AFTER years of opposition and or evasive action by the government, especially in the last 13 years, convocation of a national conference for Nigerians to discuss the basis of their continued association is gradually becoming unavoidable.
Years of neglect of the agricultural sector that sustained the country’s economy for over 60 years before crude oil took over, over dependence on crude oil, ongoing furore over sharing of the 13 per cent derivation to oil and minerals producing areas and the Boko Haram insurgency among others, have pushed agitation for Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to the front burner.
Although, the government has consistently opposed the idea of SNC on the grounds that you cannot have two sovereignties in a nation and the National Assembly insists that it can address defects in the 1999 Constitution, unfolding events in the country indicate that a confab is inevitable.
SNC agitators are clamouring that the outcome of the dialogue, whether sovereign or not, must not be tinkered with by the government as had been done in the past. They say the outcome should become law once it scales through a referendum of the people.
Since the early 1990s, the prevailing unitary federalism in the country has come under hammer. Calls for restructuring of the polity into true federalism have been strident. Over concentration of power at the centre in the last 46 years has made the states, the otherwise federating units, mere allocation collectors from the centre instead of revenue generators. Currently, less than 10 of the 36 states of the country are considered economically viable. The bulk of them generate less than five billion naira a year as internally generated revenue (IGR).
Incidentally, all parts of the country are laden with mineral resources in commercial quantities, which have been grossly under-explored and exploited to the detriment of Nigeria’s economy because of ‘easy money’ from crude oil..
Oil producing areas suffer 40,000 oil spills in 50 years
Following 54 years of oil exploitation without regard for environmental protection a World Bank latest report warns that 40 per cent of habitable terrain in the Niger Delta area will disappear in 20 years. In its report, the World Bank claimed that the palm grooves, shorelines, creeks and other habitable areas will be washed away by erosion as well as spills due to vandalism, system failure and crude oil theft.
The Federal Government that is in joint venture partnerships with the prospecting oil companies has admitted that 40,000 oil spills have occurred in the past 50 years of oil exploration. Agitation for amelioration of the environmental devastation led to the constitutional approval of at least 13 per cent derivation for the oil-bearing areas, a far cry from 50 per cent derivation that obtained in the early 60s when agriculture was the main revenue earner.
Now, the main pulley pulling the country to the negotiation table is the North’s demand for more allocation to the northern states of the country via reduction of the 13 per cent derivation accruing to the oil producing states. Niger State Governor, Mu’azu Babagida Aliyu and Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, were among northerners, who kick-started the controversy.
Zones re-strategise, fashion agenda for confab
Already, different zones and groups in the country are re-strategising in readiness for any eventuality.
Governors of the South-West geo-political zone and some eminent persons from the area congregated at City Hall, Lagos, last Tuesday to chart a common agenda for the zone. The agenda among others seek to make South-West less dependent on federal allocation and to be socio-economically stable.
In like manner, the North, where the biggest opposition to SNC has been emanating from does not want to be caught off guard. The zone has set machinery in motion in preparation for a conference to discuss the future of the country. Concerned northerners including governors, politicians of different hue, academics and other professionals were, on Tuesday segmented into 10 committees to articulate the northern position in the eventuality of a national conference as is being demanded by some sections and groups of the country.
However, the core North may have a tough nut to crack in this regard. Reason, a major chunk of the North-Central geo-political zone also known as the Middle Belt feels marginalised in the ‘One North’ enclave. While several groups from the area are hobnobbing with South-South and South-South-East in the hope of hammering out an enduring alliance, some youth groups under the umbrella of United Middle-Belt Youth Congress (UMYC) are demanding a separate identity from the Hausa-Fulani and Kanuri peoples of the far North.
Middle Belt seek regional autonomy
UMYC leaders, during a visit to Vanguard’s corporate head office, Lagos, said they fight for re-grouping of the Middle Belt as a distinct federating unit.
Led by its President, Mr. Abuka Onalo, they said Middle-Belters were now remorseful over their roles in spearheading Northern interests that did not benefit their people.
Specifically, Onalo regretted the role of the Middle-Belt in the Nigerian civil war, saying the people of the region would not repeat the mistake.
He said: “We want the Middle-Belt people to be recognised and be referred to as Middle-Belt region. We want to be part of a new Nigeria where the Middle-Belt will be a federating unit. We liken our argument to the issue of true federalism. Since the South-South has been officially re-grouped as the Niger Delta region, we from the Middle-Belt should be grouped as the Middle-Belt region. We contributed in establishing the Federal Republic of Nigeria; we know what we suffered after the Civil War. There should be no reason why the nation cannot give us our own identity.”
