John McCain , the indomitable United States of America, USA senator whose vote torpedoed the Republican Party- his political party’s attempt to repeal the USA affordable health care bill-dubbed Obamacare is a study in political courage.
This is because along with two other senators – Suzan Collins and Lisa Murkowski who incidentally are ladies – he cast the vote that thwarted the plan of the current USA president Donald Trump and the ruling Republican Party to scrap the existing affordable health care coverage nicknamed Obamacare.
If the vote for the repeal had sailed through, an estimated 30 million Americans would have been compelled to face avoidable health care risks
Saraki,
Dogara and Ekweremadu
In a US
regime where both the executive and legislative arms of government are under
the control of the Republican Party, and l dare add the judiciary arm as well
(since Trump had the rare privilege of appointing a conservative Supreme Court
judge that tilted the balance in favor of the conservatives) the courage of
senators Suzan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, along with John McCain is exemplary and
shines the light on the path that Nigerian legislators should consider trotting
as they embark on a second amendment process of the very much discredited 1999
constitution after their current recess.
To some observers, the rejection of
devolution of power from the federal Government to the states, which entails
the transfer of some items from the exclusive list to the concurrent list
including the removal of land use act from the constitution, amongst others,
during the recent publicly viewed electronic voting by senators to amend some
critical aspects of Nigeria’s constitution , signals the death of hope of
restructuring. But in my considered opinion, that’s not quite so.
My optimism
stems from the recent statements credited to senate president Bukola Saraki and
his deputy Ike Ekweremadu as well as the speaker of the House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara that the rejected clauses during the recent
constitutional review would be revisited.
The four legislative items billed for
amendment that could not pass through the crucible due largely to ethnic and
religious sentiments, can be tagged the sticky points and temporary setbacks
that would over time be refined through political horse trading and get passed
eventually.
In my humble and candid view, to unleash progress and prosperity,
Nigerians need to press a reset button by making conscious efforts to jettison
clannish and ethnic group sentiments and also engage in religious detox.
By
that l mean we need to tone down the ethic group alignments and reduce
religious fanaticism as these negative attitudes have been polarizing and under
developing Nigeria since its independence from British rule some 57 years ago.
I’m aware that we can’t really be religion neutral, but we must make conscious
efforts to play it down during interactions with other groups. Such tolerance
would promote harmonious co existence with mutual prosperity as the dividend.
And that brings me to another factor that has the capacity to be a significant
enabler for a harmonious co-existence in Nigeria which has been neglected: l’m
amazed that a case for place of abode of citizens to replace emphasis on state
of origin clause did not make the list of matters slated for legislative
amendments .
It is settled case in the social circles that the issue of state
of origin which is currently enshrined in our constitution is a clog in the
wheel of integration of the multifarious ethnic groups and therefore it needs
to be repealed and replaced with emphasis on place of abode.
That would, to a
large extent address the indigene/settler conflicts and also enable Nigerians
vote where ever they reside and not resort to migrating to their ancestral
homes during general elections.
From historical accounts, it is the British
colonialists that sowed the seed of discord between the people of northern and
southern Nigeria after it amalgamated both regions for its administrative
convenience.
The tactic is derived from the doctrine of divide and rule which
was the preferred strategy of the United Kingdom, UK in the administration of
her colonies and which is quite the opposite of the French policy of
assimilation, that encouraged French colonies mainly in North Africa to adopt
the life style and doctrines of French people with their financial system also
linked to the French franc. Some may argue that France’s policy of assimilation
is currently hurting the country owing to the alarming rate of terror related
crimes ( mainly home-bred) being perpetuated by migrants from Islamic states,
especially from North Africa, whom the policy encouraged to migrate to France.
But it could also be argued that the rate of terrorism in the United Kingdom is
not in any significant way less than the number in France, so the case against
assimilation as the purveyor of terrorist crimes is neither here nor there.
Rather, in the long run, it has profited France that the economies of her
colonies are tied to her apron strings as it enabled her enjoy economics of
scale as her market size is in tandem with her territorial influence. Little
wonder France’s economy is the second largest (German economy is No 1) in
Europe.
There are also some evidence that the policy of assimilation helped in
one way or the other to reduce internal strives within French territories.
And
the opposite is the case in British colonies where multifarious ethnic
nationalities forced to become one nation, like Nigeria, without their consent,
have been at daggers drawn.
