Nigeria @ 60: Search For Nationhood And Identity
We celebrate our country’s 60th year of Independence and we say cheers to better days ahead. Have you ever wondered which comes first; the bad or the good? It is no stranger to the flow of activities in the world that crises which would need to be tackled would one day emerge and interrupt what we know as normal. Or is our world rather a series of experiences that are designed to keep us on our toes until that process is interrupted by a moment of peace? We may choose to accept whichever one makes us sleep better at night because we keep waking up to reality everyday. Our nation Nigeria is not excluded from such processes. For the first time, 60 years ago, the official national flag was hoisted and the vertical bicloured tribe and to symbolize wealth and peace was branded on our country and its citizens. It has always been the common interest of Nigerians to promote the prosperity of our nation and live peacefully in the liberty that we worked so hard to procure; from Colonialism, to the Military rule and to Democracy. It looks like a very obvious conclusion that at least, chronologically, Nigeria has progressively moved from the “bad” to the “good”, because liberty as a fundamental human right is something we embrace on all levels. In an address delivered by the President, Muhammadu Buhari on the 60th independence celebrations: “It is my unique privilege to re-commit myself to the service of this great country of great people with profound diversities and opportunities. We are bound by destiny to be the largest and greatest black nation on earth. At this stage in our nationhood, it is important that we reflect how we got here to enable us work TOGETHER to get to where we aspire to be as a strong indivisible nation, united in hope and equal in opportunity.
This optimism was anchored on the peaceful planning, full and open consultation and harmonious cooperation with the different groups which culminated in Nigeria emerging as a country without bitterness and bloodshed. Our founding fathers understood the imperative of structuring a National identity using the power of the state and worked towards unification of Nigerians in a politically stable and viable entity. Today, we grapple with multiple challenges with a population exceeding 200million occupying the same land mass but 52% residing in urban areas. Sixty years of nationhood provides an opportunity to ask ourselves questions on the extent to which we have sustained the aspirations of our founding fathers. Where did we do the right things? Are we on course? If not where did we stray and how can we remedy and retrace our steps? Upon attaining independence, Nigeria’s growth trajectory was anchored on policies and programmes that positively impacted on all sectors of the economy. However, this journey was cut short by the 30-months of civil war. The recent build-up and eventual outcome of the Edo State elections should encourage Nigerians that it is my commitment to bequeath to this country processes and procedures that would guarantee that the people’s votes count. As a government, we remain committed to our constitutional oath of securing the lives and properties of the citizenry. I, however, call on the citizenry to also support government by providing the necessary community level intelligence in addressing these challenges. This administration has been focused on rebuilding and laying the foundations for a sustainable Nigeria. Of course, we have met and are still meeting the challenges inherent in any rebuilding initiative more so that of a nation like Nigeria that has undergone avoidable levels of deprivation but can be surmounted if we all work together. Our government is grappling with the dual challenge of saving lives and livelihoods in face of drastically reduced resources. In this regard, sustaining the level of petroleum prices is no longer possible. The government, since coming into office has recognized the economic argument for adjusting the price of petroleum. But the social argument about the knock-on effect of any adjustment weighed heavily with the government. Fellow Nigerians, to achieve the great country we desire, we need to solidify our strength, increase our commitment and encourage ourselves to do that which is right and proper even when no one is watching”.
During the 60th independence anniversary, 92-year-old Afenifere chieftain, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, takes back to the events that preceded the country’s independence in 1960 and some of the remarkable incidents, when asking on the celebration of Nigeria at 60 years anniversary, Adebanjo opposed frankly that it’s not worthy of celebration. According to him, “It’s not worth celebrating at all because we have not achieved the dream of our founding fathers, particularly after the intervention of the military. Immediately we attained independence 60 years ago, everything went well until the military intervention. We had our problems before then, which led to the constitutional conference of 1953, which became the MacPherson Constitution. We had the constitution of 1960; it was the crisis we had in 1953 under the MacPherson Constitution that led to the constitution of Lyttleton in 1954, which created premiership in the regions. That was the beginning of Africanism. It was under that constitution we had self-governance in 1956 the East and the West had their governments in 1956 and the Northern region had theirs in 1959 because they said they were not ready. Then Nigeria had its own in 1960 and we were getting on fine. It was the military that changed the whole thing. That is why we’re talking of restructuring the country. That is the beginning. So, when people are talking of reviewing this (1999) constitution, I say, ‘We can’t review a constitution we didn’t make.’ That constitution was imposed by the military. So, it’s a total cancellation. You can only review or revise what you gave not a constitution we didn’t take part in. If we review the present constitution, that was not what our leaders agreed to. If they now want a review of that one, that is another matter; not to review what they didn’t take part in.
