National

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Drivers in Nigeria decried the current security challenges bedevilling particularly the northwestern part of the country, saying the situation is gradually killing their business.

The Daily Reality report that bandits activity has claimed thousands of lives, destroyed property worth millions of naira and sacked many villages.

Some analysts believe that the incessant security challenges are politically motivated.

The recent Abuja-Kaduna train attack is one of many bloody attacks by bandits that forced the citizens to remain deeply pessimistic, not to mention commercial drivers plying roads in the restive region.

Our correspondent gathered that those abducted during the infamous train attack were taken to nearby bushes by the notorious, heartless bandits. 

Twenty-four hours later, bandits blocked the Kaduna-Abuja highway and abducted dozens of travellers.

Drivers who spoke to The Daily Realty said the situation had done significant damage to their business, saying they are still in the business because they do not have an option.

A driver, Haruna Lawan Ahmad, recounted his bitter experience in dismay, saying sometimes they had to descend and run for their dear life on sighting the bandits. 

Ahmad said, “We used to see terrible things on our way. Sometimes we have to alight and run away to save our lives after sighting bandits and come back later to take our vehicles after they finished their operations and abducted the ill-fated individuals.”

“There are roads that we can no longer follow, such as Birni Gwari of Kaduna State. Before, the drivers used to team up with the security personnel escorting them.”

“But sadly enough, even the security personnel stranded and accelerated their vehicle at high speed and run away from bandits.”

“Many of my colleagues and I remain in the business not because we are still passionate about it, but because we don’t have anything to do other than this driving,” he recounted. 

Another driver, Idris Bamba, urged the government to come to their aid as the situation was getting out of hand.

He said, “Insecurity in the country is worsening day by day. We usually drive with uneasiness of mind. Before, I used to leave Abuja for Kano by 5 am and arrived around 11 am. But due to security issues, I no longer do that. Some of my friends have even moved to other businesses.”

‘Insecurity sponsored’

A lecturer at the Department of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, Bayero University, Kano, Dr Mu’az Hassan Mu’az, said the incessant security challenge in Nigeria is quite unfortunate and sponsored by some scrupulous elements. 

He said, “It’s quite unfortunate that these things are happening to the most peaceful and hospitable people in this country. Words cannot express how saddened our people are by the recent experience of attacks on innocent Nigerians.”

“The continued insecurity situation in this part of the country, mastered by people who are illiterates (Islamic and Western) and is sponsored by some scrupulous elements in our society who are selfish and never cared about their people, who worship money and have given up on the hereafter.”

“It’s quite unfortunate that the situation is getting worse day by day in spite of the huge investment in security by the federal government.” 

“Many people see the train as the last resort and safe haven for the common people. He thought the warning attack on the train was treated with glove hands, and security was beefed up on the train operations to prevent subsequent attacks.”

“But it happened again, in a very terrible manner. Painfully, the minister of transport was quoted to have said he envisaged the attack but Federal Government did nothing to prevent it from happening. Our leaders should come back to their right senses.”

Dr Mu’azu added that the leadership of Nigeria is responsible for every Nigerian’s life. They must come back to their senses to face the problem squarely to the end. 

He urged the authority concerned to provide aerial surveillance of the train routes from Kaduna to Abuja, engage every security stakeholder in the discourse of solutions to the menace of banditry n kidnapping, negotiate with the culprits and later deal with them silently, declare war against their residency in Nigeria and kill them all.

He said, “Let the authority concerned track and block their supplies of weapons, send a few security personnel on a secret mission, i.e. to be amongst them for some time, recruit locals to join in the fight against the bandits and block all their food supplies and medications.”

By Aliyu Nuhu

When we criticize this government, some people deride us as Buhari bashers. They complain that we lack patriotism because we run down our country. But look at Nigeria today and say if it is the kind of country you want to live in or it is the kind of country you want your children and grandchildren to inhabit.

