Nigeria: Five years of the Buhari Administration

Nigeria moves closer to becoming a failed state-"The clouds are darkening over Nigeria...,the situation in Africa's most populous country is unravelling and its President of five years appears to be making things worse"-Ayo Adedoyin, The Telegraph.

Economy, Security, Corruption, Democracy and Human Rights, Rule of law, Poverty Reduction, Unemployment, Diversity and Collective life, etc. Follow our analysis of the Socio-economic and political developments and the future of politics in Nigeria as we continue to research the answers to the questions that really matter to make a difference in the world. The status-quo is a disservice to Nigeria and no longer relevant in the modern era unfortunately the political actors don't seem to understand this reality despite nearly six decades of  failed experimentation. Its a tragedy that people seek to solve problems by changing the question rather than answering it as we have seen in the failure of Buhari government in addressing structural deficits that is the root cause of the problem. Evidence suggests that the current political system-'expensive, wasteful, dictatorial' , is long overdue for restructuring as virtually all the country's socio-economic and political challenges is centred on the dysfunctional political system-'trust, governance, growth' . No doubt a dubious political system undermines effective government, it requires a genuine leadership to be bold to restructure it and enlightened and organised majority that will rise above identity and narratives of the crooks who created the mess for their own political gains. The government endorses itself but everyone knows that the reality is different as the country has become a ghetto of misery and discontent with kidnapping and killings in various communuities on the increase on a daily basis and the government seems helpless in this regard. The events of coronavirus pandemic has confirmed the fears of many about the curse of oil in Nigeria- 'mono-economy, coercion, capture and corruption' and provides the right opportunity for restructuring to take place. The Buhari administration has three more years to re-write history and save the country from total collapse by restructuring the country for a stakeholder society that will  facilitate competition and guarantee the desire growth because there is no development without trust, peace and harmony. Equity and Justice is the super glue that holds the society together not unity and continuity. Growth requires new thinking not same old style. The saying, adapt or perish is always very true. Note: Borrowing to fund a bogus political structure-'expensive, wasteful, dictatorial', the licence to do as one pleases-'security votes, abnormal salaries, education and medical tourism, religious pilgrimage, the next election'. The toxic mindset of 97%/5% public services  is ''morally irresponsible, the worst form of corruption'', and will sink the dysfunctional system further and expose it to greater ridicule in the future when this government is long gone. Nigeria is ranked the 14th most fragile state in the world and 9th in Africa. The fragile state index formerly known as the failed states index is an annual report published by the US think-tank, the Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy Magazine which ranks 178 countries across twelve indicators of the risks and vulnerabilites faced by individual nations. These include: Demographic pressures, Refugees and Internally displaced people, Group grievances, Uneven development, Human rights violations, Insecurity, failing public services, economic decline, etc. Uche Okeke. Read More:

Pen chop pension vr: Nigeria Spends more than N40Billion on Pension For Former Governors

