Nigeria: Needs not Restructuring but “An Advanced Restructuring Agenda”

I read with keen interest the publication of comment on the issue of Fulani bandits and amnesty titled, “Gumi, Your Sympathy For Fulani Bandits A Futile Exercise- Gov El- Rufai On BBC Hausa Service” of February 8, 2021. It’s a must read as it is a bomb shell!

The Governor of Kaduna State El- Rufai said, “the efforts of Sheikh Ahmad Gumi to stop Fulani from committing banditry and kidnapping would not yield results. Adding that, “he had discussed with sheikh Gumi that those Fulani didn’t have any religion and would never leave a new lucrative way of kidnapping where they ‘are making millions of Naira and revert to herding cows that fetches less N200,000 in a year.”

“The governor said he would not grant Fulani amnesty as requested by Sheikh Gumi. That only a concerted effort by security forces would solve the problem by bombing them out of their hideouts.”. In his words, “Ahmad Gumi is my friend and we have discussed. I told him that most of these Fulani herders have no religion. That’s what we talked about. But I don’t share his idea of forgiving the bandits because no wrong was done to them. We have met as Governors on the NW states that have these security challenges but we couldn’t reach a common ground.”

In fact, he further explained, “Some of us want us to negotiate a peace deal, some of us said no, we should fight them. That is the problem. The fact is a herder that earns N100,000 in a year after selling his cow, and is now getting N1million monthly, will never revert to his previous life. Whoever tells me that the Fulani man that started kidnapping and receiving millions, will agree to go back to his old ways, is only deceiving himself.”

The NOW question is when and how Nigeria would be restructured? Nigeria needs not just a restructuring but “An Advanced Restructuring Agenda” because Yoruba bo, won ni “o n bo, o nbo, awon ni a n de de.” The Yorubas say, meaning – “It is coming! It is coming! All the time! It requires preparedness”, while “a stitch in time they say, saves nine”. The holy writ cannot be shun that, “A little leaven, if care is not taken, leaven all”.

We would recall, the same El-rufai, in The Cable News, has maintained, “It is time to restructure Nigeria”, in at a lecture on November 1, 2020: “Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, says it is time to restructure Nigeria in order to ensure equitable distribution of resources. Speaking at a public lecture to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Arewa House, held in Kaduna on Saturday, the governor maintained that restructuring the country is in the best interest of ensuring sustainable development. El-Rufai, who cited the 2018 recommendations of the APC committee on restructuring, noted that there was a need to reorganise the country’s constitutional framework in order to give states more control over certain resources.

“The focus of the APC committee, which was set up in 2017 and chaired by el-Rufai, was to establish the party’s position on restructuring in line with ensuring that all Nigerians benefit from true federalism. Under the proposed restructured framework, el-Rufai explained that states would have more control over the police, oil and gas resources, minerals, correctional facilities, stamp duties, registration of business names, among others.

“I am not aware of any significant constituency that is against the idea that states should exercise consequential powers, assume more responsibilities and control resources to enable them deliver better outcomes for those they govern. This will empower state governments to cease passing the buck to the president and the federal government when most of the problems our citizens face daily as a nation are, and can be solved by improved and focused governance at the states’ levels,” he concluded. It is time to make this sort of well-defined restructuring work, for the benefit of the peoples of this country.

“The report of our APC true federalism committee puts in one place the recommendations, and the legislative amendments to give life to a restructured polity. I therefore call on our federal legislators and the national assembly ad hoc committee on constitutional review to take advantage of our report and initiate the constitutional and legislative amendments in either a piece-meal or comprehensive manner without further delay.

“We, therefore, have no excuse not to seize this moment and do the heavy lifting for our country and our people. It is in our hands to make the structures, laws and constitutional arrangements in our country conducive to modern governance that will ensure our nation thrives in the 21st century.” (The Cable)

Way back in 2018, we have read about, “How the Buhari-led APC had planned to restructure Nigeria, 02 January, 2018. It was presented, “Here’s how the Buhari-led APC plans to restructure Nigeria, as we read ghen, “the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has given an insight into how the party intends to restructure Nigeria on a ten point agenda”, but today, what is happening!

The ruling party had in Thursday, July 20, 2017 constituted a committee to examine the agitations from different quarters on restructuring. Headed by Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state, the committee was saddled with the responsibility of providing a working document on restructuring for the APC.

Governor El-Rufai who had referred to those calling for restructuring as ‘political opportunists’ presented the committee’s report to APC on Thursday, January 25, 2018.
Copies of the documents obtained by shows the committee’s recommendations in ten major areas.
1. Devolution of powers
The committee recommended the transfer of some items from the exclusive list to the concurrent and residual. The committee recommended that foods, drugs, poisons, narcotics, and psychotropic substances, labour, oil mining, geological surveys, police, prisons, public holidays, railways and stamp duties be moved to the concurrent list.