This is attributable to the notion that , since the
merged nationalities did not negotiate before they found themselves in the
union called Nigeria, they have been strange bedfellows in the past 57 years of
the existence of the country as a nation state. Furthermore, it is the
consequences of the faulty foundation which the colonialists laid that’s still
reverberating nearly 6O years after.
So, if history is to be used as a guide in
the matter, it will be manifestly clear that it is the frosty relationship
between the north and south that was nurtured by the colonialists through their
policy of divide and rule that created the mutual suspicion between the
predominantly Muslim north and Christian south.
Further to that, religion has
also been used to drive a wedge between both regions in the amalgamated Nigeria
as evidenced by the growing tension between adherents of Muslim and Christian
religions.
That’s particularly so with the Muslim extremists-Boko haram that
are becoming increasingly intolerant of their fellow Muslims who fail to
embrace their brand and worse still, with Christians in the northern parts who
are constantly facing persecution because of their faith, sometimes resulting
in gruesome murders.
Be that as it may, how long would Nigerians keep blaming
the colonialist Britain for their misfortune which they have had the
opportunity to correct since independence in 1960, yet failed to do so?
More
dalliance on how the colonialists ruined Nigeria would result in the sort of
apathy that the current ruling party, APC is currently suffering in the
estimation of Nigerians who are miffed by the fact that two years after taking
over the reins of power , the authorities are still lamenting and giving
excuses that the previous administration is to blame for lack of appreciable
improvement in their socio-economic welfare.
Rather than correct the imbalance
foisted by the colonialists , the military that toppled a democratically
elected Government in 1966 worsened the power equation in Nigeria. And through
decrees enacted after the war which ended in 1970, altered the delicate balance
of power by fiat rather than through negotiations which had been the case.
That’s part of the reasons most watchers of Nigeria’s political development,
blame the military for her current socio-economic woes.
Prior to the military
era, Nigeria practised regionalism and attempts by several constitution review
conferences to share power between the three regions in a ratio of 45:33:33 in
the 1956 were resisted by the premier of northern region, Ahmadu Bello who
threatened that the north would pull out of the Union by going its separate way
unless 50% was allocated to the region in the power sharing matrix of Nigeria.
The powerful negotiator had his way hence Nigeria now politically comprises of
the north and the south as main power blocks even though there are three major
ethnic groups occupying the three regions which form the tripod on which the country
stands, pre military interregnum.
The interesting thing to be noted is that
under the parliamentary governance system of the days of yore, the opportunity
to review or renegotiate the union, was available and explored as revealed by
the constitution review conferences including the one in lbadan.
There was even
a second constitutional review conference in 1964 where Micheal Okpara, the
premier of the eastern region, agitated for a referendum clause to be inserted
in the statute book, but his proposal was rejected.
So there were frequency of
opportunities to renegotiate the union of Nigeria amongst the leaders of the
three regions.
Had the military not struck in 1966, party democracy could not
have been truncated and parliamentary system of government would have continued
,just as negotiation of the union would not have ceased; while healthy rivalry
for development amongst the three regions would have also continued; and
Nigeria could have been better for it.
And best of all, even if the three
regions were not developing at par, development was apace .
On a social media
platform, I recently came across a compilation of a litany of misfortunes that
befell Nigeria, development wise after the military struck.
Although it was not
stated as such, it was a clear case of arrested development wreaked on Nigeria
by omission or commission by the military.
A sort zeitgeist attitude.
Ironically , the military at that time comprised more of intellectuals than the
present crop as most of those who plotted the coup or got killed in the course
of it were Oxford university and Sandhurst trained.
As such, they should have
appreciated the role of democracy in nation building, better. But that was not
the case.
Most southerners believe that the military skewed the locus of power
in favor of the northerners who are also believed to be thankful and therefore
are making every effort to sustain the advantage.
In my view both the
southerners and northerners are wrong. My position is hinged on the fact that
the military actually led northerners into veering off agriculture which is
their tested and proven path to development, into reliance on oil/gas from the
south.
As things stand toddy, such misplaced hope on has turned out to be only
a temporary respite because, in less than a decade from today, oil-so called
black gold, will become irrelevant due to mainstreaming of electric cars and
agriculture would be the new gold.
Put succinctly, the military shifted the
north off the course of development by making them start depending on handouts
from oil and gas proceeds coming from the wells in the Niger delta which made
them divert attention from agriculture,(their best pathway to sustainable
economic development) that was booming in the north in the good old days.
What
happened to the groundnut pyramids, cotton mills and tanneries that were
endemic to the north ?