What is the fault of the government in matters that concern our security? It is because of the way it neglected police affairs. Banditry and terrorism are, among others, products of poor community policing. Humans are products of communities, good or bad. The police decide the kind of communities we have as far as crimes are concerned. Before they kidnap anyone, criminals emerge from the community and when they kidnap they return to the communities. Good police will ensure that they don’t emerge and if they do, they can’t return to the community. But today’s Nigerian police are going on strike because of poor salaries and delays in payment of even the poor salaries. Police lack all working tools from the basics such as lie detectors, electricity, and computers; to the complex ones such as data banks for fingerprints and DNA.

Whenever there is a bomb blast you see the president holding emergency meetings with service chiefs. That is missing the point. What have navy, airforce and army got to do with attacks on the train? The president should hold his emergency meeting with police high commands, NSCDC and DSS. That is where the missing links lie.

The military ordinarily has no business safeguarding railways, doing the work of police, DSS and NSCDC. They have no budget to safeguard the railway. The military can be called to give additional firepower to the police when there is a need but they have no solution to the problem and cannot prevent future attacks.

The railway is a product of technology and there is technology to protect it. Only Nigeria will invest so much in railway and refuse to deploy the technology to protect it. There are real-time intelligent railway protection systems of various types to deploy. The minister for transportation had made such a request after the first attack which was denied (though the request was later accused of being through a seemingly corrupt process). The second attack has made the president see the reasons and approved of the technology. I hope that with the new measures, future attacks on railways will be prevented.

Who were the attackers?

According to the Daily Trust, a Kaduna security source, who did not want his name in print, said the attack was carried out by Boko Haram elements in collaboration with bandits.

“Two sources; a local with knowledge of bandits’ activities and a senior intelligence officer in Abuja confirmed that a Kaduna-based bandits leader, Boderi, was involved in hatching the attack.

Boderi is notorious for masterminding a number of atrocious attacks in Giwa, Chikun, Igabi and Zaria Local Governments in Kaduna State, including the abduction of students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, in March last year and kidnapping of the Emir of Bungudu, Alhaji Hassan Attahiru in October of the same year.”

Also, victims said they were not the regular Fulani kidnappers that carry out their raids on the highways. They said they were very young boys between the ages of 18 to 25 years and spoke good English. Some of them were pronouncing “Allahu Akbar”. It pointed to either Boko Haram or ISWAP. Deployment of IED technology is Boko and ISWAP franchise. The attackers used buses, unlike the Fulani kidnappers that use motorcycles, an indication that they came from a long distance. How about 200 terrorists came in buses and carried people and disappeared into thin air beat all minds. There was no single casualty on the side of the attackers and no one was captured. We have a long way to go in security matters.

By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi

Another national embarrassment almost happened over the weekend. But alas, it wasn’t fated. Reports indicated that a group of bandit-terrorists, about 200 swarmed the Kaduna International Airport located in Igabi Local Government Area of the State.

The incident temporarily led to the disruption of activities, including the grounding of an Azman Air Lagos-bound aircraft. In addition, a security officer attached to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) also lost his life.

It was learnt that the terrorists were on a revenge mission after some Nigerian military troops neutralized scores of them and equally retrieved some rustled cattle in their possession.

However, this unfortunate development is coming after another security breach had occurred last year, when the same category of criminal elements–bandits–invaded the country’s highest defence and security training hub, the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, in Kaduna.

Aside from killing some soldiers, reports claimed that the bandits abducted a senior military officer.

Nevertheless, the level at which these non-state actors are resurging and unleashing violence at will is something that needs to be treated with the adequate attention it deserves. Government and security agencies should live up to their expectations to surmount these lingering security challenges that disturb our nation’s peace.

It has been noted that an efficient transport system is part and parcel of national security as it entails the movement of people and goods from one place to another across the length and breadth of a particular geographical location. But in today’s Nigeria, it is disheartening to learn that people no longer travel comfortably with peace of mind due to uncertainties associated with our entire transport system.

For example, looking at the land transport system, the roads are in bad shape caused by numerous potholes that can easily plunge a motorist into an accident. Apart from that, the roads are also not safe as bandits, kidnappers and armed robbers are always having a field day launching attacks on commuters, robbing them of their hard-earned properties, abducting or even killing them.

Even the trains are no longer safe as terrorists have since devised a means of exploding rail tracks, thereby forcefully bringing them to a halt to pave the way for them to carry out their nefarious activities on passengers.

