It was the legendary Alexander the Great (355BC = 322BC), who declared on assumption of kingship, after the murder of his father, that “the dream of the Greek for the conquest of the world was very much alive and that the only thing that had changed was the name of the King!? “Nigeria today is at the cross-roads.
Many of its citizens today believe that the problem of the country has to do with the name of the king. President Jonathan has spent less than one year in office out? of his first term of 4 years, yet his south-south pressure groups have declared that there will be no vacancy in the presidency in 2015.
Many politicians of northern extraction are promising fire and brimstone if power does not return to the north in 2015. The stage is being set for a competition that would be unhealthy and unnecessary.
The truth is that what Nigeria needs either now or in 2015 is a leader who can solve its multifarious problems and set it on the path of sustainable growth and development. If President Jonathan can do this, he will surely elicit the support of the entire country and not only hat of his native? south – south.
Nigeria’s developmental problems are known to most of its citizens and a large section of the international community.
Presently the major problems include-poor security situation, inadequate utility supply, poor state of infrastructure, irregular payments of salaries, wages, gratuities and pensions; non-implementation of most of the agreements between government and organised private sector and non-settlement of huge debts owed to contractors and consultants.
Any Nigerian leader that can tackle these aforementioned problems headlong would succeed in drastically reducing the levels of insecurity, corruption, unemployment, electoral malpractices, ghost worker syndrome, recurrent expenditure, contract inflation and wasteful public sector expenditure. There would simply be no idle funds to steal or to misapply to circumvent the system.
The system operating in Nigeria today consists of a powerful cabal that holds the presidency hostage, a strong executive arm of government, a weak legislature and a weak judiciary. Under such a system change becomes impossible or slow and the country continues with its downward slide.
It is this sad state of affairs that makes the idea of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) attractive and indeed inevitable. It should be convened. The modalities could be worked out and the earlier the better. The only settled issue in Nigeria has always been the unity of the country. There hasn’t been any serious agitation for the break up of the country since the end of the civil war in 1970.
A sovereign national conference, if held will be capable of giving Nigeria a new constitution that enshrines the true separation of powers by giving complete independence to the legislature and the judiciary. The SNC could also settle the vexed issue of revenue sharing formula. In the first Republic it was based on 50% derivation.
It served the country well. If the formula is re-introduced, it will serve Nigeria even better now; by-fizzling out all agitations for more States and LGAs, diversifying the economy by forcing non–oil producing States to revamp their neglected revenue yielding sectors (by forging strong partnerships with genuine investors and businessmen);? and increase the level of productivity in the country by stimulating economic activities in all the 36 States instead of the current indolence caused by over-reliance on monthly handouts from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC). Based on the foregoing points, shouldn’t a properly convened SNC do Nigeria a lot?? of good?
Engr. Idris, a management consultant, wrote in from Minna, Niger State, 08037021814.
abdulkad2004@yahoo.com
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