Obviously, they have vanished owing to the neglect of
farming/agriculture that is the only area in which Africa has comparative
advantage in global trade.
Without any doubt, reliance on the soil has been on
a retreat since the military seized power in 1966 before releasing it in 1979
after the death of Muritala Mohamed via a failed coup detat in 1975 that
brought Olusegun Obasanjo, Mohamed’s deputy to power.
Critical areas in which Nigeria
was a global leader and in which she is currently experiencing arrested
development as catalogued in the social media post that l earlier referenced
are detailed below:
“Every time I see the remarkable landmarks of #Tesla I am
further convinced that Nigeria will be so doomed in the next 10 years, our
recession will be televised on 3D!
We started television broadcast in Ibadan,
but South Africa went digital before us. We built a National Theatre before
Dubai became a place.
They have an Opera House now that is booked till July
2018. We had Ogbe Hard Court, a tennis tournament in the 70s, yet, we do not
have a Nigerian Open. Lagos is blessed with water, yet no international boat
races.
We have festivals that are still in the same style they were celebrated
100 years ago.
We still have one bridge linking the East. Onitsha Bridge.
It
was built in 1965. We have abandoned projects scattered across the country. We
have no plans to complete them. The NET building and Defence Headquarters… side
by side are rotting in our time. National Theatre. National stadium. National
Refineries. National Seaports. National Museum. National shame! So, #Tesla is
making cars that run on batteries and self generated energy…
The cars are now
outselling petrol and diesel driven cars. So, in a few years from now our oil
will be like the Coal in Enugu. Even people who roast boli don’t buy coal from
Enugu. Very soon NNPC will be like NIPOST. When was the last time you sent a
Telegram; Renewed your post office box? When was the last time you used the
Railways to move around Nigeria?
Meanwhile, it would have been easy to drive
your car on to a railway coach, use it in Lagos or Abuja put it back on the
coach and pick it when you get back to Aba. Nooooo.
That is not development.
Give it 10 years. Most parts of the world will scrap filling stations for
recharge stations.
Where you can quickly recharge your car and it will carry
you for 4 more days. When did you last call NITEL that your phone was tossed?
We go drink our crude oil soon! Instead of us to develop Entertainment,
Tourism, Agriculture, Education, information Technology, broadcasting, fashion
and culture, we are drilling for crude oil.
Doesn’t that remind you of the
biblical 10 maidens? Dubai has extra revenue sources now and plans not to
depend on oil by 2020. That’s in three years. We are not sure we can stop
borrowing in 30 years.
Religion is fast rising than development” You will agree
with me that the post is so poignant and reflects the zeitgeist mindset of the
new generation.
I’m particularly struck by the point that the anonymous author
made about the rise of electric cars and the decline in the use of fossil fuel
to power cars in the foreseeable future.
It simply implies that sooner than
later, our much vaunted oil/ gas reserves would be worthless. Ironically, it is
being alleged that it is in the bid to continue to have unhindered access to
the oil/gas in the Niger delta that motivated the northern law makers to ‘
shoot down’ the devolution of power clause that would have made the Federal
Government leaner and more nimble.
Similarly, the removal of Land Use Act from
the 1999 constitution under review would have returned land in the hinterland
back to the rightful owners.
It may be recalled that land became dead capital
following 1978 land use act passed by the military regime under the watch of
Olusegun Obasanjo.
By taking land use decree off the constitution, folks in the
rural areas would be empowered to use their huge parcels of land as collateral
for obtaining bank loans etc and the effect on the productivity and gross
national product, GNP could be dramatic .
But the senators voted against the
repeal because they believe it would amount to a back door way of giving the
south-south, the much sought resource control. What a failure of imagination!
What the nay saying law makers failed to recognize is that when electric cars
become mainstream in a few years time, there will be no more oil/gas resources
in the Niger delta to share or control. Since the north has more land mass than
the south, does resistance to unleashing its economic potency not amount to
cutting their nose to smite the face?
If indeed, that’s the motivating factor
for rejecting the proposal to remove land use act from the constitution , and l
would like to give law makers the benefit of doubt, what a misjudgement?
When
are our legislators going to have a better world view and what are the legion
of legislative aides that are supposed to be conducting research for the law
makers, doing ?
Isn’t it also such a tragically laughable situation that at a
time that the world is turning its back on fossil fuel, that’s when Nigerian
oil explorers on a mission to seek hydrocarbon in and around Lake Chad, got
ambushed and slaughtered by the terrorist group- Boko haram which has been in
control of that swathe of land ?
