Is the north afraid of restructuring?

At various times, prominent northerners and different socio-political groups in the region have supported restructuring and they have even boasted that the north is not afraid of a restructured Nigeria. However, the zone has not taken a common stand on the issue, like the South east, South south and South west geo-political zones. As ABDULRAHMAN ZAKARIYAU narrates in this report, the north couldn’t reach a consensus at the the last Northern Senators Forum retreat which held at Katsina.

xhuming the ghost of restructuring

At a time when the term is receding from the country’s consciousness, the Northern Senators Forum met in Katsina for three days and exhumed the ghost of restructuring penultimate Monday. From December 11 to 13, the senators held a retreat to brain stormed on burning national issues and took a stand on them.

Expectedly, restructuring featured during one of the sessions but the senators didn’t reach a consensus on the way forward at the end of the retreat.
In a communiqué, the senators promised that the north will take a well articulated, firm and common stand on the issue on a later date.

However, before then, the senators had accused political elites from of the other region of intimidating the north with the term ‘’restructuring’’, painting it ‘’as a weak link, parasitic and unproductive region that brings nothing to the dining table.’’ In addition, the communiqué pointed out that the north is not afraid of restructuring, provided it guarantees justice, equity, fairness and the unity of all Nigerians irrespective of religion, region, age and sex as enshrined in the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Previous stand

From October 11 to 12, the Arewa Research and Development Projects (ARDP) had organized a conference that brought together northern leaders to discuss on “the North and the future of the Nigerian Federation”.

According to the convener, Dr. Usman Bugaje, “the conference is a response to a debate on the nature and future of the Nigerian federation, popularly termed re-structuring”. The conference which was held in Kaduna, was well attended by northerners from all works of life. The conference was chaired by Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambawal, the Sokoto state governor and Malam Nasir El Rufai, the governor of Kaduna state, His Eminence, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar and Professor Ango Abdulahi, former vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University(ABU), Zaria and spokesman of Northern Elders’ Forum all graced the occasion.

Similiarly, Dr Junaid Mohammed, an ex member of the House of Representatives in the second republic, and several ranking National Assembly members. attended the two-day conference.

At the conference, position papers were presented and speeches were also delivered by many Northerners, but no agreement was reached as no communiqué was issued in the end. However, the dominant theme of the event was that the north is not afraid of restructuring, contrary to media reports.
Specifically, the chairman of the conference, Governor Tambawal of Sokoto state set the ball rolling.

According to him, “the idea that the north is against restructuring because it benefits most from the current state of things is circumscribed and patently false. Let us be clear: the north wants restructuring as much as anyone else”. The Sokoto state governor said that northerners want a country where there is peace and progress, where justice is given, where all lives are safe and people can pursue their legitimate livelihoods wherever they choose.

In addition, former Vice president Atiku Abubakar, one of the most vocal advocates of restructuring, elucidate on his own idea of the term. Represented by Dr. Awwalu Anwar, the former Vice President said “my idea of restructuring is devolution of power to the states with the resources. The Federal government should only be bothered about the economy while the states should be left to provide education, security and build roads”.

The Wazirin Adamawa punctured popular beliefs when he argued that the ‘’north stands to gain more if there is devolution of power. If there is local police, there would not have been
‘The north wants restructuring like every zone’

Boko Haram for instance, because they would have had the intelligence to stop them. The new North has nothing to fear (about restructuring) because we have the land, the people and resources”.

On his part, Professor Abdullahi explained why the agitation for restructuring was getting traction in the political space. According to the NEF spokesman, the aim is to intimidate ‘’the north and possibly short change it, as such, the clamor only gain currency when a northerner is in position of leadership in the country”. The former vice chancellor advocated for the nation’s federating units to go their separate ways or restructure Nigeria along what existed in 1960, adding that ‘the North is not afraid of getting our north back”.

Like the northern senators’ retreat, the conference, ended up without consensus. However, the South east and South west geopolitical zones which met earlier, clearly enunciated what they required in a restructured Nigeria.

The Enugu ‘declaration

On July, 2, Igbo leaders from the South East zone, including governors, National Assembly members and leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo converged on Enugu and came up with a communiqué in support of a restructured Nigeria. In summary, they denounced secession as championed by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra(IPoB)but supported restructuring.

