By Rasheed Akinkuolie
Nigeria on 1st October 2021 celebrated 61 years of independence from Great Britain (United Kingdom). And it has been years of challenges and modest achievements. The greatest threat to the peace and stability of Nigeria, after the civil war, has been the 12 years old Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgency, aside from the economic problems.
These challenges notwithstanding, Nigeria aptly called the ‘giant of Africa’ had lived up to this name in achieving major foreign policy successes, especially in Africa, where Nigeria played the decisive role in the liberation of Africa from colonial rule and apartheid until the two evil systems were eradicated from the continent.
In the more daunting fight for economic freedom, Nigeria in 1975 pioneered the formation of the Economic Community of African Countries (ECOWAS) which united anglophone, francophone, and Portuguese speaking countries in West Africa under one economic, political and monetary union.
Member states of the community today have a common parliament, common court, common passport, common security monitoring group ( ECOMOG) for peace enforcement and a common market of 370 million people.
The economic communities in other regions of Africa will eventually join
ECOWAS to form the African Economic Community and market of 1.4 billion people in 54 countries. The implementation of the various political, economic, monetary and unification protocols of the AEC will free the continent from foreign political and economic domination.
At home, Nigeria has not fared so well, due to protracted military rule, bad economic policies, poor management of the country’s diversity, centralization of power at the federal level and an electoral process that lacks credibility.
Elections in Nigeria are periods of anxiety and widespread fear. The 1964 election, the first after Nigeria’s independence was chaotic and violent, such that the military intervention of 15th January 1966, brought temporary relief to the country. But, the euphoria was short-lived, when the military administration abolished the federal system of government and regional autonomy.
The change of the political structure in a multi-ethnic society like Nigeria was perceived as a tribal agenda to dominate the rest of the country. The strong objection to the structural change and the poor management of the crisis that followed led to the first Nigerian civil war from 1967-70.
During the war, the military government needed the resources, power and authority of a centralized government to prosecute the war of unity. The autonomy of the states was to be restored after the war, since the decree, which established the unitary system had already been abolished. But, the military government that came into power in 1975, rather than revert to the old federal system, reinforced and expanded its powers, by taking over state-owned universities, state radio/television stations, state marketing boards, state hospitals, state schools and retained 50% of national revenue etc.
The military government, also summarily retrenched thousands of civil servants at the federal and state levels, an exercise that extended the control of the federal government over autonomous state civil services
Civil Servants affected by the purge felt betrayed and those left in the service felt insecure and disenchanted. They developed a lackadaisical attitude towards their duties, which eventually resulted in the failures of several government institutions (ministries and parastatals)
The ‘’experts’ brought in to cover the lapses lacked the requisite experience, commitment and institutional knowledge to identify, formulate and implement policies, which are in the best public interest.
The ‘experts’ imposed on the country open market economy, privatization of state enterprises, devaluation of the national currency, private sector controlled economy, which enriched a small group of oligarchs at the expense of the Nigerian people.
In a space of three decades, Nigeria lost; its vehicle assembly plants, textile mills, national airline, national shipping line, electronics industries, tyre and battery manufacturing industries, integrated agricultural projects, dams, river basin projects, educational and health systems, over 50 banks were liquidated during the ill-conceived bank mergers.
The collapse of these companies and institutions created massive unemployment and poverty, which led to the insurgency and other criminal activities in Nigeria today.
The second civilian government from 1979-1983, restored some of the autonomy of the federated states. The major political parties implemented good social programs, which focused on free education, free health care and affordable houses etc
The country enjoyed a period of relative peace and prosperity, until December 1983, when the civilian government was overthrown. The totalitarian military regimes from 1983-1999 reversed most of the gains of the first and second civilian republics. They started the economic misadventure earlier mentioned, which pauperized and brought so much hardship on ordinary people.
The third civilian republic from 1999-2021 (22 years) brought little improvement and relief to the country. The state of the economy worsened, the level of poverty and misery increased, to such an extent, that Nigeria was classified as the poverty capital of the world.
Despite this grim prognosis, the future of Nigeria is still bright, if the fundamental problems of the country are addressed in a forthright and honest manner.
The following recommendations are proposed, which hopefully will help to resolve some of the core challenges:
1. The federated states must enjoy full autonomy of the pre-1966 era; that is, all state institutions, except foreign affairs, immigration, central bank, minting of currency, customs service and the military should come under the control of state governments.
2. State Police should be created to work with the national police, but under the control of state authorities. The Native Authority Police during the first republic secured rural communities and townships. Institutions such as the Nigeria Railways Corporation with special security needs had an independent police service to secure railway lines, stations and properties.
3. The government must play a dominant role in the management of the people’s welfare. This should begin with free education, free health care, affordable houses, Decisive action must be taken to educate the 14 million children, who are still out of the school system for long term security reasons.
4. Civil Servants must be involved in policy formulation and implementation based on their experience and the power, which the civil service confers, as representatives of the government. The procedures in the civil service rules and regulations must be followed in taking disciplinary measures against civil servants, and past retrenchment exercises should be considered, as grave mistakes, which should never be repeated.
5. Elections must be free and fair, to prevent choosing wrong, unpopular and uncaring leaders. The instability in most parts of the country is a result of rigged elections and the imposition of bad political leaders.
6. The Boko Haram war now in its twelfth year has now escalated beyond Nigerian borders. The involvement of ISWAP, bandits and kidnappers make military victory almost impossible. The government must now be open to arbitration. Hajia Hamsatu Alamin and Hajia Aisha Wakil had in the past negotiated the release of hostages, based on their personal relationship with Boko Haram.
Mr James Barnett, a researcher in Nigeria enjoyed enough confidence of the insurgents, to interview them in their enclaves. According to him, Boko Haram and other insurgent groups are willing to negotiate peace with the Nigerian government. The government should therefore convene a conference of all stakeholders, which should include Qatar, a probable financier or influencer of ISIS/ ISWAP and other identified groups in the Middle East.
7. Sheik Zaki Zaki has been released by the courts, his passport and that of his family members should be issued or released to enable them go abroad to rest and seek medical attention. This will close another possible source of trouble and insurgency.
8. The state of insecurity in Nigeria cannot be separated from Nigeria’s economic policies and woes. The government must control key sectors of the economy and should be the primary investor. The state of insecurity is too severe for local or foreign investors to come into Nigeria at this time. There are other smart ways to raise funds for capital projects. For example, oil could be swapped for projects, oil wells or marginal oil fields exchanged for the construction of hospitals, roads, schools. dams (completion of Mambila dam)
9. The devolution of power to the states is a must to resolve the problems of marginalization, insecurity and slowed economic development. Nigeria should draw inspiration from its former colonial master, the United Kingdom ( England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) separate and distinctive nations that came together to create the largest empire in human history; the British Empire.
10. The break up of Nigeria will not necessarily bring peace nor solve the fundamental problems of the country. It will only facilitate the conquest of the entire country by ISWAP and several armed groups.
Nigeria is indeed at the crossroads of history, to make or to mar. The situation is serious, but redeemable, if appropriate preventive measures are taken now. Nigerian leaders, at all levels, must work together to salvage this promising country.
*Ambassador Akinkuolie Rasheed was Director of Trade and Investment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja Nigeria