Nigeria Political Actors vs The Majority. Another interesting analysis that lends support to the urgent need for the restructuring of the monstrous political structure that deepens injustice and inequality in Nigeria, the licence to do as one pleases. Unfortunately ordinary people have been socialised to believe that the reason for persistence of poverty and stagnation in Nigeria is PDPvsAPC, also that restructuring could mean division into sub-nations. These are false narratives of the gods and monsters among us who created the mess we're in just to maintain and sustain the status-quo. The political actors who simply benefit from the impunity of the dysfunction persuade ordinary people with Propaganda and Ideology to continue business as usual. Nigeria is a case study where wealth in natural resources turned out to be a curse rather than a blessing, elite capture, coercion , corruption and violence. This ruthlessness and recklessness should be overhauled to enable proper investment in the future of the country. I read a report about the budget for the legislators which is twice the budget for national infrastructure and social services including education and healthcare. The political system that unites the few political actors against the majority is the problem not the solution. Ordinary people should become enlightened and awakened and put more pressure on the politicians to restructure the country for inclusiveness. The lesson of Covid-19 is invest in all and prosper or perish in continuing human stupidity created by unreasoning individuals only interested in selfish power grabs for their families, friends and associates. The political system is broken , exposed as fake. Growth requires new thinking not same old style. Ordinary people need to wake up to be on the right side rather than remaining endless tool for violence by the same politicians who don't mean well for the nation. Truly, political systems determine a country's economic future. The time has come to reject ideology and politics of the gods and monsters among us that create discrimination,domination, exploitation, inequality, injustice, persistence of poverty and stagnation. Toxic ideology and politics affects everyday life and does not lead to the desired freedom rather misery and discontent, that's the whole point. The truth is the politicians see the majority as ignorant, impotent and powerless to demand change. In the words of Alhaji Sule Lamido, former Governor of Jigawa state; "members of the elites are united in preserving their advantages over the masses irrespective of their differences of tribe and religion.., we have taken away from them their dignity, their self-esteem, their pride and self-worth so that they cannot even organise. Up there , we elite unite, we will never allow Nigeria to break because once it breaks, we will lose. But the common man loses nothing. What is he losing? He is already in hell, he cannot lose anything more than his hell" If the political elites are united in exploitation and domination, i wonder why ordinary people cannot be united against oppression to free themselves from perpetual chains. Freedom is taken not freely given and today's democratic culture can enable freedom. The essence of democracy is to guarantee citizens security and prosperity and participation in democracy should not be limited to voting only. Its embarrasing that the current APC government is still playing political football with the essential restructuring of the political system prefering to concentrate on the symptoms of the problem rather than the root cause. The current political structure is unsuitable and unsustainable, soon the people would be forced to decide for themselves if the APC government is a blessing or a curse. A country described as the poverty capital of the world is paying Senators $37,000.00 per month as salaries, whereas the minimum wage is less than $75.00 and the majority of the citizens are unemployed, pensions not paid. In the words of Paul Nwaogu; "the jumbo salary and the expensive nature of the presidential system will be on trial soon since the mono-economy of oil is no longer sustainable. We hope a remedy will be found sooner not later. It seems the period of Babariga is almost over" Political and Economic restructuring is long overdue in Nigeria, no doubt another opportunity is here to do the needful. The collapse of the global oil price should be a wake up call. Uche Okeke, My View.
  

