Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, and
human rights activist, Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has told President Muhammadu
Buhari to divide the country into eight regional structures.
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Agbakoba, one of the greatest heroes of democracy in Nigeria,
noted that there are so many unclear issues in Nigeria about how people of the
country want to organize themselves and how they want to live together.
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The senior lawyer told reporters at the weekend that
insecurity and other serious issues facing the country "can't [be] fully
arrested,ÔÇØ if the central government remains so strong as it is now.
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He added that, "This is because community policing or state
policing is a tactical tool to deal with the problem, but the strategic tool is
the bigger question of the national question.
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"There are so many unclear issues in Nigeria about how we
want to organize ourselves, how we want to live together, this is what some
people have called the restructuring question, some call it the national
question, but I call it devolution of powers question.
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"Whatever it's called that is the central issue that needs
resolution so that even if you use tactical tools like community policing, but
the bigger issue remains then I don't know if we can resolve it.
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"What Nigeria needs is space, there are diverse ethnicities
and they are living in such close proximity that one ethnic community is in the
face of the other with counter-cultures, counter-religious beliefs and that is
not healthy. Even in America in spite of all their advanced democracy, they
take care of diversities.
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"So, I think if I were to advise the president, for
instance, the first thing to do is create space...,identify the ethnic
regionalities, create eight big blocs, even though we have 6 to make it 8.
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"And then I will give them the power to do things at their
own local level, it's called the principle of subsidiarity; let them work at
their own local level. Subsidiarity is where people engage themselves at the
local level such that you find in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England.
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"Part of the challenge they had when they were living
closely was to create an act of settlement of 1705, that was when peace began
to come and each of the regions recognized themselves.
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"They all had their own prime ministers and they call them
first ministers, so the prime minister of the UK is the one we see
internationally, but on local matters like school, refuse collection,
education, agriculture, employment, health issues, it's local.
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"So, imagine where eight of the regional structures in
Nigeria were fending for themselves at their local level and not depending on
federal allocation from Abuja, things will be different.
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"Immediately they will take control of what is around them,
they will create state police, they will create the relevant security apparatus
to deal with any threat, therefore, you don't need one Chief of Army Staff, and
they don't need one Inspector General of Police to be running around entire
Nigeria.
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"For instance...say in the South-south region, they will have
all the relevant apparatuses to deal with whatever situation that they need to
survive as a region.
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"They could have courts; they might like to have a Supreme
Court of the South-south where cases end in the Supreme Court of the
South-south, so they do not have to go to the Supreme Court of Nigeria because
the Supreme Court of Nigeria has no business dealing with issues arising from
there.
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"That is the kind of space I think that should be paramount
in the issue concerning where Nigeria is heading to.
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"Because that discussion is not on the table, all these
ethnic issues flare up as major national insecurity challenge. So, that is what
I will do or suggest if I had the opportunity to advise on it. The Federal
Government is too strong.
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"The Federal Government is actually not a Federal
Government, ours is a unitary government because the states have no power on
the legislative list so there are 68 items on the Exclusive List and as the
name implies in Exclusive List only the Federal Government handles it.
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"There is 30 on the Concurrent List, concurrent is between
the federal and the state to legislate, but if the Federal Government
legislates then pursuant to what is called the doctrine of covering the field
the state is not allowed to do anything. In other words, the states have no
legislative authority, that creates a problem.
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"Why should the Federal Government be dealing with Universal
Basic Education for primary schools? What is the Federal Government
responsibility with that? I don't understand.
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"What is the Federal Government responsibility with setting
up a JAMB process so that you equalize educational activities, but if my
grandchild from Anambra scores 282, but my friend's grandson from Zamfara
scores 100, my friend's grandson gets into the university, but my own does not
get in. Why don't you simply say ....look each region can just organize itself
and take your examination?
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"So, it is this centrifugal federalism, that means federalism
that has a pyramid that has only one leader that is our problem.
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"We just have to blast the structures and allow regional
leaders as we had under the 1960 Constitution. So, when you have regional
leaders you will have people who will like to play regional politics or
regional law.
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"There is no reason, for instance, in my own profession the
eight regions I propose should not be awarding SAN to their best lawyers. Why
must it only be Abuja? In the UK, the SAN in England is different from the SAN
in Scotland.
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"So, the formula that worked for Nigeria was to recognize
the differences and I think the best example of the agreements that we can
apply is the Aburi Accord.
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"The Aburi Accord recognized that Nigeria's problems were as a result of our diversity not being well managed. We need to manage our diversity that is the way we can move forward.ÔÇØ (DP)
