Restructuring: Minister fears ‘Brexit experience’ for Nigeria

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has
expressed fears that Nigeria may experience the Brexit experience,
unless youths in the country are given political education to make
them understand the issue of restructuring.

Newsmen report that a cross-section of Nigerians has been
clamouring consistently for Nigeria’s restructuring as basis for
national cohesion, progress and peaceful co-existence.

Fashola was speaking as guest speaker at the 76th anniversary of
the Island Club in Lagos at the weekend.

According to him, Nigerian youths need to be given the right
political education to help them understand the issue of
restructuring, to avert the Brexit experience.

Brexit refers to the decision by some people in Britain for the
country to leave the European Union (EU), a choice that has thrown
the country into confusion.

Fashola argued that the quest for better life had resulted in
relentless agitations by some Nigerian groups pushing diverse
ideologies in their demands for restructuring.

He said that Britain was currently grappling with the problem of
whether to stay in the EU or not because the youth segment of the
population did not fully understand the implications of the
referendum they participated in.

The minister stressed the need for adequate education of the
younger segment of the Nigerian population to ensure that right
choices were made in repositioning the nation’s diversity to avoid
the Brexit experience.

Fashola noted, however, that he was speaking in his capacity as
a member of the Island Club and not as a member of the Federal
Executive Council or the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Speaking on “Restructuring: Lessons from Brexit,” Fashola gave a
detailed history of the evolution of the United Kingdom, which he
said, was similar to Nigeria’s 1914 amalgamation that merged the
Northern and Southern Protectorates.

He explained that the insatiable quest for better life was the
root of the clamor for restructuring in Nigeria, noting that
measures to create new identities had compounded problems
throughout human history.

The senior advocate of Nigeria argued that young people, who
were not aware of the history of the emergence and evolution of
Britain voted in favor of leaving the EU without understanding or
weighing its implications, resulting to the current logjam.

He pointed out that ignorance of voters had left Britain in a
difficult position of taking a decision whether to leave or not,
which had led to the exit of three prime ministers with no headway
in sight.

The senior lawyer warned proponents of restructuring in Nigeria
to make their definitions clear and to also educate youths on the
implications of their choices to avoid retrogression in
Nigeria.

Fashola noted that there had been confusion in the restructuring
agitation with people clamouring variously for confederation,
secession, constitutional amendment and state police, among others,
adding that restructuring in whatever guise must be made clear to
youths.

“Let us decompose that word and let everybody be specific. There
is so much confusion. Don’t hide restructuring under one word.
Bring it out, so that we know what to choose.

“Some people are calling for parliamentary system of government.
The new generation must be told that it was the parliamentary
system that caused crisis which was difficult to resolve and which
led us into civil war.

“Where people are diverse, a federation is better. There is a
great deal of work to be done by the protagonists.’’

Fashola listed countries that broke up without being able to
resolve the issues of separation to include Yugoslavia, Sudan, the
Soviet Union, North and South Korea, warning against agitations to
split Nigeria.

The minister said there were currently 86 unresolved boundary
disputes as a result of state creations in the country, explaining
that the Federal Government was still building secretariats for
some new states.

Fashola said that sometimes the fears of over concentration of
powers in the central government was not real, citing various
processes, including budgeting that depended on other arms of
government for approval.

He said that the Federal Government was being blamed for all
problems, ranging from education to other sectors dominated by
states or the private sector.

“One of the items on restructuring is that we want quality
education.

“The default argument for poor quality education is government
but I say, it is true to the extent that government is the
regulator.

“It licenses. It approves, sets and enforces standards but today
the records indicate that there are about 165 universities in
Nigeria.

Forty three belong to the Federal Government, 47 belong to State
Governments and 75 are private.’’

Fashola said there were constitutional provisions already for
distribution of equal opportunities, citing the 13 per cent revenue
allocation for mineral producing areas as an example.

The minister said that the constitution could show direction but
that Nigerians must imbibe the right attitude for it to work.

“A good document not backed by the right attitude does not take
a people far. If anything really needs restructuring, it must start
with us as a people, with our attitude and with our mindset.

“Better life does not necessarily exist in a new document
without a right political education; a change of attitude and an
inflexible commitment to the public rule.’’

Fashola, however, supported calls for state police but stated
that Nigeria missed the opportunity to have it because people did
not follow up with it at various levels of government.

Also speaking, a former Minister of State for Defence, Sen.
Musiliu Obanikoro, said that experience had shown that “where you
have injustice, humans will resist and opt for their
independence”.

He called for equal opportunities to remove increasing
inequalities and endless agitations for session in the country.

The Chairman of the Island Club, Mr Philip Abumere, lauded
Fashola for his commitment to nation building, citing the
minister’s strides when he was governor of Lagos State.