Nigeria: The Pending Almajiri Burn Fire

"Powerful politicians in Northern Nigeria are pushing for the scrapping of controversial Koranic schools after some pupils found themselves at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak. No- one knows how many of the children known in the local Hausa language as almajirai, which is derived from the Arabic word al-Muhajirun, or emigrant were sent home but Kaduna state alone said it had repatriated thirty-thousand (30,000). What no-one knew was that hundreds of the children already had coronavirus, so officials had inadvertently contributed to spreading the virus rather than containing it. They saw the pandemic as an opportunity to scrap the almajirai-based Koranic schools that have long been part of the Islamic education system in the mainly Muslim North"- Nduka Orjinmo. The North in its relentless desire for power grab and keep power by all means unwittingly cut its nose to spite its face. The Northern leaders never really asked themselves the purpose and reason for which they pursue power desperately. At least if not for public good then it should be for selfish reasons. All outcomes through the years they have held power points to the theory of selfish interest. Ok, so we isolate self interest as the only reason Northern leaders desperately seek and grab power. Going deeper to fundamental forensic expose into the selfish interest of the Northern leaders reveal a deeper layer of the meaning of selfish interest i.e, my family and I alone. These people have trained their minds to think of themselves and immediate families only hence they have mastered the art of turning a blind eye to the basic needs of the lowly Northerners especially their millions of children. These Northern leaders have long used grabbed power to allocate choice federal government positions and military power to their Northern kind. By so doing they have amassed wealth to the tones at the detriment of the oil producing communities whose land has been ruined by ruthless people that want the eggs not caring what became of the goose. Apart from using federal might to pilfer Southern oil revenue they also systematically frustrated the employment of educated Southern youths. Rather than employing educated South with vital skills for good resource management , they prefer near illiterate Northerners in every sphere of the federal government offices. Dejected and frustrated Southerners learnt the power education and pursued education at all levels competitively and meritoriously. Entry qualifications for University was not reduced to two O-levels grade at best but generally just bear ethnic Northern and religious name and you are admitted into Universities where they graduate half baked graduates that is unleashed on the Nigerian psyche. They produce nothing and contribute nothing, whereas Southerners have since learnt to fend for themselves through mass migration to civilised economies and diligent self employment. It is not yet uhuru in Southern Nigeria, but there is significant growth economically compared to the pampered North that has nothing to show. Indeed Southern Nigeria diaspora remit about $29.9billion dollars to the Southern economy yearly which greatly galvanise the local economy. In my two decades living in Europe, I have hardly encountered a Northern Hausa/Fulani man living and working here. No, they cannot come here because they are generally unemployable where there is regard for merit and qualifications and no ethno-religious entitlement. So where am I going with the above expose. The selfish misuse of power and religion by the Northern elites. With their donkey years held on power and control of resources, they have dangerously refused to educate or skill their sons and daughters. Rather the girls are married off at the age of twelve to idle unemployed men to litter the harem with innocent children whose future is quickly reduced while the boys are thrown to the streets from age eight to fend for themselves exposed to the vagaries of unsupervised childhood. The irony is that these Northern leaders do not believe in this child marriage and the almajirin culture in as much as it concerns their own sons and daughters who they send to the most expensive schools locally and overseas to attain quality degrees and skills. At the end they deliberately and purposely match mate them with similar children from well heeled backgrounds. The young innocent boys roam the streets eternally with hunger, anger and hatefulness against the society that has failed them. Their Northern leaders couldn't be bothered about their plight as they found easy fodder in them to harvest as political or religious thugs in furtherance of their selfish intent. The disparity between a Southern child/youth and Northern youth is 20:1. Whereas the average Southern youth can question reckless authority and speak the truth to power, the Northern youth is muted due to lack of education or skillful empowerment hence are easily manipulated by politicians and their religious captains for thuggery and banditry. However, it has become clearly lately that the numbers of these almajiris have risen to the millions and no longer containable by their selfish masters and are becoming restive, a dangerous nuisance to the North. It's this realization that caused the Northern Governors forum to agree that almajiris should be repatriated to their states of origin as an emergency measure to curtail their menance. We can see this happening now in the North and simultaneously these almajiris are now being massively smuggled in their thousands into Southern territories under the watch of our idiotic Southern leaders and Governors who are only concerned with their perfidious looting. Under their watch these dangerous angry hungry unskilled and uneducated lot are being smuggled into Southern territories to do what? As Asari Dokubo recently warned, the burn fire is upon us in the South and we must wake up from our slumber before we all get engulfed in it. The pending Almajirin burn fire has now progressed from the clandestine to the brazen. There is something sinister in the offing. The rabbit does not run about in the day for nothing. Every Southern community must wake up and set up vigilante groups at their respective borders to check those who come in and why they are coming in such large numbers. These are foot soldiers in advance deployed under a decoy. As happened in Benue state, very soon helicopters would be sighted dropping arms for them in the cover of night. The Southern court jesters in this administration who  are only useful for foolish errand must now count their tongue otherwise they and their families too would not be spared by this Almajirin burn fire that is nigh. The irony is that these Northern leaders do not believe in this child marriage and the almajirin culture in as much as it concerns their own sons and daughters who they send to the most expensive schools locally and overseas to attain quality degrees and skills. At the end they deliberately and purposely match mate them with similar children from well heeled backgrounds. The young innocent boys roam the streets eternally with hunger, anger and hatefulness against the society that has failed them. Their Northern leaders couldn't be bothered about their plight as they found easy fodder in them to harvest as political or religious thugs in furtherance of their selfish intent. Whereas the average Southern youth can question reckless authority and speak the truth to power, the Northern youth is muted due to lack of education or skillful empowerment hence are easily manipulated by politicians and their religious captains for thuggery and banditry. Simultaneously these almajiris are now being massively smuggled in their thousands into Southern territories under the watch of our idiotic Southern leaders and Governors who are only concerned with their perfidious looting. Under their watch these dangerous angry hungry unskilled and uneducated lot are being smuggled into Southern territories to do what?-Peter Collins .
Peter Collins is an Immigration Solicitor based in London, United Kingdom.

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Nigeria's unitary centralised political system is distasteful, development trap

"The 21st century needs a politics which captures its spirit and defines its way forward "-Rt.Hon.Tony Blair, Ex-UK Prime Minister.