When we had the MacPherson constitution in 1951, it was under that that we had the regional Assemblies in pre-independence. While western region had it assembly, eastern region had its own. Before then, we were under the colonial form of government. We came into parliament in 1953 under that colonial constitution. The Action Group government through Chief Anthony Enahoro made a resolution that we must have self-government. We had self-government in 1956. This was agreeable but the North said they were not ready and that, because of their educational deficiency, they couldn’t cope with other regions to have self-government. They claimed they would be cheated. So, when Enahoro was going to move that motion, the governor at that time, MacPherson, said ministers of the region must not take part in that motion because, at that time, the constitution they had was that each region would send ministers to the centre. So, the Action Group was in the West and it sent ministers there. The National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons was in the East and it sent ministers there. The Northern People’s Congress was in the North and it sent ministers there. So, when we moved the motion, the government of that time said ministers in his cabinet, although they came from the Action Group, must not take part in the self-government motion. And our ministers said, ‘No, our people sent us here to demand self-government’, and he said anybody who took part would be sacked. We had ministers with portfolios and one minister without a portfolio that was the late Ooni of Ife, Sir Adesoji Aderemi, who was a knight of the British Empire. Unlike some of our Obas today, he said: ‘I will save you from sacking me, I will resign.’ So, he resigned. He sacked the other ministers who took part. And he asked the Western Assembly to send new members. And the Action Group sent the same members and there was a crisis. It was that crisis that led to a discussion involving all the principal parties in Nigeria. It was after that motion that the Sardauna of Sokoto (Sir Ahmadu Bello) was quoted to have said he did not support self-government. Prior to that time, he said, ‘We are not going to be part of Nigeria again.’ So, that was the beginning of the crisis. But when he said that, Chief Obafemi Awolowo said no, we can have a type of constitution that will allow you to have autonomy. You don’t need to break away. That is why when we hear some people saying Awolowo should be blamed for the problems now, because he said he should have allowed the North to go instead of persuading Sardauna, but he told Sardauna that under the constitution he was agitating for, each region or federating unit would have self-autonomy. So, when they got to the federal constitutional conference at that time, he presented this motion before them and said it was the conference he had been agitating for. Before that, he held the position that you can’t rule this country under a unitary form of government, you have to do it under federal (rule).
He wrote the book titled ‘Path to Nigerian Freedom.’ It was at that conference that he persuaded all the leaders, including Dr (Nnamdi) Azikiwe, to accept federalism because that was the condition under which all of us could agree to stay together. It was under that constitution now that the position of premiership was created and each region’s constitution was written separately. To show how effective it was, it was under that constitution that each region, with its autonomy, could open embassies abroad. It was what Awolowo used to open the Western Nigeria office to London, UK then. Because the others didn’t understand it, they ridiculed it, but they followed later. We were the first to exercise the autonomy of a regional government and Chief MAR Okorodudu from Warri was made the Agent-General. Certainly, I’m embarrassed. The corruption being talked about was more or less started by the military when they took over. We had corruption in the First Republic. I’m not saying we were free. In retrospect, those of us who were accusing the Federal Government at the time of being corrupt will now apologise and ask God to forgive us because we were accusing them of 10 percent corruption. Now, it is 151 percent. So, they were angels, relatively. We were accusing the Tafawa Balewa government of being corrupt, but they were angels, considering what is happening now under Muhammadu Buhari. Chief Ayo Adebanjo, renowned lawyer and political associate of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo has said that the decision by Nigerians to elect President Muammadu Buhari is a bunch of error the residents of the country would regret for a very long time. Chief Ayo Adebanjo while speaking with our Correspondent at his country home at Ijebu-Ogbo in Odogbolu local government area of Ogun State, disclosed that if President Buhari had meant well he would have allowed for the restructuring of the country. The over 95 year old Yoruba leader insisted that except Nigeria is restructured, the country won’t move an inch better. Adebanjo said if Buhari is serious about keeping the country as one and committed to the betterment of the country, he should without further delay set up machinery in motion to examine reports of 2014 Sovereign National Conference set up by President Goodluck Jonathan. The elder stateman explained that “I’ve said it, this country cannot move an inch better until Buhari restructures and go back to true federalism. Maybe I should give you the background to Sovereign National Conference. We want to change the constitution that the military gave us but we don’t want violence. So, we say let’s sit down and agree on what conditions if we are to live together.
