IN A RESTRUCTURED NIGERIA, THERE SHALL NO LONGER BE THE NEED TO FIGHT OVER THE NIGER DELTA OIL - OpEd
okenw...@yahoo.com
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This is the most insightful case made, from my perspective, in the raging debate to Restructure Nigeria. Some people agree with Restructuring, but don’t truly understand the full implications of their choice. If restructuring ever happens in Nigeria, what are the critical issues to focus on? This well-written Opinion Editorial by Fidel Albert uses the example of the state of California in the US to illustrate how locally driven wealth creation is the true engine of economic growth and national development. In the US Constitution, the states are empowered to become the country’s engine of growth, not the center in Washington, DC. He eloquently argues that the contrary practice in Nigeria is the reason for it becoming the new poverty capital of the world.
In comparison with what obtains in Nigeria, the writer posits; thus, “California actually had a choice of sitting back and striving to get a piece of the revenue generated from Texas’ oil. It could have depended solely on Federal allocation to survive. Every month end, it will send its Commissioner of Finance to Washington DC to receive monthly allocation so that it can barely pay salaries of its workers and nothing more. Then San Francisco would resemble Ajegunle in Lagos. And there certainly would not be those beautiful sights and sounds that make California what it is today. But No, not California. Not America. California gives to the center and, because of its wealth, despises the idea of depending on it for survival. The Federal Government actually needs California to survive, not the other way round.”
Those who imposed the Unitary state that we have today first destroyed the regional federalism which was negotiated in the pre-Independence period by carving up the four federating regions of Nigeria into 12 states on May 27, 1967. Arbitrary state creation has since produced 36 states that are totally dependent on the center for their survival. A state like California in the US is a provider of revenue income for the federal government based in Washington, DC, not a beneficiary of monthly allocations from the center as the 36 states of Nigeria. With local control and oversight, greater efficiency in productivity and accountability is guaranteed.
He calls for a Restructuring of Nigeria that must first start with the constitution. Besides many other faults, the 1999 Constitution imposes a 68-item Federal Exclusive Legislative List which centralizes policing, education, health, commerce and many other matters that are best managed locally for effectiveness and efficiency.
His call is a de facto rejection of the imposed fraudulent 1999 Constitution that is deemed to be the cause of all the woes of today’s Unitary Nigeria. The Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-determination (NINAS)’ ongoing Constitutional Force Majeure (CFM) demands an immediate takedown of the imposed fraud called the 1999 Constitution to make way for the transition that shall be predicated on Referendums of stakeholders.
To read the article in full, go to the LNC USA website homepage and scroll toward the bottom. Share widely with your social media contacts as usual.
Okenwa.
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