North braces up for eventuality
The North’s push is being spearheaded by the Coalition of Concerned Northerners, a body that has as members Governor Aliyu of Niger State, Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, former President of the Senate, Dr. Iyorcha Ayu and some of the leading lights of the region in the different professions.
Some of the 10 committees raised include:Interfaith Dialogues and Inter – Community Harmony; Security; Education; Economics, Policy Frameworks, Strategic Investments & Infrastructure; Agriculture, Water Resources & Mineral Investments; Youth Strategy & Contacts; Borno Dialogue Committee; and Constitutional Amendments, Revenue & Fiscal Systems, Structure of Nigeria Federalism, headed by Prof. Auwalu Yadudu former special adviser to late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.
The group first met in Asokoro, Abuja on February 23 and endorsed restructuring of the Nigerian Federation “in the hope that the lopsidedness in the structure of the nation’s politics and economy will be a key agenda issue.”
Among those present at that meeting that day were Governors Aliyu and Lamido, the convener of the meeting, Dr. Junaidu Muhammed, a former Senate President, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, a former Deputy Senate President, Dr. John Wash-Pam, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, former Ministers, such as, Dr. Shettima Mustapha, Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri and Malam Lawal Batagarawa and a former Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council, Prof. Nur Alkali.
Drawn from all parts of the North, other members of the group include newspaper columnist, Mohammed Haruna; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed; Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Engr. Mansur Ahmed; erstwhile Minister of Finance and presently Senator representing Kaduna South, Senator Nenadi Usman; erstwhile Minister of Agriculture and Defence and presently chairmanship aspirant in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Shettima Mustapha; Managing Director of the defunct FSB Bank, Mohammed Hayatuddeen; the incumbent deputy Governor of Kogi State, Yomi Awoniyi; and immediate past Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, Engr. Hamman Tukur among others.
North: Parasitic arm of the country
The North has been at the receiving end of nauseating attacks from the South, especially the Niger Delta as the nation’s weakest economic link and parasitic arm. The region is accused of harbouring huge unproductive population and largest track of landmass that is adding little or nothing to the distributable revenue pool of the country.
Aside being the less productive part of the country, critics said the region had managed to control political power for close to 40 years of the nation’s 52 years existence as an independent country to the detriment of the areas sustaining the country economically. Some southern groups at various times have dared the North to allow restructuring of the country to devolve more political and economical power to the federating units as was practiced at independence before the military unitarised Nigeria.
A host of northerners have opposed SNC on the ground that it would lead to the disintegration of the country, which obviously will not be in the interest of the North as crude oil mined from the Niger Delta accounts for about 90 per cent of foreign revenue.
However, following persistent attacks against the North and the unceasing clamour for national conference, the northern group, Vanguard learnt, was preparing itself for any eventuality that may arise from the confab.
Aside preparation for a national conference, the northern group is also preparing to address issues presently unsettling the region, such as the Boko Haram menace that has claimed about 2000 lives in the last three years and is fast chasing investors away from the North, especially in the North-East, which serves as Boko Haram’s nest.
South-West seeks regional agenda
At the official presentation of a Strategy Roadmap for the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), South-West leaders, who had always canvassed restructuring and true federalism lamented that the zone had fallen below the template set by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowolo.
Specifically, the leaders, who pledged to cooperate harped on the need to pursue a common agenda and regional integration on education, transportation, economy and infrastructure among others.
Drawn from all parts of South-West including Yoruba-speaking areas of Kogi and Kwara, the leaders which included all the six governors of the region, with the exception of Dr Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), who sent a representative, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Dr Frederick Fasehun, retired Generals Adeyinka Adeyinka Adebayo and Alani Akinrinade, Dr Doyin Salami, Dr Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, Chief Bisi Akande, Rev Tunji Adebiyi, Mr Fola Adeola, Wale Oshun, Dimeji bankole, Fola Adela and Dipo Famakinwa among others.
Chaired by Fola Adola, the event, which was organised by the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) saw speaker after speaker, who spoke in Yoruba language, decrying how low the region had fallen in the last 45 years. They canvassed, as a matter of urgency, steps towards a regional cooperation and integration among the South-West states to boost socio-economic development.
S’East, S’South, Middle Belt form alliance
Relatedly, members a coalition, comprising ethnic nationalities and groups from the North-Central, South- East and South-South geo-political zones two weeks ago met in Enugu to forge an alliance towards retaining political power beyond 2015.
Led by Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF), Asari Dokubo, the gathering featured about 3000 youths drawn from Tiv, Ndoma Igala Ibira, Ibaji, Ibibio, Efik, Ikwerre, Ishekiri, Isoko and various Igbo groups,who insisted the only justice that could be acceptable to every part of the Nigeria was for presidential political power to move round all ethnic groups of the country.
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