By Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi

Today we stand at the threshold of history for the recovery of our nation’s identity and its “protectorates” called States.

What is a protectorate?

A protectorate is a State that is controlled and protected by another.

Before 1914, there existed 3 distinct districts, known as Lagos Colony, Southern Protectorate and the Northern Protectorate. These Protectorates were running independent of each other under the the colonial British Government’s control and protection.

In 1914, the amalgamation of the Southern Protectorate and Northern Protectorate stripped Calabar of its significance and prominence and fostered it on Lagos; that gained the capital of the new arrangement at the expense of her identity.

This arrangement was self serving for the British Government. And so when the agitation for the independence of Nigeria came to fore ahead of its granting in 1960, the desire to tie the new nation to the apron strings of her former Colonial masters, saw the British Government superintend a quasi out-of-order type of self determination of nations just to maintain a stranglehold control over the “independent” nation.

This strange bed fellow relationship has left our National marriage in conflict for over 60 years.

Our situation was complicated by the inclusion of the military in Government through the bloody coup of January 1966; the worse will happened when a counter coup led to the decimation of the country and an eventual civil war.

The war was over in 1970, but not it wounds and pains from which we are yet to heal.

Our independent country went into unending balkanisation under the military regimes, States upon States were created by military fiat, reflective of the self imposed decision of the colonial masters against the rules of self determination.

Since then, we have had 3 Republics, this third being the most enduring since 1999.

We are proudly standing today in hope of a turn around as we approach another election season. The political tension being experienced is a proof that 2023 could make or mar, if we are lucky to get there!

The round peg of democracy is being squeezed through the square hole of a default military document passed down to us for a Constitution. So unworkable that a Senator of the Federal Republic, lamented on the floor of the Red Chambers the frustrations of screwing a round peg through a square hole.

Several attempts were made to change the workings of our union through Conferences and dialogues; on the nature and article of our union. Decisions were arrived at and recommendations were made but the will to do the needful seems to be the bane of our society in the hands of our political elites.

We need not reel out the travail of a bedevilled nation, with States as mere nomenclatures but protectorates in reality. How else do you describe a state where the Governor is the Chief Security Officer of his State but the security of himself and his people are under the control of the Federal State. This structure is simply a reflective of our colonial days. There is no Federation with our obsolete political system of government!

Nepotism and bigotry has become the hall mark of national leadership with “national leaders” seeing only through the prism of tribal and religious settlements. If this will and must change, restructuring is our only hope!

What is Restructuring?

The word restructuring is the present continuous tense of the word restructure. Restructure being a compound word of the word “re” and the word “structure”.

“re” is a Latin prefix meaning to re do a thing.

A quick search of the word structure through Google gave the meaning as: the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.

Ours is no doubt a complex nation of close to 400 ethnic nationalities. No wonder our present system is failing! We need not wait until it we are consumed by it. Time to do something is now!

What then must we do?

We all must come to term with the dysfunctionality of our political structure. We must be ready and deliberate to make sacrifices to “Re” Do Nigeria.

We must keep tinkering with the concept called Nigeria; trading arguments, enabling debates, adjusting models, till a right template be found. This naturally should be the burden of the National Assembly, but the recent shameful position of the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives and the complicity of attitude shown at such moments by his colleagues to Hon Gibiah, who was present the plight of Tivs in diaspora. has further strengthened the need to keep a public “parliament”, call it the People’s Parliament if you like, (apologies to PVC-NAIJA). We must keep the people talking, till our talk becomes our walk.

Charismatic Renewal Ministry has taken the bull by the horns, there is therefore hope of gaining control of the beast of destruction running wild in our China shop, this though will not be easy. But a step, they have taken in the right direction by creating CRM Political Academy.

Please, join me and other Patriots like you for this all important seminar.

His steward and yours for a better and greater country.

Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is the President, Voice Of His Word Ministries. He wrote via email: bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com

Source: StreetReporters.ng