The recent bombing of the Kaduna-Abuja rail track by bandits is one of the worst attacks on the Nigerian transport system. Several passengers were killed, others got injured, while scores were equally abducted and yet to be accounted for.

Similarly, Nigeria’s waterways are also dangerous because they are swarmed by pirates who rob ships and sometimes abduct the entire crew only to release them upon payment of ransom. With the recent attack on the airport, it is right to deduct that the entire Nigerian transport system is compromised and has lost its calibre to serve the functions it is known to deliver.

The time is long overdue for Nigeria to rise to the challenge of safeguarding airspace and other transport sectors from the menace of criminal elements.

The importance of airspace and aviation security has been captured effectively in Nigeria’s National Security Strategy (NNSS 2019), a document published by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Babagana Monguno, a retired Major General.

According to the document, “Efforts to secure the Nigerian airspace will be led by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in collaboration with other relevant agencies. Considering the vulnerability of the airspace, the NAF will employ preventive and protective measures to guard against airspace violations through [the] enforcement of international and national air laws.

“In addition, the NAF will deploy its resources to ensure the integrity of Nigerian airspace is maintained at all times. This will include [the] conduct of aerial surveys and delineation of security zones and liaison with appropriate agencies towards the completion of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) project to ensure effective monitoring and airspace security.

The primary stakeholders principally concerned with safety and security in the aviation sector include the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), among others.

The role of these agencies is expected to be coordinated and enhanced in line with extant legislation and policy on Nigerian Aviation Security.

Nevertheless, another evolving phenomenon in airspace security is the preponderance of drones which constitutes safety challenges such as air misses and mid-air collisions with manned aircraft and security challenges such as air space violation, penetration of prohibited airspaces, a threat to VIP security, terrorism and espionage. Others are law enforcement challenges such as drug trafficking and proliferation, all inimical to national security.

To properly secure airspace and the aviation industry, the government must ensure the continuous provision of modern and up-to-date equipment and the promotion of adequate training and professionalism of various agencies handling different aspects of aviation security.

Additionally, Standard Operation Procedures must be developed to streamline the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies to optimize their performance and enhance the cohesion of their personnel.

Furthermore, it is imperative to ensure the development of standard safety protocols and resilience to protect critical aviation information infrastructure against cyber-attacks to enhance aviation security.

Mukhtar wrote from Kano via ymukhtar944@gmail.com.

By Khadijah Tijjani

It has been a while since I wrote about issues of national interest. I have decided to steer clear of such conversations because I doubt if it is really worth it. I used to pride myself in being a patriotic Nigerian until about a decade ago when the post-graduation shock shook me to the marrow.

Fresh out of medical school, I was determined to serve my country “with love and strength and faith”, using my knowledge and skills. But I was greeted with a cold welcome into a moribund system – a system that had almost nothing to offer but was ready to suck your sweat and blood and abandon your remains when you’re done with your heroism.

This is not about me and how I lost hope in the fatherland. If I’m still alive, I’ll tell you the whole story some other time. My grouse for today is stimulated by the recent terrorist attacks on the Kaduna-Abuja train. I’m sorry to bore you with this rant; I hope it makes me feel better. I’m just here to let it out and stop pretending to be oblivious.

I despise horror and tragic movies because of some traumatic scenes I watched as a kid. One of such movies is THE BURNING TRAIN, a Bollywood blockbuster that made waves in the early 80s. Vinod, a railway engineer, launched the Super Express, a dream project that was India’s fastest passenger train. Unfortunately, the train went out of control on its maiden journey due to a bomb planted by a rival. Directed by Ravi Chopra, the movie was known to have moved millions of people to tears.

Every time I replay that movie in the part of my brain that stores it for over two decades, I struggle to hold back the tears.

I never imagined something strikingly similar happening in real life, claiming several lives so close to home. The terrorists, having succeeded in stopping the Kaduna-bound train, reportedly shot sporadically and held the stranded passengers hostage for over an hour.

One of the victims was a promising young colleague – Dr Chinelo. This was a brilliant doctor who could have discovered the next best treatment for cancer, HIV or another disease yet unknown. But instead, she was wasted a few days after obtaining her GMC licence to practise in the UK.