The concept of harmonious society goes beyond the map, no map can show everything. Progressive societies are built on liberal traditions of freedom and autonomy to guarantee progress and development through competition, poor societies are still stuck in barbaric ideas and ideology that keep them permanently in the primitive state. Political system determines everything.  The political system determines growth and harmony in a society. Ethnic diverse society like Nigeria does not need a unitary centralised system as the experience of nearly six decades have shown. The  monstrous unitary centralised political system in Nigeria has failed to deliver its promise of prosperity and harmony, rather deepens autocracy and its ugly tyrannical features; discrimination, division, profound racism, fear and terror, poor resource management, corruption, gross human rights abuse, gerrymandering, police state, fear and terror, killings, political bias and favouritism, ethnic exploitation and domination, economic violence and distress, genocidal thrust, totalitarian barbarism, inequity and injustice, lack of accountability and transparency, etc, so  it must be overhauled to address the interconnectedness of trust, governance and growth.  The current APC led government in Nigeria has finally exposed its gross flaws and abuse for everyone to see. The lesson of Covid-19 has reinforced the need for its overhaul, application of reason and rationality rather than unity and continuity regardless of inequity and injustice. The ideology and politics of the status-quo is toxic and destructive and cannot guarantee the desired freedom. Restructuring the monstrous political system-'expensive, wasteful, dictatorial' is one sure way to guarantee citizens security and freedom by unbundling the dictatorial powers of the centre to empower the states/regions with more resources to become  independent and competitive, innovative, productive and attain the desired growth as envisioned by the fore fathers who were reasoning individuals as against the idea and ideology of the gods and monsters among us who created the mess we're in.  The current system is not working and creates just misery and discontent, its as simple as that and its pointless sinking with it. A dubious political system undermines effective government by promoting the wrong leadership and wrong institutions. According to Senator Ike Ekweremadu; " judgement day would come upon the nation unless it overhauls the military-imposed feeding bottle federalism to enthrone a political system predicated on self-reliance, hard work, enterprise and resourcefulness to catalyse development" No doubt, True Federalism/Fiscal Federalism is the only solution to the current ram-shackle unitary centralised system that has brought the country to its knees. Ordinary people in Nigeria are reduced to the impotent role of passive observer.  According to Professor Mattew Humphrey, University of Nottingham; "who can only sit and watch what their fate will be. Soccer fans who watch their team at home, shouting and jumping from their seats in a superstitious belief that this will somehow influence the outcome". They are persuaded with political propaganda and ideology and some made to believe that restructuring means seccession or dividing the country into sub-group identities, whereas ordinary people would be the major beneficiaries. Restructuring also mean abolishing Senators salaries of $37000.00 per month whereas the minimum wage is less than $75.00 per month. National Assembly budget is more that the budget for Social services including education and healthcare put together. Lamido Sule, a former Governor of Jigawa state in Nigeria was quoted recently as saying ; "Nigeria is too weak to break...,Nigeria cannot break up because members of the elites are united in preserving their advantages over the masses irrespective of their differences of tribe and religion" In his own words; "who will break it? The ordinary person in Jigawa or the ordinary person in Sokoto or ordinary person in Bayelsa? Is it the Igbo vulcaniser or the Yoruba woman selling kerosene by the poverty. We have taken away from them their dignity, their self-esteem, their pride and self-worth so that they cannot even organise. Up there, we (elite) unite, we will never allow Nigeria to break because once it breaks, we will lose. But the common man  loses nothing. What is he losing? He is already in hell; he cannot lose anything more than this hell"  However, Jerry John Rawlings, Former Head of State and President of Ghana has said that "Nigerians are still in love with their oppressors"  What Can ordinary people do? Pressure works, put more pressure on the politicians to do the right thing, overhaul the monstrous political system that promotes abuse of power, the licence to do as one pleases and deepens persistence of poverty and stagnation. Everyone wins if the politicians do the right thing. People are not as impotent and ignorant as the power holders think. In the words of Professor Sir Paul Collier, Oxford University; "Our politicians would only move beyond gestures once there is a critical mass of informed citizens, so citizens have to get sufficiently informed so that they can get on the right side. The crooks, the powerful will be putting out narratives that try to misinform and so its the business of ordinary people to get properly informed". The unitary centralised system is the biggest blockage to growth in Nigeria, the focus should be how to restructure it not unnecessary distractions. Growth requires new mindset, new thinking not same old style. Endless political football of the much desired restructuring will bring more misery and discontent and there will be no hiding place. The bogus, wasteful and dictatorial system must be dismantled to guarantee citizens security and prosperity not just looking at shortermism, the symptoms but not the root cause of the problem, now is the time. What's the point of being stuck in a political system that cannot protect lives and property and creates persistence of poverty due to human stupidity of using conquering techniques to diminish citizens potentials and deepen ethnic exploitation and domination. So sad that the world has moved away from the primitive and barbaric ideas of connquest and domination, poor societies are trapped in it. The unitary centralised political system has failed to generate the conditions for growth, continuing with it will create more harm than good, as we are currently witnessing, the time has come to dismantle it. The current debt ridden government in Nigeria needs more pressure in this regard to save the country from imminent danger and collapse. The status-quo is unsuitable and unsustainable and demonstrates a clear and present danger ahead. My inescapable conclusion is , the political system is dysfunctional, the time has come to dismantle it. Constitutional settlement is the revolutionary change people need not just unity and continuity regardless of inequity and injustice. Freedom and autonomy agenda, anything else is distraction.
Share your comments about this blog post as we continue to look into the socio-economic and political changes that create persistence of poverty and stagnation in Nigeria. The essence of politics is human freedom and human security not oppression, desolation and devastations. In the words of Emily Durkheim; "without the application of reason to the society and social change, human life would continue in its miseries" Challenging the status-quo must be in our DNA for change to happen. Everyone wins if the power holders do the right thing and the society would become a better place to live in peace and harmony.
Uche Okeke, My View.
Click on this link to read more: We all have a responsibility to question Nigeria's dysfunctional political system:  http://www.theleadprojectfoundation.com/2020/03/we-all-have-responsibility-to-question.html

