Opadokun: Nigeria Must Return to True Federalism, Allow for Self-determination

* Says Britain should compensate Nigeria, others for pains of colonialism

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Elder statesman and former Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Chief Ayo Opadokun, yesterday called for a return to true federalism as envisaged by the founding fathers of Nigeria.

Speaking at a lecture delivered under the auspices of the coalition of Yoruba Self-determination Groups at the press centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ibadan, Oyo State, Opadokun argued that no part of Nigeria should be forced to remain against their will.
Opadokun, who is also the convener, of the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER), spoke on the topic: ‘Federalism vs Unitarism: Nigeria Must Choose One Before 2023 Elections.’

He described the presidential system of government as irresponsible, irresponsive and extremely expensive, insisting that the Nigerian economy cannot sustain the financing of the present system.

According to him, Nigeria now spends about 80 per cent of its total income on recurrent expenditure with little left for developmental programmes, alleging that drafters of past constitutions in Nigeria were loyalists, sympathisers, acolytes and silent supporters of the military.

The rights activist reminded politicians who believe in their winning formulas that once they contest under the ‘forged document’ called the 1999 Constitution, they have compellingly accepted the provisions contained therein, to which they must swear an oath of allegiance.

Opadokun listed the recent reintroduction of the controversial Water Bill as one of the conspiracies by a section of the country to dominate others, noting that it was unacceptable.

“Just recently, a supposedly discarded bill on all waters in the country has resurfaced as an executive bill in the National Assembly. What is that to illustrate?
“The fact that there is extreme poverty, unemployment, decayed infrastructure, terribly poor services thereby making most governors spend more time in Abuja raking out favours from the central government rather than providing effective, transparent governance in their states is a compelling case for a return to federal constitutional governance,” he argued.

In addition, the former Assistant Director of Organisation of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) stressed that the Nigerian state has failed in its primary responsibility of providing security for its people.

He noted that this has worsened to the extent that many native farmers have been kidnapped, killed, raped and dislodged by bandits and herdsmen who occupy Nigeria’s forests with no central government’s effective interventions.

“As a result, today, many farming settlements can no longer go to the farms to ply their trades.
“While the Yoruba people prompted their governors to establish a state outfit to give them some security respite, the central government has failed to give the states approvals to buy ammunition that will empower the Amotekun outfit to protect citizens.

“Conversely, the Nigerian state is ready to deploy Nigeria police officers or civilian outfits (like Tompolo) with guns and ammunition to protect inanimate objects,” he said.

He pointed out that while the agitations for state police have been very loud and reasonable from the governors, ethnic nationalities and opinion-moulders, the Nigerian state has not approved it for sectional reasons.
“If our politicians imagine that they can push their bills through the compromised National Assembly, they should be reminded that it has been rigged against the Yoruba race already,” he said.

He maintained that if there is no ulterior and sectional agenda behind all the inequity in the country, then the powers-that-be must accept that beyond any doubt, the ‘unitary system’ being run has failed and is unsustainable.

“Let the Nigerian state accept the fact that under international law and convention, particularly in the protocols contained in the 1948 Fundamental Rights Charter of the UNO, and the African Charter of Peoples Rights, self-determination is a fundamental human right. No one has the right to govern anyone by force.  That is the case today in Nigeria,” he explained.

He called for a recourse to the summary of the Pro-Democracy Conference Draft Constitution at the People’s Conference, presided over by Chief Anthony Enahoro at the time.

According to him, the document along with the Independence Constitution should be harmonised to produce a workable ground norm, subject to the approval or disapproval in a referendum or plebiscite.

The lawyer listed some highlights of the document as the establishment of 18 nationality-based regions, being the federating units as well as a streamlined federal government with limited functions.

Also, part of the draft, he said, should include decentralised police comprising federal, regional, state/provincial, council area/community police services.
On defence, he suggested a National Armed Forces with autonomous regional regiments while on the judiciary he said that a court structure providing for Regional, Lower, High, Appeal and Supreme Courts; Federal Appeal and Supreme Courts, with well-defined jurisdictions should be adopted.

He further called for the adoption of a parliamentary system of government with a prime minister and ceremonial president at the federal level, premier and ceremonial governor for the regions as proffered by the document.

Among others, he said the draft also comprises a first-line charge account from the total national revenue to provide socio-economic services, including free education from primary to tertiary level, health care, food subsidy, basic shelter and living allowances for the aged, unemployed and physically challenged.
He averred that the draft document also suggested a 50 per cent derivation to regions, 15 per cent to federal, 35 per cent shared by all regions, Value Added Tax (VAT) retained at 85 per cent by the regions and the residue of 15 per cent to go to a first-line charge account.

He further demanded a 30 per cent minimum affirmative action for women for all public elective and appointive offices for 10 years and citizenship of Nigeria extended to foreign spouses of Nigerians whether male or female.

He maintained that it should be reparation time for Africans who bore the brunt of slavery.
“Now that the most violent imperialist Great Britain has buried Queen Elizabeth II, it should be payback time for Africa, which was the most violated and despoiled by the colonialists.

“Formal apologies and reparations are imperative. Just as it was done to the Jews, Africa deserves just compensation, without any further ado. We should start the process of our just demands in the instant,” he said.