Could she have survived if we had quick and effective disaster response teams? Only God knows.

She was lucid enough to tweet a distress call and probably breathed for a couple of hours before kicking the bucket. But what sort of treatment did she get? Welcome to Nigerian hospitals!

The train attack happened less than 24 hours after a similar incident along the same route. This mishap rekindled my memory of that catastrophic movie, The Burning Train. I’ve been trying not to talk or write about it, but my heart can no longer contain the pain.

I am a woman of faith and believe in the power of prayers. However, we’re on a burning train in this country, and faith is not enough to quench the fire.

This train is burning, and the political leaders are going about their rallies, spending millions of naira on branded clothes and live bands.

This inferno is consuming the best amongst us, but the worst amongst us are winning and dining.

This country is burning like wildfire, but there’s no fire truck anywhere.

They say there is light at the end of the tunnel. But the end of this burning tunnel is obscured by thick smoke that can kill faster than the fire itself.

We seek your aid, yaa Allaah!

Khadijah Tijani is a medical doctor. She writes from Ibadan and can be reached through askodoctorkt@gmail.com or @AskDoctorKT.

– News Desk

The Abuja-Kaduna train was attacked by bandits on the evening of Monday, 28th March 2022. The attack led to the killing and abduction of some passengers. Meanwhile, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on Nigerians to unite against terrorists, bandits and saboteurs.

MURIC’s input was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday 30^th March 2022 by its director and founder, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The statement reads:

“Bandits attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train yesterday Monday, 28th March 2022. The attack led to the killing and abduction of some passengers. We strongly condemn this attack. It was mindless, vicious, brutal and barbaric. This is also major evidence of the extent to which unscrupulous elements can go to sabotage the good efforts of the government to provide comfort for the citizens.

“With hindsight, the latest attack may not have been too surprising, particularly with the ominous signs presented by previous activities of bandits in the zone. It is obvious that Kaduna Airport was attacked last week because the bandits had become desperate since they could not find enough victims on the roads.

“Our security agencies should be more proactive. Intelligence Transport Systems (ITS) should be used in all our transportation networks starting with the modern railway line and critical national routes of our roads. They should all be linked with control rooms of the security agencies. We also need tactical surveillance teams at critical locations along the modern railway lines. Not only that, unmanned aircraft and drones can be used to collect information during the trains’ working hours. This will prevent criminal elements from springing surprise attacks on innocent passengers.

“The citizenry must also be security conscious. They need to complement [the] government’s efforts. Nobody should tell us that the present government did the wrong thing by introducing a modern rail system but the people benefiting from it must be prepared to pass information about suspicious moves at sabotage.

“We call on Nigerians to look beyond this mindless attack. It is the work of saboteurs, rebellious subjects and enemies of peace. Nigerians must not allow the tragic incident to test their will. Rather, we must unite against those who seek to destroy our fragile civilisation and our nascent democracy. We must speak with one voice targeted at the inhumanity of man to man. The criminals are not happy with the progress being made. They want to drag us back to the Stone Age. We must resist them.

“No single government, no matter how popular, or how powerful, can be competent enough to repel terrorists and saboteurs. The people must become partners with [the] government. They must become [the] eyes and ears of the security agencies. The modern trains on Abuja-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri should be enough to inspire patriotism.

“Patriots all over the world stand with their governments. That was what Americans did when the country was attacked by terrorists in 2001. That is what the Ukrainians are doing now against the invading ultra-Red communist war criminals. We must unite against those who are making it difficult for innocent citizens to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

“The media has a special role to play at this critical point. There is no professionalism in celebrating terror. Nobody is immune from terrorists’ attacks, not even journalists. That is why all hands must be on deck in the fight against insecurity. Terrorists are cowards who pick on soft targets to embarrass [the] government and traumatise the citizenry, including journalists. That is why all media fora must mobilise themselves against marauding bandits and terrorists.