“There is the need for a Sovereign National Conference and that is what Jonathan did in 2014 although he didn’t do it early enough because he too didn’t appreciate its importance, if Buhari is serious about keeping this country together, if he is sincere about Nigeria being one, he should implement recommendation of 2014 Sovereign National Conference now. “I take people back to 2007 when Afenifere supported Buhari. I have said it severally and I have never refuted it. He said there will be restructuring. We are all here in this country when Tunde Bakare ran with him on the principle that there’s going to be restructuring. Now restructuring is top on their agenda in 2023 and you want me to believe that. “I have said my own. I’m nearing my grave. Even if you do restructuring today am I going to be Governor or President? That is why at 95, I am still vehement. It’s not a pleasure but makes me weep when the people of the country are suffering for no just cause, when people are enslaving us and our people who are close to President Buhari because of the crumbs they are picking on the table cannot face him. “Look at the insult they gave us on Amotekun which I want to be believe is just a scratch. How can you rationalize a government who has no control over security. If Buhari is serious, he should give full autonomy to the governors as Chief Security Officers of their respective States. Adebanjo disclosed further that “I have to confess, I am a very embittered Nigerian, I am an embittered old man, why I’m embittered is because there are problems that I have foretold and Buhari refused to listen, when the results are unfolding as they are now you are not magnanimous to give credit and take steps to correct the past. I have openly challenged President Buhari asking why is he opposed to restructuring, it was the principle of restructuring that Awolowo, Balewa and Azikiwe agreed on at independence before we came together until the military changed it.
“Again I ask you to go back to the basics, those who put Buhari in government should assess him, I said he shouldn’t be there and that is where I stand, I didn’t say it out of arrogance. I’m only telling you that I warned you that this man is not competent enough to be in government and I refer you to my interview with the Vanguard before he was elected, where I said the greatest mistake Nigerians will make is to elect Buhari, and he has not disappointed, he is the Buhari that I know”. The Yoruba leader also came hard on journalists accusing them of allowing pecuniary gains to take over their constitutional roles of putting leaders on their toes so that the people can get the best from the democratic government. He said “I have to be hard on you journalists, you have not done your job as the fourth estate of the realm, you know the truth, but either because the government will not give you avail you adverts or giveyou “envelop”, you don’t hit the nail on the head. I challenged him openly, I challenged Femi Adesina and Garba Sheu that they should reply me on that accusation because there is nothing strange, restructuring is not a political philosophy, it is a way of getting true federal system working. “Unfortunately, the people who are following President Buhari, the military under Babangida has monetized politics, they have impoverished the people. Tinubu is so successful to have enslaved us to Buhari. That is why they are doing all things possible to acquire wealth while in office and impoverish the people. People now don’t want to starve on election day, they collect money to vote forgetting that they will starve for the next four years. Very sad. I always say there was no reason for it, if we had good management. It is the leadership of this country that has brought us into this poverty. We have been unfortunate because we don’t have the right type of leadership. We had a wrong orientation. When Shehu Shagari was in government, Awolowo was warning him that the economy of the country was going to the precipice but the ruling National Party of Nigeria said Awolowo was just an alarmist. But you see now; we got into trouble. Because of the unfortunate leadership we have, we haven’t got the right orientation. Buhari doesn’t understand the problem; how can he solve it? No! The clamour for restructuring came after the military took over. When the military took over, they introduced this constitution. So, by the time they said they were going back to the barracks in 1999, we said, ‘Thank you, o. Take us back what we used to have.’ That was the agitation we had then. That was when we founded the Alliance for Democracy after the military.
