Azibola Omekwe argues the need for fiscal federalism
The word ‘restructuring’ has become pre-eminent in our national life. It has assumed a life of its own, eliciting different meanings across the length and breadth of the country. It is now a thick tick in the neck of Nigeria. Sadly, it does not live. Some geopolitical quarters see it as a desirable word, while others do not think so. In their eyes it is a monster.
When the military were retiring to the barracks in 1998/99, the South-west demanded for a convocation of Sovereign National Conference to discuss Nigeria, not on constituent basis, but on the basis of federal units. Or to borrow the coinage from the South-south, ethnic nationalities. Before then there has been a latent restructuring of the country, the legacy of General Sani Abacha-the division into six geopolitical zones. Of truth, it is not having any legal backing, but okayed by everybody. The Niger Delta now finds identity in it, and it now appears restructuring might not be a bad idea after all.
The South-west insisted on Sovereign National Conference because of June 12. But the Obasanjo presidency downplayed the June 12 agitation. Eventually, late Pa Anthony Enahoro-led committee convoked a scrappy one. It did not have the blessings of many Nigerians. When the South-south suddenly realised it has had enough infrastructural neglect, environmental degradation, and the nagging pains of the Ogoni Nine, it decided to take on the pipes. It preferred to use the word “ethnic nationalities conference”. Nigeria was heading for the precipice. The late Umaru Yar’Adua’s government acceded to their demands minus a conference. A deal was struck –and amnesty was born. Apparently, amnesty was good enough for the cloudy resource control demand campaign. Respite was restored and it appeared nobody would ever mention the word restructuring. The rest is history.
The demand for another conference came back, this time resulting from the activities of a more vicious group. This time around, from the far north with the emergence of the Boko Haram group, an extreme Islamic sect which demanded a caliphate. At birth, Boko Haram had a large followership amongst northern youths. It was when it became bloody with acts of terrorism that it became unpopular. Boko led to the death of more than 20,000 people and displacement of about 2.5 million others. The question now is: should Nigerians be killed and displaced to such magnitude before we talk to ourselves? Recently, there was a report that the military is policing about 30 states of the federation. That is a routine function of the police in a truly restructured and federated state. During the civil war, the South-south, South-east and Lagos were the only regions that witnessed military actions. It is unfortunate that even in times of peace such as now the military has overstretched itself trying to make sure Nigeria does not explode.
The proliferation of small arms is attaining a frightening height. The recent interception of weapons by the Nigerian Customs clearly shows that the perpetrators are not in any way smiling at the way the country is managed. Another serious issue on the present structure of the Nigerian state is the incessant inabilities of the various levels of the government to pay salaries. Let me sound it here that the first government that attempted to correct smooth salary flow at the local government level was Sani Abacha’s when it was apparent that the last level of government was handicapped. It introduced what we now know today as a Joint Allocation Account – a synergy expenditure account for the states and local governments, and with it the federal and the states could afford to pay salaries without blinking. Unfortunately, today, even the federal government is paying salaries out of anger.
Presently, there is some tranquility in the states concerning salaries, partly due to the bailout by the federal government and another “lottery” from the Paris Club that saw over N500 billion accrued to the states. The present structure is aptly called the feeding bottle federalism.
How do you rate the family of a man with grown up children, each with children, yet dependent on their father to feed them all day? And even go as far as waiting for their father’s friends to come visiting so they can get something to eat? Let it serve as a reminder that most of the governors have barely two years to go. Let it also not be forgotten that same governors have arrears of pensions to pay. The pensioners of one of the central states got nine months arrears of pension settled. In appreciation, the pensioners have resolved to obtain nomination form for the governor come 2019. But the question is: is the governor going to get another bailout funds?
This comic salary scandal is obviously occasioned by lack of fiscal federalism, a key ingredient of restructuring. Presently, many a country can blackmail us to do as they want or else they will stop buying our oil. The ‘One China’ policy controversy is a typical example. If Nigeria recognises Taiwan then we cannot pay salaries again because China would be angry. Now relate that to the father-children rhetorical question asked earlier. It is pitiable that these are the metastases under the present cancerous structure. China dares not threaten Singapore that way; that is a country she claims is part of her. Lest we forget, China is a big beneficiary of restructuring. The pre-Maoist anti-bureaucracy era, the post Maoist era, the Cultural Revolution and the Tiananmen Square killings of students/intellectuals, are significant examples.
Immediately after the bombardment of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese sacked the royal family they swore was celestial in attributes, and demanded constitutional democracy. The word Perestroika by Mikhail Gorbachev of former Soviet Union is well known, as it is associated with restructuring. It is unfortunate that in the Nigerian context we shy away from restructuring the woeful system we practice. Under the present structure, the federal government has locked itself in with so many responsibilities and functions that are inimical to the constitutional aspiration of true and functional federalism.
Truly, as it is, Nigeria has always been restructured. The amalgamation of 1914 could literally be the beginning. The military did another restructuring; we did not lift a finger. The present North and South presidency structure came on its own. The six geopolitical zones structure came without bargain. A prelude to state creation, Mid-western region, a powerful restructuring, ignited the 19 states system. The Babangida administration took a big leap on devolution of powers by the late Abdulrahman Okene-led committee that ended up as lip service. Most of these restructuring we have had come without our knowledge. They are auto-drive type of restructuring. The restructuring we make bold to say here should be likened to that of Donald Trump in his inaugural speech, “transferring power from Washington, DC and giving it back to you, the people”. This lays credence to the call from Atiku Abubakar who has been hammering on restructuring that reflects on true and fiscal federalism. A restructured system whereby the real owners of the resources are not in Abuja, but in the environment where the resources are extracted and used for their survival and future development of the devastated environment.
A system whereby the owner must be able to play effective role in every aspect of the operation because you cannot know my house more than I do. A system whereby there will be no agitations or insurrection from different groups because their governors are harnessing their potentialities and it is positively trickling down to the lowest person in the cadre. A system where the governors will cast nets in the river themselves and no longer wait for anyone to feed them. It is a system whereby Lagos will no longer be envied for its financial strength, as it will now have many equals. It is a system whereby the usual amount from the federal government to the states will now be seen as not up to the supplementary budgets of same states. It is a system whereby the mature children will now be feeding their old daddy and not the reverse. It is an issue-based ideological agitation from Atiku Abubakar. On how he is going to do it, it is as simple as this: if you want to do something you must know how to do it. I think he is talking of restructuring that is consciously driven.
Hon. Omekwe is a former member of Bayelsa State House of Assembly