Are We Moving Closer to Restructuring?

The National Assembly recently considered 68 Bills that may lead to a wholesale alteration of the 1999 Constitution, writes Nseobong Okon-Ekong

It is unlikely that the effort of federal lawmakers in both chambers of the National Assembly to carry out a wholesale review of the 1999 Constitution will meet the approval of all the critical stakeholders. However, the recent presentation of 68 Bills for Constitution Amendment is a record in every ramification since the return of this season of democracy. For a good number of reasons, if this effort goes all the way through to a presidential approval, it will be a major victory for the government at the centre, led by the  All Progressives Congress (APC),   albeit obtained with  cooperation from opposition political parties. The Constitution Review Committee under the headship of the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege was established about two years ago. In a bid to get crucial inputs from all sections of the country, the committee travelled round the country.

The emerging outcome seems to have deliberately addressed as many of the knotty issues in the polity as possible.  There are major items that are being moved from the control of the Federal Government to liberal participation by individual state governments or allowed opportunities for collaboration among states. Once this is done, the vociferous clamour for self-actualization and/restructuring of the federation or the enthronement of a true federation,  as some  like to call it, in many cases may fizzle out naturally. That is assuming  these agitations were not about creating new boundaries for states or collapsing existing states to regions. 

In a recent interview with this Reporter, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State who is also the Chairman of governors elected on the platform of the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), admitted that the structure of the country is one of the major heated talking points. On the other hand, he emphasized the need to address the misunderstanding of the concept, in which  people see  it from their own perspective of restructuring. “From whatever standpoint one looks at it,” said the Sokoto Governor, ” there is a need for us to look at Nigeria and restructure”Nevertheless, the loud protests from influential women groups whose hope for extra legislative seats was shattered may have put a pall on the emerging landmark achievement by the National Assembly.

The Federal lawmakers voted against proposals providing for affirmative action for women in the running of  political parties. They also voted against the bill to create special seats for women in the national and state assemblies. Titled  ‘Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for Special Seat for Women in the National and State Houses of Assembly; and for Related Matters, it was sponsored by Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (APC, Abia), a member of the House of Representatives, it sought to alter sections 48, 49, 71,77,91, and 117 of the 1999 Constitution by creating one additional senatorial seat and two federal constituencies in each state and FCT for women, however, it could not muster the required number of votes for approval.

The women groups who are clamouring for this favour may have unwittingly done themselves a disservice and cast a doubt on the image of departed and living female political icons, both in Nigeria and globally who won respect and followers on their own steam, great women like Golda Meir, Hajia Gambo Sawaba, Margaret Ekpo, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti,  Margaret Thatcher, Samia Suluhu Hassan, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, Angela Merkel, Kamala Harris, Aisha Alhassan and  Ellen Sirleaf Johnson.

It may be argued that in the pursuit of many life attainments, for instance, education, women do not have their  examination scripts scored with partiality because of their gender. Wherever they put in commensurate effort or work twice as hard, the deserving ones come out top of the class.Is it  not instructive to the women lobbyists who are accusing male legislators of chauvinism that, for instance,  Bill No. 42 – for an Act to Expand Immunity to the Legislative and Judicial Arms of Government; and for Related Matters, was rejected. Twenty nine senators voted in favour, while 50 voted against it.

  This is a piece of legislation that could have shielded the lawmakers and given them a reprieve from  anti-graft agencies, yet majority of them rejected it.Less than 24 hours after the views of federal legislators on the constitution review were made public, Nigerian  women  converged at the country’s parliament in Abuja to protest its decision to vote against the adoption of five gender bills.The champion of the gender bills, Deputy Majority Whip of the House of Representatives, Honourable Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, blamed “gender bias by the male folks in the House,” for the unfortunate fate that befell the bills..

“A distraught Onyejeocha told journalists, ” I am very disappointed. Disappointed not because people shut down the bills but because the bills that were shut down have taken this country backwards. Taken it from the basics. Number one. God Himself created Adam and removed a rib and made Eve and said this is your helpmate. Nigeria as we speak is boasting with their women who are doing wonderfully well. And of course, you saw that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala contested with world powers and she made it. That’s our blood. Look at Amina Mohammed, to mention but a few.”

“We boast of being the giant of Africa, yet we are the least as far as women representation is concerned. I am also worried because we are losing a lot in terms of resources because a lot of nations do not give us the grants that are meant for us because of the low level of women representation. You can get those facts from the UNDP. They have the records.

