Tunde Fagbenle: The debate continues on the need for a National Conference

by Tunde Fagbenle

69_TundeFagbenle

“A collection of independent native states, separated from one another by great distances, differences of history and traditions, and by ethnological, racial, tribal, social and religious barriers.’

This column of 6th October titled, Engaging dialectics on Nigeria, dwelt on the debate on the need, or not, for (Sovereign) National Conference as panacea for the ills besetting the country, with a friend positing that ‘good governance’ trumps all other considerations.

Today I beg to serve two interesting but contending rejoinders: one from another retired civil servant (state permanent secretary), and the other from a friend from the eastern part of the country. Enjoy:

Re: Engaging dialectics on Nigeria

Dear TF,

The correspondence between you and your childhood schoolmate and friend, Kayode, which you made public in your regular SUNDAY PUNCH column as published in the 6th October, 2013, edition is quite revealing and speaks volumes about public service commitment.

The argument of Olukayode Ilesanmi, OON, on the issue is to me pretentious and self-serving – a vote for status quo maintenance. His recommendation of ‘good governance’ as panacea for the intractable socio-economic cum political problems of Nigeria can only find expression when a proper structural framework for it is in place.

The retired Permanent Secretary was even suggesting that the Federal Government could ‘give some duties / powers to the state’. On this he is not even too enthusiastic because ‘the little the states have from the constitution, are being relinquished to Federal – that is, begging for Federal intervention’.

Mr. Ilesanmi cannot be ignorant of the strange federal system we operate in Nigeria that does not accommodate fiscal federalism. All the major resources are mopped up and centralised by the federal authorities with the States going to Abuja to beg for allocations or subventions for survival. For the states to be viable they must have reasonable control over the resources within their domain.

His assertion that the ordinary man in the street may not go along with a proposal for more power/money to the states cannot stand. The reality is that the ordinary man in the street benefits more from state programmes/projects. That is the essence of having governments closer to the people. I wonder how the people in my hometown of Ode-Aye in the Okitipupa Local Government Area can be catered for by Abuja than Akure. It is a mirage that will never work.

It is selfishness and greed that is the driving force for over-centralisation. This explains why the Federal authority is centrally organising training programmes for teachers in all the states of Nigeria. This selfish orientation explains why federal authorities are procuring and distributing text books/note books for schools in Nigeria. Over-centralisation!! This is the system that has been breeding and oiling corruption in Nigeria.

It sounds dishonest to point an accusing finger at politicians for “their insatiable looting of the treasury…” Kayode knows and, it is important for Nigerians who do not know to know that politicians successfully loot the treasury because they find a willing ally in career officials. The truth is, no political office holder can successfully steal any government fund without the active cooperation or connivance of some career officials. Why? The career officials hold the ‘key to the treasury’. That is, the career officials process fund releases and they are the custodians of the rules and regulations governing fund movement and utilisation in government.

Nigerians must note that if any serious effort will ever be made for a change in our society concerning corruption and accountability, the take-off point is with the career officials of the government who must see themselves as having a grave responsibility to the society.

On the issue of sovereign national conference, it is inevitable. One therefore supports in principle the current decision of Mr. President over the matter. The timing however gives room for concern about the real intention.

Jones O. Ogunmusire

Rtd. Permanent Secretary, Civil Service of Ondo State, [email protected]

Dear TF,

Your column titled, Engaging Dialectics on Nigeria, was quite an interesting, illuminating read, and I agree with your point of view, so I plead to join the fray, at least as an old adult friend and an avid reader of your weekly Sunday thoughts.

Let me make it abundantly clear that I’m an unrepentant believer in the proposed National Conference, which I believe will morph into the Sovereign mode once it gets underway. And it had better do, because Nigerians are fed up to their eyeballs with the present state of this contraption called Nigeria.

I will skip the reference to all the belligerent statements of the roforofo fighters from all sides, which I’m certain you’re well aware of.

But to refresh your memory about the country that was handed to us, read what Sir Hugh Clifford, Nigeria’s Governor-General. 1920-1931, described Nigeria as:

“A collection of independent native states, separated from one another by great distances, differences of history and traditions, and by ethnological, racial, tribal, social and religious barriers.’’

So you now see Nigeria’s predicament?

People, including regular ‘prominent’ columnists in some ‘prominent’ dailies, make the argument that there’ve been national conferences before, which only ended up as a waste of time and money; that the problem is bad governance, etc, etc. I say, that the fact that there have been previous failed conferences doesn’t prevent more-until we get it right. Besides, bad governance most times is a function of faulty foundational framework.

A very significant percentage of Nigerians is aware of how Nigeria as a country was set up. It satisfied the immediate desires of her colonialists, and was thereafter programmed to collapse. That is why it was built into the terms of the forced Amalgamation that its terms and conditions should be reviewed/renegotiated after a hundred (100) years. Sir Hugh Clifford had said it all. Now the chickens have come home to roost. Nigeria as a country has come full cycle. The fact that this contraption of disparate peoples is even ‘smelling’ the 100th year is a miracle of sorts.

I had observed somewhere else that the factionalisation of the PDP could lead to the ‘factionalisation of Nigeria’, and could even lead to the ‘fractionalisation of Nigeria!’ I concluded that the logical pathway to prevent a devastating tsunami would be the convocation of a National Conference of Ethnic Nationalities of Nigeria.

I have been proved right! This is hoping that Nigeria survives the approaching Cyclone (please supply a better word).

NB. Any Sunday I do not ‘see’ you on the back-page of the SUNDAY PUNCH, I will forward to you my banking details for a refund of the cost of purchase. Let the conversation continue.

Bex Akwada

[email protected]

For MIC’S Tunji Okusanya Jnr.

Some of my readers have pointed out that the email from the Executive Director of MIC quoted in this column last week must have been from Tunji Okusanya jnr., son, and not Tunji Okusanya snr., dad and boss of MIC, both of whom sadly lost their lives in the ill-fated plane conveying the corpse of the late Dr. Segun Agagu to Ondo State.

The error is regretted. TF

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Reproduced with the permission of the author.

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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