds and the persistent diversion by some state governors.”

    On the failure of government to constitute the committee to negotiate the minimum wage, Wabba said “we must again ask the federal government to reconstitute the national minimum wage negotiating council to enable us negotiate a new national minimum wage for this country urgently. The 2011 collective agreement entered into with the government at the end of the last negotiations, provided for a 5year cycle, for reopening negotiations, which is overdue.

    “Secondly, all economic indexes such as inflationary rate, cost of living index, exchange rate, high cost of goods and services etc, have all shown that the current minimum wage of N18, 000 is obsolete. There is an urgent need for the government to give the go ahead for these negotiations to start as workers are running out of patience.”

    He lamented that in almost six decades of national independence, we are not where we ought to be, in virtually all facets of development indexes, looking at our available human and natural resources. 

    He said further that Nigerians “should not dismiss ourselves as a failed nation. This is because while there are a number of countries that are our peers in nationhood that have made tremendous progress, there are also a number of other countries that got independence  around the same time as we did, that have not progressed as much as we have. 

    “Some of these countries have even literally ceased to exist as nation states. Additionally, we must bear in mind that due to the potentials we possess as a big nation, as the giant of the black race, many do not want us to actualise our full potentials. There are many out there that do not wish that we succeed and prosper as a nation.

    “As Nigerians, we must continue to have confidence in ourselves as citizens, build bridges of peace and unity instead of indulging in hatred and constant promotion of separatist agitation. We must believe in our ability to overcome our national challenges and turn our diversity into an advantage to promote the wellbeing and welfare of all the people that populate this huge country.”

    He maintained that one of the founding principles of the international labour organisation (ILO) as contained in the founding constitution almost a century ago, in 1919, is the declaration that universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based on social justice.

    He argued that addressing the issue of poverty and inequality and economic imbalances between the super-rich tiny minority and the rest of the population is one of the key challenges of our nationhood today, adding that “our middle class has more or less been wiped out. What we now have are a very tiny few who are at the top, and very rich, and the vast majority of the people at the bottom ladder who are poor.

    “It is in the above context that government must refocus its development programmes and planning to address the pressing needs of the vast majority of Nigerians that are excluded if the upheavals we are having in different parts of the country is not going to develop into a convulsion. Government must address the critical area of full, productive and decent employment.

    “Despite our independence, because of the compromises and betrayal of our ruling elites, we are now grasping with neo- liberalism and the control of our decision and policy making processes, which are now dictated by multinational organisations of the IMF and World Bank and their sister hegemonic organisation, the WTO.

    “Under the above dispensation, the Nigerian state which had at the beginning sought to be a developmental state, with control of the commanding heights of the economy, has now surrendered this important position to a so called private sector, which is now seen as the main engine for national development. 

    “None of the countries that have witnessed true and genuine development have followed this illusionary path. Therefore for Nigeria to truly develop and industrialise, all Nigeria patriots must join us in the struggle to bring back the Nigerian state to being an arrow head and engine of development.

    “This must mean that we must discard the dictates of the international financial institutions and invest massively in education, health care and other social services; invest in upgrading our infrastructure in such critical area as energy etc.”

  • Restructuring: Bakare advocates 10 years transition programme

    Restructuring: Bakare advocates 10 years transition programme

    • Buhari not against devolution of power, says cleric

    Serving Overseer of Latter Rain Assembly Pastor Tunde Bakare has advocated the setting up of a Presidential Commission with a 10-year mandate towards actualising Nigeria’s restructuring.

    The cleric said the commission should be allowed to begin by 2018 and end by 2028.

    Bakare said his suggestion followed the manner in which the Nigeria’s seat of power, Abuja, was finally put in place over a period of 15 years, saying the idea called for sustainability.

    “We expect that the project will be flagged off under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in the period leading to the next governmental fiscal year,” he said.

    The cleric spoke in his State of the Nation address in the church in reaction to various agitations by various groups for restructuring.

    Speaking on the theme: “Pragmatic Steps towards Restructuring Nigeria,” he declared that the buck stops on the desk of President Muhammadu Buhari whose legacy was at stake.

    He prayed that the President would find the courage and political will to do what was right at this momentous period in Nigeria’s history.

