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