Almajiri is a barbaric idea that mocks and abuse children in Nigeria, it must be abolished

Northern Governors have resolved to stamp out Almajiri"-Governor El-Rufai. Similarly, Dr Junaid Muhammad has this to say: "I don't believe the almajiri is necessary, I don't believe it is politics or religion, I don't believe it is in the interest of our country to allow this unhealthy phenomenon. It is economically counterproductive, it does not help in developing the country or developing the young men who are the Almajerai"

In changing times, toxic ideology and politics must be replaced with reason and rationality. Almajiri in Nigeria calls for caution and greater responsibility on the parts of parents, and state governments beyond ideology and politics or religion. Almajiri is a big social risk, a threat to public health, safety and security. The risk of encouraging their inter-state migration would be irredeemable. It's a big badge of shame that politicians of the by-gone age are politicising this decades of moral hazard, dismal failure of duty of care and responsibility for unimaginable purposes rather than seeking to abolish this barbaric abuse and shameful practice of exploitation of innocent children for nefarious purposes, despite collecting federal resources on their behalf. These children are breeding grounds for various social ills and security risks not pointless political and religious point scoring views that only expose well intentioned ruthlessness and recklessness. What happened to the numerous schools built by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for the education of these street children. This is unnecesary politik of human stupidity which mock and abuse the children. Politicians use the children to inflate census figures to attract more federal allocations, use them to rig elections by registering them as underage voters, collect universal basic education and federal social school feeding grants, Internal Displaced Citizens grants, even Covid-19 grants and other federal palliative assistance funds, etc, yet they dump them in the streets and facilitate their illegal migration to various states especially in this pandemic period. Meanwhile their own children attend some of the world's best schools. I think they should be deported to their various states to enjoy the education and social services already provided on their behalf. The politicians and religious leaders should be ashamed of this immorality, failure of basic duty of care and responsibility. In changing times barbaric ideas and  practices are abolished and people become more responsible. Kaduna state is doing a great job in this regard. According to Governor El-Rufai, "his administration is reviewing state laws to ensure the system remained dead, and parents of almajiri were being educated to take up their responsibilities and send their children to school", this is very commendable. Birth control is one sure area that is very important in eradicating this henious practice. Toxic ideology and politics should not replace reason and rationality .We should not hide under the cloak of citizens rights to lose sight of political accountability, public safety and security. Almajiri calls for greater education and responsibility on the part of parents, state governments beyond politics. There is urgent need to invest in those children even when most of these states are in dire need of vital skills. Migration should seek to add value not endanger lives especially during this historic scourge of global pandemic that is ravaging countries leaving heavy tolls of human deaths. States should be firm in enforcing the iinter-state lockdowns to save lives. Its akin to the senseless killings of innocent people in various states despite land act laws and there is no accountability. Indeed, the time has come to replace certain ideology and politics of the 'gods and monsters' among us who don't mean well for the society. Again, citizenship should place responsibility on human behaviour not promoting barbarity and lawlessness that bring misery and discontent. The media and civil society must be vigilant and play their roles in this regard. Everyone wins if we do the right thing. Save lives, Protect the country! This pandemic is a great opportunity to think different, do things different and create a whole new society that will work for everyone. I learnt the Senate is seeking the revival of Almajiri schools built by former President Goodluck Jonathan to facilitate the integration of these children into modern education system in the country, this requires the fierce urgency of now, my view.
 Uche Okeke is the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation. Read More:

