About a fortnight ago in Abuja, prominent Nigerians dissected Nigeria’s journey to nationhood since independence in 1960 and came to the conclusion that things are not working due to self- inflicted systemic dysfunctions. Taiye Odewale writes.
Lamentation
It was lamentations galore from notable Nigerians penultimate Saturday in Abuja at Colloquium organised by the Haske Satumari Foundation to commemorate the 50th birthday anniversary of its founder, Kudla Satumari as regards myriad of problems bedevilling the growth and development of the country over the years.
The lamentations cut across party divides as many attributed the failure to the type of political system adopted to address the growing problems of the country. A serving senator, Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC Borno South), also joined by declaring that the presidential system of government being practiced in the country as provided for by the 1999 constitution is part of the problems bedeviling the nation.
Ndume, who vowed not to be a politician if given a second chance to come to the world, said the Presidential System of government is too costly for a country like Nigeria to run, stressing that it was the main reason good governance has eluded the country since 1999.
Failed unity and progress
The dissection of problems of the country came to the fore during the paper presentations by speakers on the theme of the Colloquium titled: “Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress”.
Specifically, the former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani – Kayode, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Obadiah Mailafia, and Senior Fellow, Centre for Democracy and Development, Professor Jibril Ibrahim, one after the other blamed the 1999 constitution for the woes of the country within the last 20 years and called for a new one that will make Nigeria, a federal state in letter, spirit and practice.
Mailafa, in particular in his submissions, said: “though as clearly stated in the motto of the country, Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress, are what we need in the county but due to self- inflicted systemic dysfunctions, none of the four has been achieved and can be achieved with the dysfunctional problems which had killed the Nigeria of our dream.
“The very reason we need to address the defective system by way of making Nigeria a federation in the true sense of the concept which can never be achieved under the present constitution that foisted a unitarised federation on Nigerians.
“The 1999 constitution must be re-engineered and the country must be restructured for good governance to take place anchored on national productivity, equity, justice and peace”.
No peace without justice
Similarly, Professor Jibril Ibrahim in his submission said for peace to reign in Nigeria and by extension, growth and development, there must be justice.
According to him, the 1999 constitution, going by provisions of the third schedule, encourages sharing and distribution as against contribution, driven by productivity from the bottom to the top as obtainable in other federations of the world.
“There is injustice in the land as against justice, violence as against peace, insecurity as against security, all translating into bad governance as against good governance.
“The Nigeria system is not working for the good of Nigerians and must be critically looked into by way of development-driven and workable constitution”, he said.
Fani – Kayode in his own presentation, warned that if the orgy of violence and by extension, bloodletting in the country is not curtailed by government at all levels, the struggle for self determination by the affected peoples may take the centre stage in no distant time which, according to him, may be difficult for the already disunited country to curtail.
Lamentations without solutions
Though Senator Ndume in his goodwill message at the occasion accused the three paper presenters of only opening the book of lamentations for Nigerians on the country’s problems without offering solutions, but he subscribed to their views on the need for a new constitution for the country.
According to him, Nigeria is at the verge of collapse and if care is not taken, it will eventually collapse. “One of the problems of the 1999 Constitution is the presidential system of government it recommended for the country which is too costly.
“Parliamentary system of government would have been better in terms of good governance for the citizenry as experienced in the First Republic.
“Presidential system of government as being practiced since 1999 through constitutional provisions, makes democracy too costly in Nigeria, governance centralized and politicians in tight corner of between what is good and what is bad.
“If I have the opportunity of coming back to this world and particularly Nigeria, I will not be a politician because being a politician in Nigeria is like testing positive to HIV with consequences of knowing how to live with it”, he said.
Satumari too refined
He added that the celebrant, Satumari, was too refined, gentle for the brand of politics being played in Nigeria and congratulated him for losing the 2019 National Assembly election to him.
“I congratulate you for losing that election to me by not getting contaminated in anyway. Please continue with your humanity – driven philanthropy”, he said.
However, many of the people in the audience particularly those below the age of 40, said Nigeria’s problems were more of failure of leadership than anything constitutional.
They opined that if Nigeria can get it right at the leadership level, all other things needed for the country to find its bearing, will fall in line.
They accused all those who have made the lamentations as part of the problems since they had the opportunities of putting things right when they were in government in different capacities.
Kudla Satumari in his remarks said the motto of Nigeria was chosen as theme of the Colloquium as a way of discussing the problems afflicting the country and finding lasting solutions to them.
“We chose motto of Nigeria, Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress as theme for the Colloquium as a way of making critical dissection on them in terms of achievement or otherwise.
“The submission today is that we have not done well in each of the four areas, meaning that, both the leaders and the led, government and governed, need to be more patriotic, productive, tolerant and determined in bringing about Unity, Faith, Peace and Progress in the land”, he said.
