Dr Seye Oyeleye is the Director General, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission. He spoke with The Guardian Newspaper recently on the regrets President Bola Tinubu may have if he fails, like his predecessors, to restructure Nigeria before he leaves office, among other issues. Excerpts:
Do you envisage the possibility of President Bola Tinubu seeing through the process of restructuring Nigeria, considering the antecedents of his predecessors who all couldn’t do it?
To answer that question, you have to look at the antecedent of the man called President Bola Tinubu. He was once a senator as early as 1992 and it was noted then on the floor of the Senate that some of the Bills he proposed, before former Military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) flushed them out, were in tune with trying to decentralise power in Abuja.
That was 1992, which is about 31 years ago. By the time he became governor in Lagos in 1999, tactically the things he was pushing was on how the state would become sustainable and his argument then was that to have a sustainable state, the humongous power at the federal level must be devolved. Of course, being a man who believes in the law, on several occasions he approached the courts and the immediate past Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, was his Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. On 12 different occasions, Tinubu won his cases at the Supreme Court and everything bothered on taking more powers away from the centre to the state.
Some of the things we are enjoying today, like states being able to create their own Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and some of the alterations in the revenue formula we are enjoying today, all came from the victory won by Lagos State at that time.
I went into that brief historical background to say that if Tinubu had achieved that in the past, I think we should be quietly confident that the demon that dictates things to presidents in Aso Rock would not suddenly overcome him, such that he would change from being who he has always been.
I want to give him the benefit of doubt that he will start pushing that necessary imperative. Restructuring should no longer be an agenda. The last 15 years ought to have shown to us that restructuring should no longer be an item on the agenda but a necessary imperative for the sustainability of Nigeria.
Talking about antecedents, the same President Tinubu kicked against the 2014 National Conference. He also didn’t say anything to caution the former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who was harping on diversification instead of restructuring under Buhari…
The way the country is, there is something you call political expediency. The Yoruba has a famous saying that if you are not holding the sword, never ask about who killed your father. You are right that Tinubu was not enthusiastic about the 2014 National Conference but that is neither here nor there. It could be political expediency by trying to say what are the outcomes of the previous ones convened? However, today, he is the president. Looking at how he got to power today, you could see that he was very strategic in ensuring that May 29, 2023, actually happened. Without saying too much, I would rather look at his positive side and hope he would eventually restructure Nigeria.
But with Professor Osinbajo when you say he harped on diversification instead of restructuring, as the vice president, I am not sure he is allowed to say things that are different from his principal. His approach might be what you call a gradualist approach when he was talking about diversification. For him, that might be a start, gradually taking power away little by little from the centre. I remember him talking about something like economic restructuring and that’s what we need.
So, I would not say they changed on getting to Aso Rock; it could be that the reality of that time was what affected them. However, I still want to give President Tinubu the benefit that he is a federalist.
For instance, at the 40th anniversary lecture of Guardian Newspapers, in the speech that was delivered by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, who represented Tinubu, everything Mr President said clearly shows that this country needs to operate on the basis of full federalism. It was clear in his speech. I am not sure that the speech was given much prominence. What he said was that Nigeria needs to operate like a true Federal system.
A northern political leader once said if the Yoruba people get power, they would stop clamouring for restructuring. Could he be right?
I will say no. If I am going to understand the minds of the Yoruba leaders, they are not in a rush. They are only giving Mr. President some time to settle down before they start reminding him about the agreement on restructuring. If you have been an observer of events in the last two months, quite a few Yoruba organisations have been coming out to say that our main issue is restructuring.
The Yoruba are not power mongers and they don’t believe that you must be in power to get what you want. For years, the Yoruba thrived in opposition. What I am saying is that the government does not make a Yoruba man. Rather, Yoruba men make government. I can assure you, from next year, you will be seeing talks from critical Yoruba leaders or Southern leaders, who will be coming out to say look, the germane issue that Nigeria needs to develop is restructuring. We have done the same thing since 1966.
It has been 60 years since the late Military Head of State, Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi enacted the unification decree and brought all of us under the unitary system. We have seen how far that has taken us. The enormous challenges President Tinubu is facing today is because, over the years, we didn’t restructure. We have a federal government that decided to do so many things. Governor Charles Soludo recently said that the economy this government inherited was a standing dead horse. Under this present structure, it will be a struggle for Nigeria to develop if it is not restructured.
Should the government organise another conference or revisit the recommendations of past conferences?