2. Fiscal federalism and revenue allocation
The committee proposed an upward review of the current revenue sharing formula in favour of states. It also proposed that Allocation of Revenue (Federation Account Act etc) to give more revenue to the states and reduce the federal government’s share.

3. Merger of states
The APC committee recommended that the constitution should provide for legal and administrative framework for the states that might in future wish to consider the option of merger provided it does not threaten the authority and existence of the Federation.

4. Independent Candidacy
Although the committee recommended independent candidacy, it proposed that anyone who wishes to contest as an independent candidate should not have been a member of a political party for at least six months.

Also, his or her nominators must not be members of any registered political party and such candidate must also pay a non-refundable fee to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) like those contesting on the platform of political parties.

5. Local government autonomy
The APC committee recommended that local government be removed from the federal constitution and states be allowed to develop local administrative system that is relevant and peculiar to each state.

6. Resource control
The committee proposed that states exercise control over natural resources within their respective territories and pay taxes to the federal government.

7. Citizenship
The committee proposed that deliberate efforts be made to eliminate all the pervading primordial sentiments on citizenship and indigeneship to ensure that ethnic affiliations begin to give way to birth and residency.

8. Ministerial appointments
The committee recommended that Section 147 (3) of the Constitution be amended to remove the requirement on the President to appoint ministers from every state of the federation who must be an indigene of a state.

9. Referendum
The committee recommended an amendment of the constitution to provide referendum to be conducted on “burning” national or state issues “before decisions are taken”.

10. Form of government
On this, the constitution threw its weight behind the current presidential system of government but called for a review of the cost of governance and improvement in the fight against corruption.

The news continued, “the proposed amendments needs to be passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the president before it becomes a law. Speaking at the public presentation of the APC committee report on true federalism in Abuja, the party’s chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun said Nigeria was running a “bastardised” federal system of government. “There is no doubt at all that where we were and where we are today is basically a bastardized kind of federal structure, more like a unitary system,” Oyeun declared on Wednesday, January 31, 2018. “When the issue of restructuring cropped into the public domain last year, the main reason being one more issue with which to trash the Buhari administration. At that point, it was clear that this nation was facing a major issue that needed to be straightened out and we need to find a new reality.”

“For President Buhari, the reality was the economic wellbeing of this nation based in the strength of our people and what we can produce and based on the productivity of Nigerians themselves. Right now, work on that very foundation is virtually complete and this nation is now set on the part of gradual growth, “he added. Some speakers at the event called for the “sincere and fast” implementation of the APC report on restructuring.” – reported by Goodness Adaoyichie.

Of recent, this week, Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi, had completely captured, and exposed all folly, when he wrote on, “Sheikh Gumi: Nigeria A Paradise Of Fools” and “Castle In The Air!” saying:

“Nigeria has become a huge stage for mixed theatre of fiction and life performances. The recent adventure of Sunday Igboho into the evil forest of Fulani banditry, kidnapping and other associated vices that has become the trademark of herdsmen among us, wasn’t a fiction but an unbelievable reality. The evil of this mostly migrants Nationals of our neighbouring northern borders have gone on unchecked for so long they now seem normal till their arose a Sunday from Igboho.

“The North/South dichotomous relationship misinterpreted for an hegemonic nation is the fool’s paradise to which we all are onfined by the Fulani Oligarchy. I don’t see their wall of Jericho built in the minds of a nation of 200 million people survive beyond 2023 for the shouts of the people seem to be getting the attention of God.

Fully captured, Akinyemi wrote, “In the usual style of the North, the meat of the matter of their Southern neighbours was lost, and like a dog they went after the bone. The bravery of Sunday Igboho has to be replicated, not from the perspective of solution but at least to set the stage of soft landing for their hired gorilla fighters whose businesses Igboho’s venture is set to end. So before ordinary everyday Northern Nigerian will draw inspiration from the bravery of Igboho and be determined to see like the Yorubas will say, “kini be ni Igbo to dun mohuru mohuru”, meaning, what’s in the forest making horrific sounds, the Oligarchy pulled a fast one, a trusted ally was hired, who without intelligence report, atleast none that we know of, headed on a patriotic mission of his faith and fatherland.

“Sheikh Gumi, in a well written script, storms two bandits enclave at Shinkafi Forest, where he met over over 700 highly armed Bandits/Kidnappers without prior information. What a magical Gumi! His exploit was timely as Shinkafi Emir hailed Gumi’s missionary journey into the forest to preach peace to a group of bandits that has sworn that the nation will not know peace.

