Fides Media Living the Faith
By Polycarp Onwubiko
Northern Moslems never hide their strident opposition for the Restructuring of the lopsided federation. Why?
The recent rejection of the dubious, devious and manifestly self-centered Water Resources Bill by the Senate is commendable. Sound reason and patriotism in addition to the imperative of Restructuring the lopsided federation guided the majority of the members to throw away the senseless Bill.
Due to the the lopsidedness of the House of Representatives, the obviously majority members from the “Core North” mainly Moslems, had passed the controversial Bill aimed at letting the terrorists masquerading as herdsmen to be polluting rivers in the name of quenching the thirst of their cattle.
The strident Nationwide calls for the Restructuring of the lopsided federation is that the military autocrats made up of the Northern Moslems, without consulting the southerners (majorly Christians) created surplus local government councils in the northern part of the country at the expense and detriment of the southern part of the country.
Not only that the local government councils which ought not be a tier of government in a Federation the world over, was made a tier of government and part of the sharing of the monthly statutory allocations from the Federation Account. To make it more understandable, the devious and dubious agenda was to channel surplus revenues to the northern part of the country at the expense and detriment of the southern part of the country.
Unfortunately, in the course of time, it was manifestly clear that the local government councils statutory allocations which the Military Regime intended for socioeconomic growth and development of the rural areas were allegedly cornered by the traditional rulers and avaricious elites in the northern part of the country without physical development of the people and places, leaving on its trail grinding poverty and penury.
Few years ago when I was reading features article on healthcare delivery system and facilities in the northern part of the country, I wept my eyes out at the unimaginable decay and deplorable conditions of the health and educational infrastructural facilities. Further reading revealed that the quantum statutory allocations were rather channeled to traditional ceremonies and religious activities which are not the priority of the people wallowing in crass poverty and penury.
Secondly, the hidden agenda for creating surplus local government councils in the northern part of the country was to use local government councils as FEDERAL CONSTITUENCIES again at the expense and detriment of the southern part of the country. Of course, it was a proactive step to the return of the Civilian Administrations so that in the National Assembly, the majority members would be from the “Core North” in as much as the members from the middle belt states are taken as slaves who must do the bidden of the “Fulani Caliphate Colonialists” that dictate what goes on in the country.
Therefore, it was not surprising that the controversial Water Resources Bill was without much ado, passed in the Green Chamber while the members from the southern part of the country were mopping and spreading their hands in helplessness which is however understandable. It was only by the special grace of God that the reasonable and responsible members of the Red Chamber perceived the uselessness and hollowness of the controversial Bill and threw it away.
The point I am making is that the southerners must gird their loins and stridently insist that the lopsided federation must be Restructured for structural equalization, fiscal federalism and People’s Constitution. I had to borrow the title of my new Book: PEOPLE’S CONSTITUTION, FISCAL FEDERALISM AND STRUCTURAL EQUALIZATION IN NIGERIA (2022) published in the internet via:
https://www.amazon.co.uk Polycarp Onwubiko
The failure of the Water Resources Bill is a veritable eye-opener to the people of the southern part of the country to press on President Tinubu for immediate kick-starting of the Restructuring of the lopsided Federation for equity fairness and justice in the governance of the country.
Polycarp Onwubiko, writes from Awka, Anambra State.