Totalitarian barbarism is the shortest route to Venezuela, Nigeria should be alarmed

"Nigeria Stares Into the Abyss of a Life Without Oil. There's a possibility that at least for three-five years, there's going to be no revenue flowing to the government from oil. The impact of this will start reflecting from June and July"- Blomberg.

The scourge of Covid-19 that has left devastations across the globe calls for sober reflection, a quick reminder to look inwards and overhaul the status-quo. Nigeria being a mono-economy dependent on oil must adapt quick or the learn the hardway of Venezuela.  No doubt, restructuring the monstrous political system that promotes abuse of power is the only escape route and the time is now. Read More:

Learning from history; the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazi Party

"Seventy-five years ago today, the last remnants of the Nazi regime unconditionally surrendered to the Allied Powers, marking the end of World War11 in Europe. Today, we celebrate the forces of freedom who defeated tyranny and emerged victorious in that monumental struggle. We pay tribute to those who served for their service and pause to remember those who gave their last full measure in defence of the flames of liberty. More than thirty million lives were lost and tens of millions more were shattered in the war. Most of those who perished were civilians, including six million Jews and millions of others from Poland and the former Soviet Union- Whitehouse"

The lessons of Hitler and the Nazi Party is creating a whole new society that would never let anything like fascism and world war happen again. I have chosen to use this blog post to share my little understanding on how Propaganda and Ideology affects Everyday Life, how tyrants use Ideology and Propaganda to unleash terror and devastate humankind. According to Professor Michael Freeden, "Propaganda persuades us to adopt political beliefs or behaviours that we would not normally embrace" Some of the activities of the Nazi party is replicated in most poor societies despite warning from history. Do you think Ideology and Politics can guarantee freedom. The Nazi also promised abundant society in which the poor would pertake of the riches once enjoyed by the elites, but the result was totalitarian barbarism, terror, profound racism, economic distress and violence, genocidal thrust, war and disaster. The Jews were ostracised and accused of engaging in unfair competition, strangled commercial opportunities and slaughtered. Propaganda and Ideology can be used by Ideological actor to unleash terror and advance a hidden agenda, its left to ordinary people to find out if some ideology lead to doom or boom and real freedom and do something about it. Today, Propaganda is not just tied to authoritarian regimes and technology now enables it. Fear and Terror, profound racism, injustice, oppression are anti progress and development, it should be resisted. The result is misery and discontent. The good news is Western democracy and human rights offers the greatest opportunity for freedom and liberty. In the words of Professor Mat Humphrey; "democracy is a bind for dictators that they cannot escape" People must seek freedom from oppression and the state must guarantee freedom not abuse it. People need to be enlightened and awakened. Everyone a change maker. May God deliver us from the scourge of our time. In the words of Nicola Mandelson, Facebook's VP for Europe, the Middle East and Africa: "We are living through an unprecedented time when it has never been more important to stay connected and stop misinformation and harmful content. People are doing extraordinary things to keep us together. Social connection isn't the cure that will rid us of coronavirus but it will certainly be key in helping us through this" This challenging times offers the greatest opportunity for social change. It's possible to achieve a harmonious society.

