A former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku, says a federating system with a less dominant central government is what Nigeria needs to restore it to the path of greater political stability and more assured economic growth.
Anyaoku made this remark at the 2021 Awolowo Memorial Lecture: ‘Whither Nigeria’, where he alongside the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, and Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, were notable guest of honour.
The renowned diplomat said it was wrong for Nigeria to adopt the United States as a model because of its large immigrant population.
To save Nigeria from the brink of tragedy and state failure, he advised the country to adopt the model in India.
According to him, an Asian nation, like Nigeria, is a country of a diverse population whose parts have lived in their separate areas for centuries yet succeeded in sustaining a united country and a thriving democracy.
“My first point is that there is no section or ethnic group in Nigeria that does not stand to benefit from belonging to the one country of the size and resources of present-day Nigeria. Therefore, it is, and should be in the common interest of all its ethnically and religiously diverse component para in, nourish and progress our one country,” he said.
“My second point is that the current state of affairs in Nigeria is not sustainable if the country is to avoid becoming a failed and broken state. There are undeniable facts about the current situation in Nigeria.
“In addition to the country’s economic under-performance with its evident consequence of growing poverty among the population, there is worsening insecurity of life and property which is now spreading from the North to all parts of the country.
“My third point is to say once again that it has become clear that these national challenges cannot be effectively tackled under our present type of federal system of government.
“After my over 34 years close association with governance in the 54 diverse Commonwealth member countries, I can say with reasonable confidence that from the experiences of other countries, a federal system that is based on more economically and socially viable federating units with a less dominant central government, is what will restore Nigeria to greater political stability and a more assured economic growth.
“I believe that in constitutional governance, the model for Nigeria should be India not the United States of America. The US has a mainly immigrant population where it is relatively easier for its leaders to define the country’s national ethos that underpins its constitutional practice.
“In contrast, India is a country of diverse populate action whose component paved in their separate areas for centuries, but which has succeeded in sustaining a united country and a thriving democracy.
“Nigeria’s national attributes have much more in common with India’s, and so a Nigeria with a governance structure that is informed by its national attributes, can, I believe, aspire to equal if not surpass the level of democratic political stability and economic development that India has achieved with its own style of ral system m of governance.”
Anyaoku, however, called on the Nigerian government and the National Assembly to urgently organise an all-inclusive national dialogue.
“The dialogue should take into account the recommendations of previous national conferences, and the many proposals emanating from various major stakeholders, with a view to, modify our present governance structure and Constitution that can truthfully be described as the product of us, the people of Nigeria,” he said.
Correct. Nigeria is more similar foundationally to India in terms the presence of Ethnic Nationalities the two countries have in common comprising their populations. Unlike the United States to which ONLY the Native Indians can lay claim as the sole Ethnic Nationality before the arrival of the Europeans and their claims of having DISCOVERED a NEW LAND….. Like no one ever lived or existed there before. It can be seen clearly that there’s no basis for comparism between Nigeria and the United States of America. What political system worked sustainably for the USA cannot work for Nigeria. Its time for a rethink so that every Ethnic Nationalities making up the Nigerian Nation State can begin to have a sense of belonging.