The National Democratic Coalition was calling for a sovereign national conference. What does it mean? We were saying, ‘We don’t want to fight. We don’t want to go back to the federal regime under a military constitution, so let us have a conference and agree whether we still want to live together or on what terms we are going to live together. That was the essence of the sovereign national conference at that time. While we were shouting for that, Abdulsalami Abubakar said, ‘No, when you go back to the federal regime, we will do it.’ But Afenifere and NADECO at that time insisted. I want you to know that the struggle we have now is not new. We had foreseen it before Olusegun Obasanjo came into office. We insisted that there should be a sovereign national conference to agree on the constitution to go back to federalism before any election. But the pressure was so much; people were accusing Afenifere of being stubborn. We must restructure if we want to have peace.
However, some weeks later, President Buhari presented an appropriation 2021 budget of 13Trillion naira to the national assembly; during the presentation, the president noted that an aggregate expenditure of N13.08 trillion is proposed for the Federal Government in 2021. Mr President said “We remain committed to meeting our debt service obligations. Hence, we have provisioned N3.12 trillion for this in 2021, representing an increase of N445.57 billion from N2.68 trillion in 2020. A total of N2.183 trillion has been set aside to service domestic debts while N940.89 billion has been provided for foreign debt service. N220 billion is provided for transfers to the Sinking Fund to pay off maturing bonds issued to local contractors and creditors. “Distinguished and Honourable Members of the National Assembly, you will recall that the 2020 ‘Budget of Sustaining Growth and Job Creation’ was amended in response to recent fiscal pressures. I am glad to report that these efforts enabled us to effectively respond to the public health challenge of the Coronavirus outbreak and moderate economic impact. In our efforts to enhance national security and human capital development, a major part of the 2021 recurrent cost estimate is allocated to paying salaries and overheads in MDAs providing these critical public services. These include: N227.02 billion for the Ministry of Interior; N441.39 billion for the Ministry of Police Affairs; N545.10 billion for Ministry of Education; N840.56 billion for Ministry of Defence; and N380.21 billion for Ministry of Health.
“Capital expenditure in 2021 remains focused on the completion of as many ongoing projects as possible, rather than the commencement of new ones. We have also made efforts to ensure equity in the distribution of projects and programmes in the proposed budget. I will be providing the National Assembly a list of some of the most critical projects which we must work collectively to ensure they receive adequate funding. Until projects reach completion, they do not deliver the dividends of democracy that Nigerians rightly deserve. “Highlights of the 2021 Capital Projects are: Key capital spending allocations in the 2021 Budget include: Power: N198 billion (inclusive of N150 billion for the Power Sector Recovery Plan); Works and Housing: N404 billion; Transportation: N256 billion; Defence: N121 billion; Agriculture and Rural Development: N110 billion; Water Resources: N153 billion; Industry, Trade and Investment: N51 billion; Education: N127 billion; Universal Basic Education Commission: N70 billion; Health: N132 billion; Zonal Intervention Projects: N100 billion; and Niger Delta Development Commission: N64 billion.
“In addition, numerous Primary Health Care Centres will be equipped and upgraded across the six geopolitical zones. Furthermore, funds have been allocated for the expansion of Midwives Service Scheme in the six geopolitical zones. To enhance occupational safety, funds have been provided for the provision of Personal Protective Equipment for health workers. In furtherance of our inclusiveness agenda, the sum of N420 billion has been provided to sustain the Social Investment Programme. N20 billion has also been set aside for the Family Homes Fund, our Social Housing Programme. We have expanded our National Social Register, to include an additional one million Nigerians following the onset of Coronavirus. We recently introduced the N75 billion Survival Fund Programme to support and protect businesses from potential vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the Central Bank of Nigeria is reducing the interest rate on its intervention facilities from 9% to 5% with a 1-year moratorium till 31st March 2021, to provide concessional lending of: N100 billion to households and small businesses; N100 billion to the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry; and N1 trillion to large agricultural and manufacturing businesses. We urge Nigerian businesses and individuals to make the most of these concessional credit facilities and other such opportunities”.
