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Wednesday, July 28, 2004
The proposition that power should shift from South to North at the national level, and from Senatorial District to Senatorial District, at the State level, is intuitively appealing, but conceptually flawed.
Ignored in this debate is the minority ethnic groups, particularly the Niger Deltans in the South and the Middle Beltans in the North. In Delta State, power shift conceptualised to just three Senatorial Districts is ambiguous and questionable. The none recognition of important ethnic or political groupings within the Senatorial Districts, is an ambiguity that needs sorting out. Thus, an inadequately conceptualised Power Shift, as is currently being proposed at both levels, is a negation of our political culture as embedded in the country’s constitution. Section 14, sub-sections 3 and 4, state that, the composition of the governments of the Federation, the State, Local Council or any of its agencies and the “conduct of their affairs, shall be carried out in such a manner as to recognize the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the peoples of the Federation”. The intent of the framers in the above is obvious, and that I believe, was the impetus for the clamor for Power Shift in Nigeria. Why do Nigerians clamour for power shift.
First, is to remove the undemocratic effect of the politics of the status quo and freeing of the polity from the perpetual grip of money bags. In a political culture where politics is not seen as a way to further the public good, but as a means to continually maintain a small elite of the very rich in power, power shift allows marginal groups the opportunity to become president or governor. Power shift, thus, helps us deal with the issue of national diversity as recognised in our constitution. In Nigeria where groups are ethnically and linguistically diverse, power shift is an ideal system, since every group has the opportunity to partake in the leadership of the country or state. Given that the present clamour for power shift is based on the South/North dichotomy, in 2007, the presidency should revert back to the North. A contrary argument now is simply an invitation to chaos.
And if what is good for the geese is good for the gander, ethnic minority groups in the Niger Delta of the Oil Producing areas, on whose back the nation was built and still rests, cannot be refused a place in it. These groups must enjoy the benefits of the emerging political culture which engenders a sense of belonging simply explains the intent of the framers of our constitution when they inserted very prominently section 14, sub-sections 3 & 4 in the 1999 Constitution. The question is, will the money bags and habitual power grabbers allow this novel, emerging political culture to mature? It has to, because the consensus that gave rise to power shift, is novel and historic. For the first time in our history, prominent politicians all over the country agreed that power should shift. That understanding or gentleman’s agreement deserves commendation.
Chief Sunday Awoniyi, Professor Jerry Gana, Governors Orji Kalu and Victor Attah, founding fathers of People Democratic Party (PDP), have confirmed that such an understanding or agreement exists. Our leaders in the South must not let pass the opportunity to demonstrate to the North that they are people that can be trusted. Their prevarication on whether power should shift to the North in 2007, injects not only a feeling of distrust in the North, but also a feeling of betrayal by the South. This is an opportunity to build on the solidarity of reasonable, pragmatic and patriotic Northern political leaders, whom the South had labeled hegemonic North. Now that they have shredded that toga of hegemony, they should be encouraged to make that transformation permanent. Otherwise, the fascists and extremists among them, would say, didn’t we warn you? You gave up the presidency to the South and now they have refused to reciprocate. If the South who now holds the reins of power does not reciprocate, we have unwittingly signed the Faustian Pact, a deal with the devil for a quick return, and that is gambling by a shortcut.
It is a fact that throughout Nigerian history, once an ethnic majority group ascends the seat of government, a disproportionate share of important political appointments and developmental projects, were cornered by it. What has not been recognised, therefore, is that a co-ethnic or marginal ethnic groups, have to be carried along, and that, is an accurate reflection of social and political realities in today’s Nigeria. And for this reason too, Power Shift should be adequately conceptualized.
A second and related issue is that a fully conceptualised power shift helps check the tyranny of the majority ethnic groups, promotes widespread service in government and prevents the long stay in office which breeds corruption of elected officials in government. Thus, section 14, sub-sections 3 & 4 of the constitution which resembles Aristotle’s Rule of all over each and each in turn over all, should be applied. If the principle behind the idea of power shift is to accentuate the equalizing values of Equal Citizenship in the polity whereby there is a reciprocity of ruling and being ruled in turn, then its conceptualization should not be limited to the North/South dichotomy nor should it be confined to just three Senatorial Districts. The most appropriate conceptualization at the national level should be the devolution of power amongst the regions in the following order: Northwest, Southeast, Northcentral, South-South, Northeast, and begins again with Southwest. Southeast is placed over South-South, if Southeast can get their acts together by becoming better organised and less materialistic. Otherwise, South-South should precede it.
For the States, using Delta State as an example, since all the states do not have the same political or ethnic configurations. In Delta North Senatorial District, power should shift from Ndokwa to Aniocha/Oshimili and to Ika. In Delta South Senatorial District, power should shift from Isoko to Ijaw and to Itsekiri. In Delta Central Senatorial District, power should shift from the Urhobos to the Okpes? The order of the shift would be one ethnic or political grouping in a Senatorial District at a time. It means that when it starts with one ethnic or political grouping in a District, it shifts to another ethnic or political grouping in the next District until the three Districts have had their turns. It begins again with the next ethnic or political grouping in the District it started with. Note that, any Senatorial District that does not have the political or ethnic complexity which gives rise to the agitation for the right to self determination, does not need rotation within it.
By the above arrangement, democratic citizenship is produced by experiencing two different political roles: the role as a ruler and the role as the ruled. A true power shift will give more people the opportunity to serve in public office, and, in so doing, train and sensitise a large number of individuals in the art and responsibilities of public service. As a consequence, it is good for the development of citizens, the country, the state and the ethnic groups, who ordinarily would not have been able to hold elective offices of President or the Governor of a state.
Given the exigency of the time, the emerging new political culture as evidenced by the transformation of the politics of the hegemonic North, 2007 provides us the occasion to be Statemanly and give our patriotic contributions. It is an era that reminds us of our individual responsibilities, which is, to safeguard Justice in Democracy through Active Citizenship. The responsibilities we share as citizens of Nigerians beg for a radical renewal of our sense of patriotism. There is not a better time for sharpening that focus and executing it than in this our transitional period. Rally, therefore, behind President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government. Advise him statemanly and help him succeed in this new experimentation of nation-building.
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