I’m not sold on the excuse reportedly given by
minister of budget Udo Udoma that continuation of oil/gas search in lake Chad
was with a view to extracting all we can before the commodity loses relevance.
Need l remind the minister that the search has been going on without success
for 12 years and Nigeria’s existing and proven reserve is not expected to be
exhausted until the next fifty years or so?
In effect, assuming as technology
laggards,we in Nigeria give ourselves additional 20 years to adopt the use of
electric cars which would be the mainstream means of transportation in the
advanced societies, before we finish mining the proven oil reserve, the
commodity would become inconsequential in economic terms as the plans to dump
the use of crude oil to power cars in 2040 which is only twelve years away,
would have kicked in.
Unlike Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the largest producer
(9000bpd) recognized the danger ahead and decided to diversify her economy from
oil in the last couple of years and even did an IPO to raise funds to support
her new direction.
But Nigeria (2000bpd) has been blindly digging in its heels
by literarily groping in the dark in quest of oil/gas in lake Chad and in the
process lost precious lives to terrorists.
Now the bereaved families of the
civilians and soldiers butchered by the outlaws are left in the lurch to mourn
their loved ones due to relevant authorities not engaging in critical thinking.
The realization that academic professors are amongst those killed or still
being held in captivity is gut wrenching.
At this rate, without mischief
intended, and with all due respect, perhaps we need an NGO to organize seminars
to enlighten our legislators about what lies ahead of our country, if they continue
to act in manners that are oblivious of the existential realities of the world
today.
Without further equivocation Nigerians need to go back to tilling the
soul for sustenance not running around searching for elusive oil whose
usefulness is about to become as obsolete as Graham Bell’s invention, telegram.
Agriculture is the new gold, crude oil is about to lose its magic.
As the doom
and gloom that would follow the loss of income from fossil fuel stares us in
the face, we must consider a modified presidential system of governance or a
return to parliamentary system which would cost us less and unleash the
humungous funds currently being used to buffet the very expensive presidential
system for the much sought infrastructural development in Nigeria.
We are
blessed with enormous human resource capacity because research indicates that
youths comprise of about 60% of the workforce in Nigeria.
With such positive
demographics, the sky would be the limit, if our leaders unshackle the country
from regressive policies and create the enabling environment for innovation to
thrive. Google already ascribe Nigeria no 8 position in the world in the usage
of the tool.
Considering that we are not even in the top 20 percentile category
in the world world economy ranking, our vast and extensive potentials are, so
to speak, dying to be harnessed.
Consider the following: Nigeria’s economy
presently runs for less than 12 hours a day; and the country is competing
against economies that run 24 hours, Seven days a week; yet it is no 1 in
Africa, beating South Africa and Egypt which function on 24/7 basis, to second
and third positions.
Imagine what would happen if Nigeria starts generating
enough electricity to power factories and also build infrastructure that would
facilitate the operation of the economy on 24/7 basis.
The country would be
creating jobs and boosting productivity and GDP currently estimated to be in
the region of $500 billion, would probably double to about a trillion in a few
years. Dismayingly , the foregoing positive events won’t happen if our law
makers continue to exhibit dog in the manger attitude.
In conclusion, it’s
about time that Nigeria started producing law makers with the mettle and
imagination of the trio of John McCain, Lisa Murkowski and Suzan Collins in the
US senate who stepped out of partisan politics mode and acted in the best
interest of an estimated 30 million Americans who would’ve borne the
consequences of the repeal of the so called Obamcare, if the bill had sailed
through last week.
Although nine, nine Republican senators actually voted
against the Obamacare repeal bill, the three senators listed above stood out.
Until Nigeria’s National Assembly, NASS gets populated by such gallant men and
women who would shun narrow and parochial interests; and cross party, ethnic
and religious lines to stand for what their conscience tells them is in the
best interest of the greater good of Nigeria as a United country , significant
growth and progress of our economy and society, will continue to elude our country.
Clearly, our legislators must rise above self, clan, religion and party, to a
much more bigger interest of one Nigeria during the next debate which l would
like to tag Constitution Amendment Voting 0.2.
That was the raison detre and
passion of our leaders past and founding fathers of our great country; and l
don’t see why such a noble objective shouldn’t be sustained by the new crop of
leaders
. Magnus Onyibe, a development strategist, former member of delta state
cabinet and alumnus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy sent this piece
from Lagos.
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