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As Nigeria marks 110 years since amalgamation and 64 years of
independence, we believe it is time for a sober reflection. We must come
together to chart a new path for peace and progress.
Nigerians should no longer fear open debates, negotiations, and decisions
about the kind of relationship they want with other ethnic groups and how
their country should be governed.
It is high time we put a stop to living
together in mutual suspicion and hatred. We must embrace a new political
order to navigate the existential threats facing our nation.
This calls for deep
introspection and institution of regional system became more pertinent in
view of what occurred in this country in the early days of this month; August.
On August 1, 2024, concerned citizens, particularly the youths, commenced a
nationwide protest tagged #EndBadGovernance/Hunger. This protest marked
a critical moment in Nigeria’s history, as citizens chose to express their
frustration and demand accountability from those in power.
The peaceful calls
for better governance and economic stability reflected deep-seated concerns
about pervasive profligacy, corruption, mismanagement, hunger, widespread
poverty and the failure to address the welfare of the citizens.
Unfortunately, what began as a peaceful demonstration took a violent turn in
some areas, leading to the tragic loss of lives. Additionally, some participants
have been seen waving foreign flags and calling for a coup d’état.
This
development is deeply worrisome. These actions could have serious and farreaching consequences for both the movement and the nation as a whole.
The core message of the protest, the legitimate demand for an end to bad
governance and urgent action to address hunger, has been overshadowed by
calls for unconstitutional means of changing the country’s leadership.
The
push for a coup d’état undermines what could have been a powerful advocacy
for systemic reforms and improved governance.
This shift in focus has
alienated a broad section of the Nigerian public and may weaken the resolve of policymakers to engage in meaningful dialogue or pursue necessary
reforms.
Openly calling for external intervention or a military takeover is a serious
threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Waving foreign flags deepens divisions within
the country, sends a message that undermines our collective struggle for a
better Nigeria, and could lead to increased polarization, heightened political
instability, and harm Nigeria’s diplomatic relations, making it more difficult to
garner international support for positive reforms.
We are reminded of the historical consequences of such actions.
The military
coup d’état of January 15, 1966 gave birth to the Unification Decree 34 of
1966 which marked the beginning of a process that centralized power,
abolished regional self-government, and destroyed federalism that was
instituted by our founding fathers.
The counter-coup of July 1966, which culminated in a devastating civil war and
the subsequent military regimes gradually sealed the fate of federalism
through various constitutional reviews and decrees.
Military interregnum led
to prolonged periods of repression, human rights abuses, and economic
decline, the effects of which are still felt today.
For many indigenous ethnic groups, the hopes and dreams of development
and progress at independence have faded and are now replaced with lingering
fears of political and economic marginalization and existential threats.
The
level of inter-ethnic distrust in the country is unprecedented. This is not the
time to toy with our nascent and fragile democracy or the future of our dear
country.
Our Proposal:
We firmly believe that Nigeria and Nigerians stand to benefit from a
restructuring that returns the country to the original concepts of our founding
fathers, with autonomous regions.
The present quasi-unitary system is
unsustainable. Nigeria requires a political governance structure with an
equitable and inclusive power structure, a hybrid home grown democratic
governance structures with elements of parliamentarism.
Reformed political structures that births inclusivity, mutual trust, equity will
produce stability, unity and peace needed for effective economic reforms, transparency and good governance. Without political reforms, efforts at
economic reforms will falter in a corrupt or unstable political environment.
While we acknowledge that the process of restructuring Nigeria may
exacerbate inter-regional and inter-ethnic tensions and conflicts at the initial
stage as power dynamics and resource control shift, there is no doubt that it
will bring peace and progress ultimately. We are inspired by other
heterogeneous countries that have developed suitable structures and systems
that have led to peaceful, stable, and prosperous societies.
It is time we returned to the original regional autonomous structure, establish
a country where equity and trust reign. We firmly believe that the present
administration has the historic duty to restructure this country.
We should establish the modalities for reestablishing an autonomous regional
structure, similar to what obtained in the 1959 Independence Constitution, but
increasing the number of regions as dictated by current realities.
The Federal Government should first convene intrastate conferences by
organizing ethnic nationality discussions within each state.
The results of these
intra-ethnic discussions should be subjected to a referendum to determine the
preferred system of government favored by the people, which state each
ethnic nationality preferred to belong to and which region each state want to
join.
Each region should have its own constitution, outlining how it wishes to
govern itself and how it intends to relate to other regions. This should be
followed by inter-regional conversations to agree on a new Federal
Constitution and to determine inter-regional relationships.
The regions should
subscribe to an inviolable Article of the Federation that will establish and
preserve autonomy and guarantee liberty, equality, equity, and justice for each
region.
Signed:
Ambassador Yemi Farounbi – Chairman, Board of Trustees
Owolabi Oladejo – Convener,
DIY Nweze
- General Secretary