“And as we speak, with a ranking of 184 out of 187 countries, our men should be ashamed. That’s the truth, 184 out of 187, Nigeria should not raise their heads high with this kind of outcome. We have pushed for 35 affirmative action. It started in the 6th Assembly.

“I came here in 2007 and I was chairman of women in parliament and we tried to increase our number and yet, it didn’t work and the reason it was failing was that the men are asking this particular question: which seat do you want to take?

“I said that this is an issue of preservation which is not supposed to be at all because if you do not come to the House of Reps, you can be anything, governor. They are the people becoming governors in several States, appointed ministers. As we speak, how many Ministers do we have? Wherever you go, you still find men and they will still find their feet,” she said.

Yet the issue was not a straight forward, ‘yes or no.’ The Frequently Asked Question by Onyejeocha’s male colleague apparently needs better explanation and more robust lobbying from the female legislators and their male sympathisers. There is a good chance of it sailing through in the future– for an Act to Provide for Special Seats for Women in the National and State Houses of Assembly. The senators voted 58 to 30 against the bill. Also frowned at by the legislators was the Bill for an Act to include Value Added Tax on the Exclusive Legislative List; and for Related Matters. 

Some of the alterations that have been approved by the Red Chamber come with bountiful hope for fundamental and profound changes  to the 1999 constitution. The senators voted to move airports from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent Legislative List. Similar approval was given for an Act to move Fingerprints, Identification and Criminal Records from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List; and for Related Matters. Prisons have been deleted from the Exclusive Legislative List and Redesignate  as Correctional Services in the Concurrent Legislative List; and for Related Matters. Similarly Railway services have been moved from the Exclusive to the Concurrent Legislative List.

In the interview with THISDAY, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto who previously served as Speaker of the House of Representatives anticipated the need to devolve power to the states as. part of restructuring. He recalled when he was Speaker of the House of Representatives, the 7th Assembly started a process of constitutional amendment. Public hearings were conducted in  the 360 constituencies of the country. Thankfully, some ot the alterations they sought at the time have taken care of in the recent exercise.

The National Assembly has now altered the constitution to allow states Generate, Transmit and Distribute Electricity in Area covered by the National Grid; and for Related Matters. Bill 51 – provides for an Act to Establish the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federal Government separate from the Office of the Accountant–General of the Federation; and for Related Matters. Eighty-six senators voted to approve the Office of the Attorney–General of the Federation and of States separate from the Office of the Minister of Justice or Commissioners for Justice of States in order to make the Offices Attorneys–General Independent and Insulated from Partisanship; and for Related Matters.These alterations In the understanding of Tambuwal is restructuring. He explained further. ” If you have nominees to the population commission, being screened by the state House of Assembly and nominated by the governors, and being sent to the population commission for example or the federal character commission, it is also restructuring. This is because they are there to represent the interest of the state. So, some of these amendments, we attempted them but unfortunately, former President Goodluck Jonathan did not sign them into law. “The Sokoto Governor who has indicated interest to contest the PDP presidential primary explained further , ” I am sure most of the people talking about restructuring are not talking about physical or geographical restructuring of the country. If you are talking about that one, it is going to be extremely difficult because I am sure for example that the people of Ado Ekiti would not want to go back to Akure as their state capital; not to talk of going back to Ibadan. The people in Abakaliki as close as Enugu is would not want to contemplate going back to Enugu as either state capital or regional capital. This is not to talk of people in Asaba; to ask them to come back to Bendel or people in Kebbi and Zamfara and ask them to come back to Sokoto. So, I believe that we are not talking about physical or geographical restructuring of the country; we must be talking about what  steps we would take in restructuring governance  in Nigeria to make the government of Nigeria work for all in terms of fiscal policies or federal appointments and all of that. So, this is what I believe is all about or should be about on how to make things work.”For activists like Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, Founder of Igbo Youth Movement, his enduring struggle for a restructured federation may be paying off. The current state of Nigeria in  the eyes of Ugochukwu-Uko is an “unjust unitary structure deliberately skewed against certain people and region.”The Igbo Youth Movement Founder argued ,”it is also important for all to remember that the cry for a restructuring of the country has been on for decades. The refusal to restructure the country before now, created over half of our problems. “

QUOTEThe loud protests from influential women groups whose hope for extra legislative seats was shattered may have put a pall on the emerging landmark achievement by the National Assembly