Conclusively, this might have increasingly become threatened as Nigerians are not so confident about the security of their roles and personal space, and this again brings our attention to which comes first, the bad or the good? Knowing which phase we currently are as a country will better drive us to prepare for what is coming. As Nigeria marks her 60th, are we in a better state than what is coming? Do we need to brace up and plan our lives to tackle the crises that might be on the way? Or is Nigeria at a point where its citizens are far from their dreams and we need to reprogram our minds and prepare for and work towards the coming peace and prosperity? Whichever one you think we are in, answer the question; “what part are you going to play in it?” And may be you will sleep better at night in hope of waking up to that reality.
Fuel And Electricity Hikes In Nigeria: The Economic Warfare Against The Masses
The Covid-19 pandemic which has ravaged the entire world has in its wake a disastrous consequence. It was like the whole world was at war with some unseen dark forces from outer space. Nigeria was not exempted from near eclipse. But while the world battles with economic survival arising from this crippling effect of a disease whose entire history is not yet known, the Federal Government of Nigeria through the electricity distribution networks announced a sudden increase in tariffs charged on energy consumption by household and industrial concerns. And closely followed was another announcement on the cost of fuel pump price. If the economy is worsted by the COVID-19 pandemic, then increase in the price of energy supply and fuel must have doubled the consequences on the living conditions of an average Nigerian both in direct purchases and the multiplier effect of the production of goods and services, and ultimately on the prices of consumption.
An insensitive economic policy creates a grave consequence on the citizens and rising from an economic problem is also the danger of social problems – crime and other anti social vices will no doubt follow in its wake. Just like country smarting from a war situation, Nigerian are most likely going to resort into crime to make ends meet. Recently, President Mohammadu Buhari tried to justify the hike in fuel pump prices, comparing the nation to the Kingdom is Saudi Arabia where pump price of fuel is solid at an equivalent of one hundred and sixty eight naira, but Nigerians have been united in condemnation of this painful policy. Moneys have both Face and Real values. The face value of a currency is the name given to it; the real amount according to those who mint such currency while the “real’ values is the purchasing capacity of such currency.
In a country where the average minimum wage is less than seventy dollars ($70) or thirty thousand Naira at an exchange rate of four hundred and fifty Naira it appears a little bit insensitive for a government to compare prices with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia whose minimum wage is over three hundred Naira.
And to add, where services and the provision of infrastructure is top notch. It is like taking the sensibilities of Nigerians for a ride. Saudi Arabia has about ten functioning refineries which produce for its local consumption and also export while Nigeria has none. Saudi Arabia has social security schemes that provide for its indigent citizens and weak population where such is not provided for Nigerians. Such comparison is a wicked exploitation of a docile citizenry. Nigerians poor are doubly exploited. It becomes very difficult how to reconcile such policy in an economy which has abundant reserve of crude oil only to build such economy on exports of that God-given resource only to import same as finished products. The government would do well to put in place effective refineries to process its own crude and saturate the local markets and consumption for its own citizens and thereafter consider the exportation of finished products. Much resources would have been keep on the local economy.
As if the fuel situation is not that bad, the increase in electricity tariffs cripples local industry, small and medium scale enterprises which are the commanding heights of the local economy. Over seventy percent of Nigeria’s economy are largely driven by these local enterprises. We cannot afford to cripple the engines that drive our survival as a nation and hope to achieve greatness in the next two years. Nigeria has been in a grandiose illusion of some robust and fat economy even when it was clear that its budget size is a far cry for the budget of just the Fire Service Department of the State of California which is just one State out of many in the United States of America. There should be a re-think in our global perception of what economic greatness is all about. Most great nations of the world try to increase the Purchasing power of their citizens so as to stimulate consumption and the more the people recycle purchases in the local economy the greater the economy grows and there will be sufficiency for exports.
Nigerians cannot continue to be at war with COVID-19 and again be in contest for a survival with the crippling effects of a hike in both fuel and electricity tariff, it is like waging breathtaking battles on too many frontiers in a battle for survival.