According to the communiqué which was read by Chairman of South East Governors’ Forum and Ebonyi state governor, Chief Dave Umahi “Ndigbo are in support of a united Nigeria where peace, love, fairness, justice, equity and equality of opportunity are paramount, regardless of creed, ethnicity, gender or political affiliation”.

The South-east also want the report of the National Conference of 2014 implemented and it urged the federal government to set up structures to do so. In addition, they agreed to set up official organs that will speak on behalf of Ndigbo on political matters. ‘’The south east leaders, in consultation with leaders from other parts of the country, will engage the federal government on all areas of concern to Ndigbo and Nigeria as a whole”, the communiqué had promised.

In addition, they resolved that only the elite of the Ndigbo extraction should speak for the South east on the vexed issue of restructuring.

Significantly, a few days after the Enugu declaration, the President General of the Ohanaeze, Dr John Nwodo re-echo the stand of Igbo leaders during a meeting with critical stakeholders at Abuja. According to him, Igbo leaders have concluded that restructuring option is the reasonable way to go.

Succinctly, Nwodo summarized the Igbo idea of restructuring as “equal partnership, equal ownership and level playing ground for all, is the right way to go to bring the best in our people and set the country on the path of growth and development”.

The Ibadan summit

In the same vein, the Yoruba organized a Summit on September 7 in Ibadan and also took a stand on restructuring. Significantly, the summit was unlike the Igbo’s , where the socio-political and political leadership came under one umbrella and spoke with one voice. Likewise, it was not like that of the north, which held under the auspices of Arewa Research and Development Projects(ARDP), a Non Governmental Organisation that has been existing for close to 15 years.

The Ibadan Summit, on the other hand, seemed like a Special Purpose Vehicle whose agenda was to articulate the views of a section of the Yoruba elite who are in the opposition. In particular, the summit comprised some Yoruba from the six South west states, including northern states of Kogi and Kwara. In attendance were Ekiti state governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, representatives of Osun and Ogun State governors, Chief Gbenga Daniel, former Ogun state governor, ex governor of Ondo state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko as well as Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ayeye Ogunwusi.

Apart from prominent Yoruba sons and daughters, a delegation from the South east also attended the Summit and they included the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, retired General Ike Nwachukwu, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dr. Walter Ofonagoro, ex Minister of Information.

At the summit, most of the speakers lamented that Nigeria is yet to realize its potentials, despite various economic and human resources. According to them, the only way out of the present socio-economic challenges is to restructure Nigeria in order to meet the present challenges. After paper presentations and remarks by important personalities, Chairman of the occasion, Chief Afe Babalola moved a motion for the adoption of the communiqué. Thereafter, the communiqué was presented by Secretary of the Summit, Mr. YinkaOdumakin.

In summary, the communiqué stated that “Yoruba insist that Nigeria must return to a proper federation as obtain in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions.’’

According to the summit, this position tallies with what Yoruba have been advocating ‘’since the 1950 Ibadan conference and developments in Nigeria over the last 50 years.’’ This position, the summit pointed out, ‘’shall form the basis of negotiations with our partners in the Nigerian project for a united Nigeria based on justice, peace and fair play”. While arguing for restructuring, the summit explained that it will ‘’move from a rent seeking and money sharing to productivity by ensuring that the federating units are free to own and develop their resources. They should pay agreed sums to the federation.’’

The communiqué advocated that the federating units, whether sates, zones or regions must themselves be governed by a written constitution to curb impunity at all levels. In the end, the Yoruba had declared that ‘’Nigeria shall be a federation comprised of six regions and the federal capital territory, Abuja.”

The Ibadan Summit, though well attended, was largely boycotted by state governors, members of the National Assembly and ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In particular, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the strong man of South West politics, was conspicuously absent at the summit. In contrast, it was populated by members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).

The north dithers

At various times, prominent northerners and different socio-political groups of northern inclination have supported restructuring and that the north is not afraid of a restructured Nigeria. However, the geo-political zone has not come out with a common stand like the South east, South south and South west zones. Un wittingly, this tends to lend credence to the widespread belief that the north is benefitting from the status quo.

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