Former Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, SAN, and former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, and some leaders, yesterday, dissected the state of Nigeria’s federalism and returned a grim verdict: Federalism is dead in Nigeria. Vanguard reports.
They fingered former President Olusegun Obasanjo for being principally responsible for killing federalism in the country through the 1979 constitution and his opposition to restructuring, resource control and devolution of power to the federating units. They spoke in Lagos at the launching of a revised edition of the book: ‘’Attah On Resource Control’’ edited by Dr Dele Sobowale.
The 156-page book noted that resource control is another synonym for the principle of derivation, which is the bedrock of all federating units all over the world, and if properly applied it will ‘’inexorably lead to devolution of economic, social and political power to the state and local governments making the struggle for power at the centre less attractive, less violent and less divisive.
‘’Indeed, no single amendment to the 1999 Constitution will go far to correct most of the contradictions in the constitution as resource control alone. In one step, we will not only enthrone justice, we will lower the tension associated with the struggle form power at the centre,” they noted. Okunnu However, Alhaji Okunnu said the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were playing a game of cat and mouse on the issue of restructuring and accused former President Obasanjo of being part of Nigeria’s problems rather than a solution which he masquerades himself to be.
Alhaji Okunnu, who chaired the event said: “The issue of restructuring is in the air and both the APC and PDP are playing a game of cat and mouse and nobody is taking the issues seriously. Sadly, constitution amendment has become a thing of past Nigeria because there was no National Conference which I was part that any of the recommendations saw the light of the day.”
Accusing Obasanjo of being part of Nigeria’s many problems, he said: “When I went through the Clifford’s constitution of 1922, the Richard’s Constitution 1946, the Macpherson’s Constitution of 1951, Lyttleton’s constitution of 1954, I discovered that Nigeria ceased to be a federation in 1979 and the federation was killed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He is part of the problem not the solution to the problem. Though he is masquerading himself to be a solution and the saviour of Nigeria today, he is to be held responsible for some of these problems.”
He continued: “Major issues that need to be addressed in our Constitution include Finance, Fiscal federation, Judiciary, Local Government, Resource Control, and Independent Candidacy because what we have today is partly dictatorship. People should be able to stand for election whether they belong to a party or not. In all this, it is necessary we re-shape the country by going back to the 1963 constitution. “The 1979 constitution killed the Federation of Nigeria.
Under the 1963 constitution, we knew that 60 per cent of the revenue from minerals goes to the state of origin, 20 per cent to the Federal Government and 20 per cent to others and that was the exact template followed by General Murtala Muhammed and General Yakubu Gowon. But in the the 1979 constitution, the Federal Government grabbed it all and no kobo went to the state of origin. He, however, advised cultural groups like Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Afenifere and Arewa Consultative Forum to stay off politics and maintain their cultural arena rather than dabbling into politics.