    According to Bakare, who is also the convener of Save Nigeria Group (SNG), the body to be named “Presidential Commission for National Reconciliation, Reintegration and Restructuring” should be established by the President through an Executive Order, in full consultation with the Council of State and the National Assembly.

    The cleric, who noted that many proponents of restructuring were of the belief that Buhari was against restructuring going by his recent utterances, said his interaction with him in the last seven years did not suggest such line of thought.

    He hoped the National Assembly would do Nigerians proud on the onerous task of properly restructuring the country based on their antecedents particularly in frustrating the 3rd Third Agenda saga of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and in instituting “Doctrine of Necessity,” that brought in former President Goodluck jonathan – developments, he said, later stablished the polity.

    “Not only does the president want agitations managed through appropriate constitutional channels, he also wants a clarification of demands in concise terms, as well as propositions on practical pathways towards achieving those demands,” he said.

    On the job to be undertaken by the commission, Bakare suggested that the panel should be given the mandate and the powers to facilitate, within 10 years, the evolution of a functional and acceptable geopolitical structure subject to constitutional provisions while the 1999 Constitution was progressively amended.

    The commission, he said, “shall undertake a geo-economic and geosocial path to geopolitical restructuring by creating geo-economic frameworks, mending geosocial fault lines and attaining a geopolitical climax”.

    He said by this, the Federal Government would progressively devolve powers to the existing 36 states, which would themselves progressively evolve into a zonal arrangement.

  • ‘Restructuring ‘ll impact on governance’

    ‘Restructuring ‘ll impact on governance’

    Dr. Olusanya Awosan was Special Assistant on Public Relations to former President Goodluck Jonathan. In this interview with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE, he speaks on the restructuring debate, good governance and other national issues. 

    The on-going restructuring debate has divided the country, what is the way out?

    It is a thing the government should look into critically, in the interest of everybody, but the federal government seems not to be helping the situation. The structure on ground is not also helping the federal government to achieve its objectives. From my own experience under President  Goodluck Jonathan, I think his government tried, but because the nation is so large, people thought Jonathan did not make impact. That is what is happening right now. The federal government should devolve power to states and local governments. That will enable the federal government to concentrate on the powers it retained.  But, this is not the case. It is in the interest of the federal government to devolve power to states and local government. Nigeria is supposed to be a federal government, but this is just in paper. Federal government should not have business in tarring roads and attending to education. The country ought to have outgrown this and the ethnic nationality agitation. And when you look at it critically, does the structure favours the Federal Government? I can say that the present structure has not enabled the federal government to attain much. I believe that if power is devolved, in the areas of security, the federal government will be much efficient. The efficiency of government at every level will increase. Again, we are one country with different nationalities, it also in our own interest to create system that safeguards the unity that the country longs for. Some people said that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable, but that cannot be true because we must negotiate. Even in a family, there must be negotiation. When a father wants to go into business, he has to meet other members of the family, to explain the terms to them. They would have to agree and there must be memorandum of understanding (MoU). The terms must be cleared and just, that is what people are saying. I believe that those who are opposing it are those benefitting from the present injustice the system has thrust on the country. At the end of the day, when you look at it, it has not paid those against restructuring. Most of the people agitating against it are from the northern part of the country. Look at the massive deceit and ignorance in that part of the nation; it does pay anybody neither the oppressors nor the oppressed. I think it is sensible for us to look at the structure and tinker with it in a way that it will create a just society. Agreed that we all cannot be equal, but let there be equal opportunities at all levels. For you to talk of unity, justice is the first concern of humanity. You cannot talk of unity in a system that is unjust. And for people to look at it and draw a conclusion that the restructuring issue is a Yoruba agenda cannot be true. Recently, someone said restructuring cannot put food on the table, I agreed with them, but it can create a situation where it can put food on the table.