It would be a monumental tragedy if President Tinubu decides to set up another committee to look at how we can restructure. I am glad you mentioned that former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan did something. Even the late Gen. Sani Abacha and the Malam Nasir El-Rufai’s committee of the APC came up with some fundamental things. What we need is the political will and sincerity of the leader. That is what the Southwest leaders are pushing for. Let us assist President Tinubu to have the political will. Everything that is needed for restructuring has been discussed extensively over the years. What we need to do is to go back and clean up those recommendations and start looking at the low hanging fruits among the issues.
For instance, we can take on the issue of security by decentralising the Police Force instead of the centralised one that we have now. I mean state police. For instance, Southwest has set an example with the creation of Operation Amotekun. State Police have become an imperative.
Allow the states to handle all roads. To me, there is nothing like Federal Roads. Cut the allocation for roads and push them down to the states. Let’s begin a new revenue sharing formula. Devolve more funds to the states.
For instance, we don’t need the Federal Ministry of Agriculture; let the issue of agriculture be handled by the states. They said the railway has been devolved to the states but there are still some tiny encumbrances. They are saying that states cannot construct rail lines outside their border. We are planning Western Nigerian rail but we must find a way around to ensure that the six states interconnect.
There are things that could be done such that those who are opposed to restructuring would begin to see why it is necessary. After all, it is just to enhance development. It is the fear of the unknown that has made some people opposed to restructuring the country. Some have sold that believe that restructuring is the next to secession and I think that’s a wicked lie to keep holding people in perpetual poverty. The system we are practicing today is actually entrenching poverty. Development has to be closer to the people. Our local councils need to function properly because they are the closest tier of government to the people.
I can’t just understand why people are opposed to restructuring. Let’s assume the oil we have dries up today, what then do we rely on to survive. Before we get to the big aspects of restructuring, let’s begin with the low hanging areas.
In another 12 years, it is projected that the country will grow in population with an additional 100 million people. 12 years is just three election cycles away. How are we preparing for that? Are we going to continue to run the way we are now? A lot of the states are hampered by the present structure.
Do you also agree that the current National Assembly is not viable enough to handle the critical aspect of restructuring since it might lose its power and influence?
Let me just say that it depends on how outsiders present the argument before the legislators. The lawmakers all live in Nigeria and they know what is at stake. So, the senators too must be highly enlightened on why we need to restructure. The state can organise town hall meetings to interact with their respective lawmakers, especially the Senators.
What we are talking about is the survival and viability of Nigeria. I would rather say that as long as the argument is put in a proper context I would be surprised if any senator will stand up and say no, that he is satisfied with the way the nation is today. If we do nothing about restructuring, only God knows what would happen in this country in the next 10 years.
I don’t want to believe that the National Assembly will be a cog in the wheel, but a partner to restructure Nigeria. A lot of them have been to the best schools in the world so they understand what it means for a country to be viable. Nigeria, at the moment, is not working as it should.
Some said the 1999 Constitution must be changed while others are calling for amendment…
It’s two sides of the same coin. Several aspects of the current Constitution are a bit antithetical to development. Former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the new Railway Act and Electricity Decentralisation into law, but prior to that the Constitution said only the Federal Government can do rail and supply electricity. That means if I want to do rail in my state and want to connect it to another state, there is a law that says I cannot do it. That type of constitution should be thrown into the dustbin. A constitution that says you cannot generate and transmit your own power if I have the capacity to do it; a constitution that says I cannot secure myself is not good for development. Those who are saying change the constitution and the ones saying ‘restructure’ are saying the same thing. We can make a big change to the constitution. It will then be restructured.
Those who are clamouring for restructuring are not thinking about dismembering Nigeria. Their aims and objectives are completely different from those clamouring for self-determination. I get angry when some people equate the demands of those calling for restructuring with the ones agitating for self-determination. I, Seye Oyeleye, I am a true advocate of restructuring and not an advocate of dismemberment. I love Nigeria as it is, but what we’re saying is that let us get the mechanism working differently so that we can take our rightful place.
What would President Tinubu have missed if what if he fails to restructure Nigeria before he leaves office?
I would rather put it this way, that I will be happier and excited if Mr. President lives up to his antecedent and kick-starts the process of restructuring this country. I am not sure restructuring will be complete in four or eight years, but one would be excited if a major approach towards that, is made.
Former President Buhari started it and now for somebody who is known to be a complete federalist, it will be unfortunate if nothing fundamentally is done during his tenure. It is my prayer and hope that the Aso Rock demons will not suppress the inner workings of President Tinubu.
If you look at former President Obasanjo today, he suddenly had a Damascus Conversion. Today, he is an apostle of restructuring and federalism, and I keep thinking why he actively rejected the demand to restructure the country when he was in power. At a point, he withheld the allocations meant for Lagos because President Tinubu created additional councils. My prayer is that President Tinubu will not make a similar mistake.