“The modern trains introduced by this administration are superb and they are reducing the sufferings of travellers but it is now time to leverage on the infotech facilities at our disposal to make the trips hitch-free. Nonetheless, the challenge of insecurity should not be seen as a mark of [the] failure of the project. We must put saboteurs and enemies of the people to shame by forging ahead. We must not surrender to terrorists. Nigeria is on course.”

By Muhammad Sabiu

Reports coming from the northwestern part of Nigeria have indicated that suspected terrorist bandits detonated bombs on the rail track of an Abuja-Kaduna train, thus immobilizing it.

The attack was said to have taken place between Katari and Rijana.

According to sources who spoke to journalists, the attackers were said to have surrounded the train, shooting intermittently.

As of the time of filing this report, there are still no details of the number of casualties in the attack.

By Aminu Naganye

United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, in collaboration with Media Awareness and Information for All Networks (MAIN), has organised a two-day workshop for journalists in Kano on mainstreaming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their routine journalistic activities.

The programme tagged “Training Journalists on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and developing a Network of Sustainable Development Journalists” took place at the Kano State Library from Monday, March 21, to Tuesday, March 22, 2022. The event is a part of training for journalists across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria on how to mainstream the SDGs into their professional engagements.

UNIC Director, Mr Ronald Kayanja, noted that the training was to expose the journalists to the key issues of the SDGs and how they can contribute their part toward achieving the 2030 sustainable development agenda.

Mr Kayanja, who was represented by Dr Oluseyi Soremekun, stressed the need for partnership and collaboration among all stakeholders toward achieving the SDGs at the stipulated time.

On his part, the Chairman of the occasion, Professor Lai Oso, said the objective of the training was to acquaint the participants with social, economic and environmental dimensions in reporting issues related to sustainable development. 

He said sustainable journalism should be people-centred and geared toward proffering solutions to identified societal challenges.

Head Technical, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Dr Bala Yunusa, who was represented by Dr Zakariyya Mohammed, explained Nigeria’s progress and challenges in implementing the SDGs in Nigeria and called on the media personnel to remain supportive to achieving the SDGs and Nigerian Agenda 2050.

Dr Yunusa noted that Nigeria has recorded successes in the previous MDGs and is now determined to achieve more with the SDGs.

At least 50 journalists drawn from traditional media of radio, television, newspaper, and online-based news media participated in the workshop.

The participants were decorated with emblems as champions of the SDGs.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A parent simply identified as Amstel20111 on Twitter has commended the effort of the Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN, for the safe evacuation of his daughter from war-torn Ukraine.

He twitted a picture of himself backing his grown-up daughter on Saturday, March 19, 2022, while commending the Nigerian government.

“When my daughter got back home from Ukraine, I am grateful to God and the FGN, through all the agencies of government used for this reunion. None of you will mourn or sorrow over any of your children in Jesus name. Thank you. I am grateful, ” he twitted.

The post, initially made on Twitter, has been screenshot and shared on different social media platforms and has generated several pleasant reactions. Many people said amen and thanked God for his daughter’s safe return.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has created a new directorate, named the “Office of Directorate of Politics and Governance.”

This development was contained in a memo dated February 28, 2022, and signed by the Assistant General Overseer Administration and Personnel of RCCG, Pastor J.F. Otedola.  

“We write to formally notify you that the mission authority has created the Office of Directorate of Politics and Governance in the RCCG. Further to this, Pastor Timothy Olaniyan (PICP Lagos Province ) has been appointed to lead the Office” The first paragraph of the memo reads.

Pastor Otedola also requested for provincial officers to be appointed for each province of the RCCG and all levels of the church with utmost urgency in respect of the new directorate. 

“You are kindly requested to appoint with immediate effect a Provincial Officer for your Province and also ensure that same is done at all levels of the Church – Zone, Area and Parish. The essence of this Directorate is to help coordinate the engagement of our people who are willing to be involved in Politics as well as mobilise support for them when required,” the memo further reads.

Nigeria’s Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, maintains a father and son relationship with RCCG General Overseer, Pastor E. A Adeboye, is in charge of the Lagos Province 48 (Olive Tree Province Headquarters) of the RCCG. The recent development coming from the church cannot be unconnected with his 2023 presidential ambition.  

People have expressed different views on politics and religion and the active participation of the church and religious bodies. 