    The federal allocation does not want to lose anything in revenue, for this reason restructuring will not see the light of the day…

    Nigerians politicians don’t talk about service, they talk about power. They are more interested in power. The aim of any good governance is the welfare of the people under its jurisdiction. Any structure that is not serving the welfare of the people is not a good structure. We are talking of the federal government having the largest chunk of revenue, is it for the individual or for the collective purpose? If they are interested in service, the money must be put at the areas where it would be beneficial to the people. The money must have direct impact on the lives of the people; money is not just there for people to see and steal, but to be utilized for the benefit of the people. That is why some individuals could have access to funds that should have been used for the development of the country. That is why former Minister of Petroleum, Deziane Allison-Madueke could steal the amount of money she stole. With the kind of money at her disposal, she can be richer than some of the African countries. There is no infrastructural development and lot issues are begging for appropriate answers in the country, yet the federal government want to hold on to funds that would give service to the people. This is certainly not the ways forward.

    Having served in past administration, where do you think the government needs adjustment to make things better?

    I have come to the conclusion what with this type of structure in place; there is no federal government that can render service effectively. For instance, during the Jonathan administration, a number of roads were tarred and lots of things were done, but he did not create the magnitude of impact expected of him. What he did was not enough for the people to appreciate not because the government did not do anything, but because the structure did not allow the impact. You are sitting in Abuja and you are talking of Idanre in Ondo, Esa Oke in Osun, Sagari village in Sokoto, so no matter the effort the federal government puts in at the end of the day the magnitude will not be much and it will not receive appropriate appreciation.

    Government said the recession is over, what is your assessment?

    The Yoruba people say the monkey sweats, but because it is hairy, one could hardly notice it. That is the case with the federal government. All these things will still come back to the same argument, if the federal government devolves power to the state and local governments, its impact would have been felt. The pace would be faster and now it has to be slow and gradual. And before you to know it, two years is already gone and by the time you back 2019 is round the corner. You know that the citizens cannot appreciate figure, they can only appreciate the direct impact of policies and programmes of government in their lives. If people and government have confidence in our own facilities, they will not be going abroad for medical attention. Like Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is agitating, they are fighting to make our universities better. Nigeria has the manpower, but what we lack is the infrastructure. We have very articulate and resourceful manpower. I am a product of the university system here, I got all my degrees from Nigerian universities, so I know the crop of people that we have in the system. If you don’t have laboratory, how do you conduct experiment?

    What is your assessment of President Buhari ahead 2019, in view the comment of Minister of Women Affairs?

    Under the law, Alhassan is entitled to her comment. I don’t think it is a bad one as long as she is supporting somebody in the All Progressive Congress (APC). Nigeria is not the property of Mr. President; the loyalty is to be to the nation. What she said is aimed at the future, that by 2019 in her own consideration, the type of Buhari probably would have expired. But, she should be more focused than making such comment, as long as she is still serving now, she must focus on the policy and programme of government.

    It is because there is no strong political system and everywhere in the world where there are no strong structures the methodology of making effective change will be comes under scrutiny. That is why I will not support anybody persecuting her over her comments. How I wish the political system were in order. But, thank God the PDP is gradually bouncing back, to give the APC the fight. So, as the PDP is struggling to put its acts together, the APC is going apart. The party that had not held it NWC meeting for long but because a woman said she was supporting an individual they have decided to meet over the matter. It exposed the level of sycophancy, especially those who are close to the seat of power. So, as long as the system favours their position, they will never say it the way it should be. In the overall interest of the nation because of the huge responsibilities attached to that office. The President needs not only to be sincere, but needs to be vigilant. On the ground of that, I will appeal to the President that he must allow people to aspire. But, if he has the agility and intellectual capacity, he can continue.

    What is your assessment of Governor Ambode so far?

    We must thank God that at least we can point hand to a government that is working. We must appreciate what we are witnessing in Lagos and I have to say that all thanks to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the architect of modern Lagos. He laid the foundation of what we are now benefitting; he has also provided very strong and vigilant leadership. Leadership that is not only performing in government, but midwife a succession plan, that brought about capable hands. There is no doubt today that Asiwaju is the number one political leader in the Southwest. That again takes us to the issue of restructuring, his participation and opinion is very much important. At the end of the day, those who are agitating would add some political dimension and the experience of people like Asiwaju would be very useful. Like I had mentioned before, it is in the interest of all that power should devolve to the federating units. If power is devolved many of our states would do very well. So, what is incapacitating good governance in Nigeria is the structure that we have which needs to be restructured.