By Samuel Ajayi
ABUJA (Sundiata Post) People have been talking of regionalism, state police and restructuring. If you listen to proponents, you would think the moment any or all of these are adopted, our country will become Eldorado.
No. Capital no. I am NOT against regionalism and restructuring. Know that.
However, let me say that what we need to restructure is our MINDS and our POLITICS.
Our attitude to political power and its deployment has to change! That is where the problem lies. It is NOT in the constitution.
Our politics is DESTRUCTIVE, DEBILITATING and not ENNOBLING. Everywhere, politics is played but for the advancement of the society and benefit of mankind. In countries that have developed, they know where to draw the line in politicking and common interest takes over.
In Nigeria, NOTHING IS TOO MUCH TO PLAY POLITICS WITH.
* If you see what governors do with state electoral bodies, you will have an idea of what they will do with state police.
* If you see what they do with little funds they have currently, you will understand what they will do if states start getting 65% of federal revenue.
* The problem is that we have ALWAYS focused so much on Abuja that we overlook the dictatorship, crass nepotism and daylight robbery going on in virtually all the states.
Even without state police, governors use instruments of the state to destroy their opponents and their businesses. A political opponent might be building a factory and they will come up with one law or or bye-law to kill that dream. This happens everyday. We all know.
Gentlemen and ladies, restructuring, state police or regionalism are all bywords for CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Constitutions don’t operate themselves. As long as we still have same set of politicians and same approach to politicking, we are deceiving ourselves.
We will only be replicating at the state or regional level, what we killed in Abuja. A destructively-inclined senator or governor (politician) cannot become a progressive one in a restructured Nigeria.
You don’t have to agree with me though…
Source: Facebook