According to Mr Peter Onah, “they are biblical figures that participated actively in politics”. He added that religion and politics are two different things that can go together.

However, Mr Nurudeen Bukar, who was confronted by the Daily Reality on the issue of politics and religion, expressed a different view. According to him, “it is best when religion focuses on its primary mandate of preaching and guiding people”.

Bukar argued that partisan politics is not suitable for religious groups as it will distract them from their religious obligations.

By Habib Korede

Restructuring has been a topic on Nigeria’s news headlines for decades, and as the 2023 general election approaches, ‘restructuring’ is one optics for political campaigns. However, the unification of Nigeria, which has continually stirred this debate, results from the colonials’ avarice but has fortunately been a blessing.

Before the colonials, Nigeria was home to over 300 ethnic groups, with Hausa in the North, Igbo in the South-East, and Yoruba in the South-West, as the three dominant ethnic groups. These ethnic groups operate under various separate entities such as ethno-religious, geo-regional, and political nationalities under caliphate, kingdoms, and empires,

The colonials amalgamated these entities through divide and rule policy on 1 January 1914, following Frederick Lugard’s recommendation. The colonials take full advantage of their exploration of the country by sternly concentrating power at the centre to favour their political and imperial interests instead of laying a good foundation for nation-building. This has become a puzzle for Nigeria in the post-colonial era. 

Struggles for inclusion at the centre and resource allocation have resulted in many heated controversies, distrust, compromise, and violent conflicts. These include the crisis that emanated in the 1959 and 1964 federal elections, the January and July 1966 coups, the three years civil war of 1967–1970 when the Igbo region wanted to secede into Biafra, followed by several bloody coups and counter-coups.

The unity of Nigeria has also been threatened by various ethno-religious conflicts resulting from bad governance, such as the Kaduna State Zangon-Kataf crisis in 1987, 12 June 1993, Moshood Abiola’s presidential election annulment crisis, and return to the military junta in November 1993.

The return to the democratic system of government under the leadership of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, which gave birth to the presidency of Obasanjo in May 1999, led to a rapid paradigm shift in Nigerian political history.

Deterioration in the governance of the country sparked several protests. Protests like the 2012 fuel subsidy removal and the 2020 #EndSARS that resulted in the death of protesters are only a few examples.

From 1999 to date, every region of the country has shown dissatisfaction with the status quo. This dissatisfaction has led to several agitations and overheating of the country’s polity, which metamorphosed to ethno-religious and inter-communal crises, such as the year 2000 Kaduna crisis, the 7–13 Sep. 2001 Jos crisis, and so on.

These crises triggered the formation of several ethno-militia groups such as the Oodua Peoples Congress, Indigenous People of Biafra, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Niger Delta Avengers, the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry and the coordinated Fulani/Herdsmen-Farmers conflict. These militias are agent provocateurs that simultaneously unleash terror in the country to disrupt governance, leading to several national conversations, such as restructuring, decentralisation, creation of state police, and separation. 

The rising agitation for a restructured Nigeria results from perceived marginalisation, discouraging national leadership, identity crisis, ethno-religious intolerance, the concentration of power at the centre, and lack of patriotism.

However, different scholars have interpreted the word ‘restructuring’ differently, and both the antagonists and protagonists for a restructured Nigeria dissent on its meaning. Though, I see restructuring as ‘using an efficient medium to restore a collapsing building to save everyone in the building.’  

From 1914 to 2014, eleven constitutional conferences were held to strategise the most favourable federal system and resource sharing policy to keep the regions satisfied and united. However, the 2014 national conference confirmed inequality in the demand of all the country’s parts. Each region demands a policy for their vested interest even when it disfavours the unity and progress of the country. 

The Southern region suggests the country should revert to the regionalism of the 1963 constitution. Still, this suggestion was frayed by the fear of dominance and marginalisation of the minorities from future governance of the majority in these regions. 

Besides, the founding fathers of Nigeria were more selfless and patriotic than the current group of leaders, and the country’s population is higher than it was; these will make regional governance in contemporary Nigeria impracticable. 