Uche Okeke

Igbo President in Nigeria is a human right especially in a democracy- Uche Okeke.

"Society is a moral phenonmenon, the basis for membership is equity and justice, freedom and equality not unity and continuity. Absence of this undermines peaceful co-existence, nationalism, progress and development and can lead to nations divided into several sub-nations. People tend to run to their various ethnic groups/identity if their safety, economic and political rights are no longer guaranteed in their union, this can be avoided by constitutional settlement"-Uche Okeke. Society is more than just an idea of few individuals, the 'gods and monsters' among us, with the capacity to control or determine the lives of individuals.  According to Emily Durkheim; "Society is a moral phenomenon and defined on the basis of its membership" . The concept of a harmonious society goes beyond the map, propaganda and ideology rather equity and social justice. Within a secularised society where reason is highly valued, Igbo President is a right not a benevolent idea. Ohaneze should focus on how to dismantle the monstrous political structure that makes them begging for the position of the president in their own country. Presidency is a right not a benevolent idea in your own country. Those who share the same territory must have a rational constitution that guarantees the political and economic rights of its components, equality and freedom. The truth is, this is not meant to be just Igbo struggle, rather a collective responsibility by the various component units of the society to dismantle the status-quo and its divide-and-rule strategy that has only made a particular homogeneous group the beneficiary of power politics and opportunities in Nigeria and preventing people from looking into the ways in which institutions and practices may be counterproductive and need changing.  After-all, Politics is about identity and allocation of resources. One sure way this can happen is by reviving the legacy of regional political parties to check the excesses of the centre. A harmonious society does not need a dubious constitution to prosper and flourish rather equity and justice is the over-riding objective not unity and continuity.  Modernity is about new thinking, moving beyond the  nineteenth-century ideas of exploitation and political domination of one group by another,  discrimination and conflict, but  new approaches, new perspectives, shared values and shared interests. The time has come to abolish obsolete ideas and parochial conceptions that are doomed to failure. The new age is about application of reason to all areas of human experience to achieve human liberation and harmony. The world has changed beyond the imaginings of the ruthless 'few' who were not interested in emancipation of humankind. Without a new constitution, social change will be very difficult and human life would continue in its miseries. The restructuring of the monstrous political structure that creates abuse of power and deepens distrust is the only way forward. The APC government promised restructuring since 2015, people are still waiting for it. No doubt, there will always be days of reckoning and political accountability. Constitutional settlement is the revolutionary change that Nigeria needs. One Nigeria as ideological myth threatens peaceful co-existence and undermines progress and development. Inequity and injustice tears up nations into several sub-nations, this can be avoided. Note: The concept of harmonious society is about equity and justice not false unity and continuity regardless of the inequity and injustice current arrangements might involve, that's the ideology of the gods and monsters among us using propaganda to persuade people to adopt. Restructuring requires effective leadership and collective action to put pressure on the political leaders to do the right thing. This requires enlightenment and  action and we are all stakeholders. Reason and rationality must replace toxic ideas and ideologies that affect values, society's harmony, progress and development. Politics should place responsibility on human behaviour to promote peaceful co-existence, equality and freedom not lawlessness, recklessness and ruthlessness. Unity and continuity regardless of inequity and injustice is shorter-lived, unfortunately this is a hard lesson to learn. Political values such as freedom, equality and justice help societies stick together and constitutional settlement is the glue. Igbo President becomes a reality with restructuring, not begging the gods and monsters among us, the very people that created the mess we're in . There must be a commitment to make it happen, now is the time, not the next election. Democracy offers the greatest opportunity to actualise Igbo President as a human right using non-violent tactics and strategies which are fully compatible with the Western ideology of democracy and human rights, democracy is a bind for dictators that they cannot escape.

Uche Okeke is the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation. He lives in London. He has participated in 'Propaganda and Ideology in Everyday Life' ; The University of Nottingham.