2019: Blueprint for Nigeria’s restructuring By Angel Agila Adoba

 

Last month I gave a general description in this medium of the restructuring Nigeria needs. This is a more elaborate continuation of that discussion because many contentious areas in our national life need urgent radical reforms. First among these is the 1999 military constitution-whether amended or not. This document should be abolished because it is not a genuine Nigeria people’s constitution. By extracting the angelic contents of this abolished constitution and the 2014 National Conference, a new and better Nigeria people’s constitution should be written before the end of 2019.
This new angelic constitution should carefully avoid toxic areas like the federal character principle, catchment area, quota system, zoning, etc. Where is the wisdom, for instance, in a clearly negative education policy which authoritatively demands that a northern child who scored ten percent or below in the National Common Entrance should be admitted to the same class in Unity Schools with a southern child who scored eighty percent or above in the same exam? Should we not open Nigeria to merit and excellence instead of illiteracy, mediocrity, poverty and stagnation? If all the eleven players in the Super Eagles can come from one mother then so be it so long as they are the best legs at the time. The new angelic Nigeria of my dream shall operate a unicameral legislature made up exclusively of lawyers who shall sit on part-time basis and receive civil service salary and wages.
Thirdly, the thirty-six states structure should be abolished for everyone to see clearly. We shall operate a two-tier system of government -the Local Governments and the Federal Government. We should operate what I call Angelic Democratic Provincialism-something close to the British system. This American presidential system is fast bleeding Nigeria to death because there are too many demons in Islam, Christianity, politics, government and the general public pretending to be angels. Therefore, let the real angels in Nigeria should come out under one political organisation-call it the Holy Angels Party if you like-to win power in Nigeria to proclaim, practice and promote Angelism under God. We shall create226 more local governments in Nigeria where necessary. Each local government shall have one elected representative (who must be a lawyer) in the new angelic parliament. The chairman of every local government shall be the chief security officer of his local government. Each local government shall own its own police which shall be under the provincial police department. Every province shall have a minister appointed by the president like that of the Niger Delta. There shall be the federal police bureau at the federal level. The much belated middle belt province shall be created out of the north to bring the geo-political zones in Nigeria to seven.
The most natural states of the Middle Belt are: Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kogi, Kwara, Niger and Southern Kaduna. The natural states of the North-west are: Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina and Zamfara. The original states of the North Central are: Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa and Bauchi. Those of the North-east are: Yobe, Borno, Gombe and Adamawa States. The South-east, South-south and South-west shall remain as they naturally are –untouched. Or is it only northern army generals who can restructure Nigeria? Waiting for the dwarf to grow up is, to me, an exercise in futility. The new angelic government shall fence Nigeria beginning from the north where killers slip into and out of Nigeria at will. The two-tiers of government shall meet to agree on devolution of powers. Nobody-not even the president can go abroad for medical treatment.
However, an angelic world class hospital with air ambulances shall be built at Maiango, near Jos. Also, a world class angelic university shall be built at the Obudu Cattle Ranch. Children of politicians, civil servants, the military, etc. shall compulsorily attend Nigerian public schools up to first degree level before they can study abroad. Women shall occupy forty percent of all appointive positions in the local and federal governments. The rule of law shall always be the spirit of angelic justice in all matters. Every local government shall own and control her resources and pay fifty percent tax to the federal government. The South-east shall be compensated to finally heal the wounds of the civil war. Similarly, surviving relatives of victims of senseless killings across the country shall be compensated. Youths, market women, house wives and self-employed individuals shall have easy access to cheap bank loans to activate
their dreams. Because I enjoyed free secondary education under former President Obasanjo’s military government, my government shall give back to Nigerian children what I received from Nigeria.
The new angelic government shall not probe past governments. Airports, roads, railways, power and transportation shall be privatised. It is time for the teacher to receive his reward here on earth. Every local government shall be nicely planned with wide streets and houses duly numbered. The federal government shall build two hundred houses annually in every local government for the next twenty years. Finally, the new angelic government shall not only step on toes but also on necks whenever and where ever necessary without looking at faces. So help me God.

Adoba writes from the Newgreen Angelic Hermitage in New Karshi,
Federal Capital Territory

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