“As reported in the media, Sheikh Dr Ahmad Gumi’s peace and preaching mission to Zamfara state witnessed a major milestone in his singular effort to spread the message of Islam to the Fulani herdsmen and to promote engagement with them in an effort to rid the country of rampant instances of kidnappings and armed banditry.

“Gumi’s first point of call was the palace of the Emir of Shinkafi in Shinkafi local government. There Sheikh Gumi encouraged the Emir to sustain ongoing efforts of ensuring lasting peace. His team then targets two notorious and dangerous forest known to be the enclaves of aggrieved Fulani militias accompanied by just two news medium, Desert Herald and the NTA. The presence of NTA on this trips make clear the interest of our Government of this missionary journey. Our ministry of information and by extension Honourable Minister for Information Oloye Lai Mohammed is assured of first hand information.

Our Government whose military has found this forest impenetrable had no issues releasing their Staff on this very difficult and dangerous journey to reports the gallantry efforts of Sheikh Gumi in the forest of Tubali and Makkai in Shinkafi local government, an expanse which comprises of large territories of more than 3000 hectares of Savannah grasslands all under the exclusive control of the armed Fulanis comprising mostly of young teenagers of ages 14, 15, 16 while their adults are mostly between the ages 18 and 30 years at maximum. The Fulani insurgents are in 100 percent control of command and administration of all the settlements in Tubali and Makkai forest. Ironically report has it that the inhabitants of the two settlements are very comfortable and freely living with the dreaded bandits. What a fools paradise!

“Yet our folly goes on. There is a military outpost in each of the two separate borders that will take you to the forest of Tubali and Makkai where the bandits are virtually ruling. Please, what is the purpose of the military outposts? To caution us from going into the kingdom of the bandits or to stop the bandits from coming out of their kingdom to inflict their usual pains on this the military? Your guess is as good as mine!

“At the first settlement in Tubali Forest,” the story continues, “where Sheikh Ahmad Gumi visited, the top Commander of the bandits, Mohammed Bello and his Assistant, one Haliru gave conditions to Sheikh Gumi before they will allow entry into the forest and to guarantee their security. Part of the conditions is that Police and other armed escorts should not enter the forest and that they should wait at the military checkpoint” – I don’t get it. So, our military check points are liasson post for the evils lurking in our forest?

“Total number of vehicles that will go in was put at five. All visitors including Sheikh Gumi must disembark from their cars from 300 metres to the venue and trek. Sheikh Gumi’s entourage which includes the Chairman of Shinkafi local government, Hon. Sani Galadima, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO of Shinkafi, SP Abdullahi Ahmad, Desert Herald Publisher, Mallam Tukur Mamu, Sheikh Muhammad Suleiman Adam, Sheikh Sanusi Khutama, Hon. Suleiman Abubakar Gumi, Prof Usman Yusuf etc enters the Tubali forest, the presence of highly armed Fulanis with AK47, RPG rifles, pump action, pistols and live ammunitions strategically positioned in different locations can be seen conspicuously by the highly determined Sheikh Gumi and his entourage”. But unlike Sunday Igboho’s visit to the palace of Seriki Fulani in Igangan, not one out of the over 700 armed men threatened Gumi’s not to talk of shooting at him. Who is fooling who?

“At the Tubali forest, it was reported that Sheikh Gumi met with about 150 highly armed Fulanis. As usual during every of such visits they expressed their grievances and why it will be difficult for them to surrender their arms even as they expressed confidence in the sincerity of Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle to address the lingering security imbroglio. The Chairman of Shinkafi also told the interactive session that before the peace agreement with the bandits there was frequent and rampant cases of kidnappings in Shinkafi-Gusau road while instances of frequent attacks with heavy casualties including killings is rampant but that as a result of the peaceful truce the once volatile local government has now spent 7 months without single attack. Hon. Galadima said the coming of Sheikh Gumi is a blessing to the entire state because according to him the goodwill of Gumi and the respect the Fulani bandits have for him will further strengthen and solidify the fragile peace deal. But Igboho’s adventure was a curse to the Northern oligarchy while Gumi’s visit is declared to be a blessing! A fool at forty is believed to be a fool foreve. Nigeria is sixty and still foolish!

Thus was a castle built in the air for fools in hope of a paradise of a federation called one nation, a mirage of military sight that has placed our country in chain since 1999. Gumi left us with an illusion to our article of union; those who if they truly want peace should be visiting National Assembly and State Houses Assemblies to activate an agenda for the restructuring of our federation are busy beating about northern forests. Nigeria is a fools paradise!

I, Adesanya-Davies thereby concludes, What are we waiting for? It’s time for, “An Advanced Restructuring Agenda” in Nigeria, much more complex and enduring than the one given by the APC, and for sanity, safety and sanctity, it’s NOW OR NEVER!

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