As Nigerians look to the future with much hope and even greater anxiety as to their fortunes and prospects, it should be borne in mind that there are more grounds for unity than the sporadic impulses towards separation into smaller regional enclaves. They must, therefore, be prepared to make choices about the direction in which their destiny should be driven.
“All great institutions are rooted and grounded in the soil”– John Buchan
In an era when political discourses in Nigeria are largely devoid of deep structural diagnosis, and when the subjects of such discourses are clouded by sentiments and are often unrelated to the requirements of nation-building, it behoves upon those with the interest and inclination, and some familiarity with the subject, to provide an alternative thinking on the state of Nigeria’s federalism.
As Nigerians look to the future with much hope and even greater anxiety as to their fortunes and prospects, it should be borne in mind that there are more grounds for unity than the sporadic impulses towards separation into smaller regional enclaves. They must, therefore, be prepared to make choices about the direction in which their destiny should be driven.
It should be acknowledged that the vociferous calls for restructuring and ushering in of “true federalism”, whatever this means, belies certain discontents with our system of governance some of which are legitimate and others spurious. That notwithstanding, it is retrogressive to call for the dissolution of the federal system because of the mere supposition that it is “not working”! This much can be deduced from the proceedings of the “Colloquium on the Labour Movement and the Future of a United Nigeria: What Role for Restructuring?”, that was organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on August 23, 2017 in Abuja.
Not much discussion was generated by this exceptionally important initiative since then, but it will be wise for progressive forces across the country, to revisit this singular initiative and seek to harmonise positions and outlooks on the unity of Nigeria. The “National Question” as far as it relates to the federal structure and its operating principles and practices, as well as the issue of constitutional arrangements and prerogatives, are matters that will remain current and topical for some time, and of importance to our collective well-being.
As such, progressive forces, especially those aligned to the working class and the general populace, should not be seen to be shying away from engaging in polemics on restructuring of the country. There are both objective and subjective conditions that have shaped Nigeria’s history and her people’s perception of one another. These in turn, continue to elicit deep rooted sentiments that often spark off various shades of opinions on matters of governance.
This is particularly so in the case of the federal system that we have been practising. In retrospect, it should be recognised that Nigeria’s federalism is both de facto and de jure as far as its practice is concerned. This should allow us to advocate that Nigeria’s federalism should be both flexible and rigid, in order to adjust to circumstances and accommodate the realities of the country’s needs and political evolution. It should be rigid in the sense of the absence of any issues or conditions that would make it difficult or impossible for the different constituent units that form the federation to coexist amicably, and overcome any apparent obstacles that may arise in the course of the evolution of the system that could threaten its unity and integrity.
It should also be flexible enough to accommodate any residual sense of autonomy that each unit might wish to retain, particularly in dealing with local and municipal matters that might be unique or peculiar to each entity. Therefore, aligning the requirements of the individual entities with the need for a strong federal system requires astute statesmanship as well as a determination to hold the entities together, by the bond of union founded on the pursuit of common interests of the highest significance to all the parts that form the federation.
The essence of “true federalism” if such exists anywhere at all, should, therefore, be the regulation by consent and universal persuasion, of matters that appear today contentious or irredeemable, by applying yardsticks that are common to all the federating units. Matters that are today hotly contested and therefore, capable of derailing the federal arrangement, may, with the passage of time and alteration in opinions and circumstances, become little more than a storm in a tea cup, and hence, of little concern towards achieving a fuller and more mature federal arrangement. It is thus appropriate to suggest that in a federal system of government, the maxim that says “no condition is permanent”, should be the watchword of such a system, and its vital essence and strength.