Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba! We are not the same, we are a people of distinct culture, tradition and beliefs, as such, we deserve to grow and develop at our pace as it were in the regional government system we practiced at independence in 1960.
As against the secular idea that we are one, and that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable, it’s time to tell ourselves the hard truth. The notion that “the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable” is only feasible if Northern Nigeria aligns with Southern Nigeria on restructuring, otherwise Nigeria unity is negotiable.
Denying our differences Is denying the truth of who we are.
We are multi-ethnic nation, a nation of distinct culture, religion and beliefs. What works for the Hausa nation should not be forced on the Igbo and Yoruba nation, and vice versa. The north recently said they want SARS while the south said no to SARS, why the melodrama? Let SARS stay in the north and vacate the south, and for the social media regulations, the north can silent it’s people by clamping down on social media in all northern states while they leave us in the south to find ways to deal with our people our own way; that is the only way we can live in peace in this nation. Every region should develop at their own pace and no region should play supremacy role over the other.
Every nation – “Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and by extension the South South should be allowed to develop at their own pace; to make laws that suits their people through regional models of government as it was from 1960-1966 before military destroyed that beautiful foundation for our development.
The idea of unitary government is the beginning of our failure to live up to the expectation of our founding fathers 60 years after Independence.
And the negative effect is what played out during the #EndSARS Protest.
So, moving forward is to go back to our default mode of existence, to correct the wrongs of our past leaders, by forcing the present political leaders and traditional monarch to restore the arrangement that our founding fathers negotiated for us during independence.
Now is the time to kick-start the process of total restructuring of Nigeria back to regional government which remains the best system for us, it’s not time to start to play politics of who becomes president and senator in 2023.
Our political leaders will never lead the way to achieve this milestone for us on their own will. Remember the Confab Report during President Jonathan? He had a golden opportunity to get us back on the part of peace and progress but lacked the political will. In the same vein, Gen. Buhari was voted to power in 2015 on the expectation that he will restructure Nigeria back to true federalism, and few years later into his administration, we were told that restructuring means deferent things for deferent people.
The onus is on the youths of this great nation to rewrite history, and set us again on the path of development and peaceful coexistence of diverse ethno-religious nation.
No to restructuring, means no to unity of Nigeria.
FBI Oyefeso, blessingoyefeso@gmail.com