Decentralisation of power and the emergence of state police, as suggested by many, will aid in the production of a pool of authoritarian state governors whose misuse of power will decline the country’s democracy. But, as mentioned by the former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, ‘the stronger the boat of (democracy), the more it is able to meet the challenges of its voyage and deliver on its promise to citizens.’

Notwithstanding, the Northern region focused on creating additional states and power rotation among the six geo-political zones. Obviously, creating more states will further deteriorate the already weak economy because of the unnecessary administration cost. 

It is noteworthy that the clamour for creating a new state is not for developmental reasons but political purposes. This will abet the emergence of unproductive parasitic state elites, lead to the agitation for creating additional states, and eventually actuate the aggressive Balkanisation of Nigeria. Like Yugoslavia, East Timor, the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and South Sudan. 

The systemic restructure of Nigeria will be insurmountable. The 1999 constitution stands as a considerable constraint to the systemic and resource restructuring because of the intricate processes involved in amending the constitution. This is one of the reasons the 2014 national conference ended in a stalemate; Nigerian leaders benefit from the current state of affairs in the country. They manipulate the system for their selfish interests. These leaders capitalise on the gullibility of the average Nigerian by using ‘restructuring’ as a campaign strategy to divide Nigerians, to amass votes at the polls after every four years. 

Because Nigeria has remained an indivisible entity for over 100 years shows the unity of the country. The many challenges Nigeria is facing arises from the selfishness of the leaders and the mindset of the citizens. It is eminent that Nigerians should recognise the power in population and diversity before it is too late. Thomas Malthus explains that: ‘The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power on the Earth to produce subsistence for man’.

Nigerians yearn for a prosperous Nigeria, and Nigerians need to know that prosperity comes with unity, sacrifices, and patience. ‘The cost of disintegration (of Nigeria) is higher than the cost of being together. We have everything to gain by being united than disunited,’ as stated by the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo.

The perennial agitation for restructuring and separation ensues from bad governance, corruption, insecurity, nepotism, and ethnic intolerance.

Achieving two concurrent goals will solve these problems: the first will be to intensify the country’s social structure, which will aid in reconciling Nigerians and redefine the perception Nigerians perceive Nigeria. The second will be strengthening the central government by building robust institutions where no one is above the law and where meritocracy always supersedes mediocrity.

Social restructuring of Nigeria is achievable under different progressions: by prioritising civic education and history at the basic education level; refurbishment of unity primary and secondary school across the country; the national youth service corps should continue to aid the youths of the country to explore the diverse cultures and enhance pragmatic multicultural solutions to the country’s problem; there should be an effective orientation agency that will be responsible for sufficient enlightenment of the masses, particularly on peace and unity of the country; and investing in intercultural dialogue.

When there is an unarguable socially restructured Nigeria, patriotism will augment, and every other thing will fall into place.

Most of the 36 states governors are doing a lot of things wrong. Still, the centre always receives the blame because of the rising weakness in the capacity of the central government to sanction the misappropriation of resources and bad governance by the state government adequately. Building powerful autonomous institutions will strengthen the central government.

Powerful institutions will enhance check and balance in the activities of the other arm of the government, which will help filter the best candidate for the leadership position in the public sector, and will unquestionably prosecute the guilty ones.

Powerful institutions will promote democracy and credible leaders. In the words of Chinua Achebe, ‘Nigeria is what it is because its leaders are not what they should be.’

Nigeria, a country with the fastest growing economy in Africa, the highest GDP on the continent, and the sixth most populous country globally, has all the potential required to become the world superpower. Good governance will enhance an excellent economy, peace, stability, and prosperity.

According to Ibrahim Index of African Governance, good governance is ‘the provision of the political, social and economic goods that any citizen has the right to expect from his or her state, and that any state has the responsibility to deliver to its citizens’.

Therefore, when the citizens are getting all the social and economic values they are expecting from the government, no region will have the urge to clamour for restructuring or separation of the country. However, there cannot be good governance when there is no equity, equality, transparency, inclusiveness, accountability, justice and responsiveness in the country’s activities

Habib Korede is a BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering graduate and a writer. He authored Propelling Success, and The Kalahari Review has featured his work. He can be reached via habibkorede247@gmail.com.