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Thursday 13 September 2018

Restructuring Nigeria is one sure way to address the 'interconnectedness of trust, governance and growth'

"A long time ago we have already internalized the map and the locations and information it projects to basically suit our own purposes. Most of us can live with that. And anyway why bother to change it?- Professor Richard Griffiths. Photo: Uche Okeke. I have argued very strongly that politics in Nigeria is dominated by self-interests, narrow demands of the cabals who weild power; ruthless cabal with a 'distinct lack of conscience'. The country has been shaped more by political decisions of the centre ; unitary-centralised political system characterised by exploitation, ruthless pursuit of self-interests which affects economic development , trust, governance and growth. It needs adjustment/restructuring to guarantee autonomous states/regions, independence of the political decisions of the centre.-'greater devolution of responsibilities and resources'. There is abundant evidence of successful economies that do not have the benefits of oil or size. They have thrived on efficient tax system, technology, entrepreneurship, Agriculture, manufacturing,  trade, greater citizen engagement, inclusiveness, knowledge economy, empowering women, pioneering investment and innovation, modernisation, prudent management and better governance, the myth of diaspora, NGOs, global partnerships etc. Independent states with more economic and financial resources present great opportunity not risks for development. Restructuring is the solution to the current political system/structure which 'obstructs development and consolidation of democracy' in Nigeria. Homogeneous society is a great advantage to democratization, this is not far from moving economic and political power down to identity. Restructuring is about alternative policy responses to stagnation, persistence poverty, unemployment and instability .Restructuring Nigeria is one sure way to address the 'inter-connectedness of trust, governance and growth'. Employing a political economy approach, Independent States/Autonomy will promote decentralized leadership for more effective governance(avoid any centralised leadership), prevent dominant coalition, make it ''easier to obtain consensus, develop and propagate its own agenda , build separated and strong institutions-investigative and judicial arm and promote its own ideology and diplomacy', cultural and historical values', greater citizen engagement-accountability and transparency, and embrace partnership as part of its own development strategy. Unlike the current structure characterised by self-interests, formation of dominant coalition, lack of transparency and accountability, weak institutions and mechanisms to hold leaders to account for their promises. Restructuring is one sure way to harness or manage our diversity, make the union strong and leverage global partnership to effect development and the much needed change. Restructuring is neither disintegration nor secession, as the politicians want ignorant people to believe, so ordinary people need to be properly informed. Without restructuring anything else  is 'distraction'. Today it's possible to effect change by putting more pressure on the political elites to do the needful. Today's technology has empowered ordinary people to mobilise and take action to demand change, so be inspired. This blog is an attempt to help shift thinking by providing new information and ideas to inspire action and possibly drive change. All the societies that embraced this model are peaceful and prosperous. Electoral democracy, i.e, election every four years does not bring development especially in a political climate/environment characterised by pitch invasions; 'gutter' politicians in charge. Some of us still see the world through the 'map' phenomenon or map narrative; distorted views that tend to make us celebrate and fight for the status-quo, the same reason for persistence of poverty, unemployment, stagnation, political instability. Thinking needs to change. We must be able to change certain things written 100-years ago that is no longer working. The time for change is now. The recent nationwide clamour for restructuring is an ideal opportunity for the government to do the needful. What the country needs now is a positive and forward looking approach to rebuild trust by acknowledging that the current political system/structure has failed also recognising that positive action is needed to effect restructuring to guarantee the much needed inclusiveness. 
Restructuring Nigeria is possible, it's achievable, but it will only happen if we allow reason to prevail. It simply needs statesmanship, positive leadership and political will that will look beyond the 19th century political ideology of conquest and control and recognise that the world has changed. We must change the way things are, this is the future. We must learn to look at our problem from the global best practices, not the narrow/distorted views of the power grabs, self proclaimed statesmen influenced by prejudice, outdated knowledge and self-interests. Finally the answer to Nigeria's problem is less to do with economics than the abuse of power. Homogeneity increases the trust level in society, leads to good governance and economic progress. A political system that leaves majority of its population living below the extreme poverty line cannot be morally justifyiable, it must be dismantled to lift people out of poverty. The current political system in Nigeria is inhuman, exploitative and unsustainable, it must be overhauled to address the interconnectedness of trust, governance and growth. Click on this link to read more: http://www.theleadprojectfoundation.com/2018/09/the-hard-truth-about-restructuring.html
Sixtus Uche Okeke is a Statistician, Social Entrepreneur, the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation and the Author of Nigeria's Democracy And Its Crisis Deliberate, Avoidable-'Bribe & Bullet'. What Can Be Done About It.

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