On Asaba Accord We Stand

By Sonnie Ekwowusi

We live in perilous times. You can say it again and again. Like the proverbial rudderless vessel, Nigeria is dangerously drifting away into the precipice with the ship’s captain and crew members completely ignorant and helpless on how to salvage the sinking ship. Anybody still finding it difficult to come to terms with this analogy in relation to Nigeria is living in a fool’s paradise. Nigeria is at war: she is at with herself, with her different ethnic nationalities, stakeholders and interest groups which make up Nigeria. The bullets may not be flying and crisscrossing here and there quite alright but the bandits, Islamic terrorists, Fulani herdsmen murderers, anonymous gun-men, arsonists, burglars have made a far-reaching inroad into the heart of the Nigerian State and they are about capturing her in order to destroy her in reminiscent of Karl Maier’s This House Has Fallen or Robert D. Kaplan’s The Coming Anarchy

The consolation however is that we have reached a point of no return in our efforts to build a new Nigeria where cluelessness, dementia, illiteracy, incompetence, provincialism and nepotism will have no place. We have arrived at a unique time in the history of our country when it is fashionable to look at one another’s face and spill out the truth. We are no longer held captive by untruth about Nigeria and her survival. Consequently some uncommon formidable political fronts and political alignments are emerging in Nigeria day by day to salvage sinking Nigeria. For example, last week the Southern State Governors met in Asaba under the aegis of the Southern Governor’s Forum (SGF) and unanimously agreed, inter alia to formally place a ban on open cattle grazing in all the Southern States of Nigeria (this is coming on the heels of Nigerian Governors Forum banning open grazing in Nigeria. In February 2021 the Nigerian Governors representing the 36 States of the Federation met and unanimously banned open grazing in Nigeria).

The SGF also called for the restructuring of Nigeria and the inauguration of true fiscal federalism in Nigeria. But former Executive Secretary of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf complains that the Southern Governors did not consult the Fulani herdsmen before enacting their anti- grazing laws in their respective States.He stated that none of the Southern Governors has sat down with the Fulani people to discuss anti-grazing before the Southern Governors suddenly jumped up to enact their anti-grazing laws.

I have carefully considered the objection of Prof Yusuf in pari-passu with the extant laws in the 36 States of the Federation and I must state quite frankly that Prof. Yusuf’s objection completely lacks merit. To begin with, the Southern Governors are not under any legal obligation to consult the Fulani-herdsmen prior to enacting their anti-grazing laws or any laws at all in their respective States. Prof. Yusuf is well aware that for five years now the AK-47-weiding Fulani herdsmen have been killing, maiming, and raping their victims in Southern Nigeria as well as dispossessing them of their farm lands under the watch of the Buhari government.

This is why the Southern State Governors have enacted their anti-grazing laws to protect their citizens from the terrorism and criminal activities of the Fulani herdsmen. Besides, by virtue of the Land Use Act, all lands in Southern Nigeria are vested in the Southern State Governors not in Fulani herdsmen. Only the Southern Governors could, swayed by overriding public interest, dictate whether or not an open grazing could be allowed in their respective States. It is worthy of note that prior to Buhari coming to power, the Fulani herdsmen rearing cattle in Southern Nigeria were not armed with AK-47 guns let alone raping and murdering people. Before Buhari, they were carrying long sticks. Unfortunately since Buhari came to power, these Fulani herdsmen rearing cattle in the South have started carrying guns and indulging in all sorts of criminal activities. Too bad. Anyway, the Southern governors have vowed not to resile from the Asaba Accord.

Hearkening to the voices of about 90% of Nigerians, the Southern Governors reaffirmed in Asaba last week that Nigeria’s top priority at this moment ought to be restructuring of Nigeria in order to enthrone justice, equity and fairness in the country. But the Senate President Dr. Ahmad Lawan has faulted the Southern Governors calling for restructuring of Nigeria. He says that although the people may call for restructuring, Southern State Governors are disallowed from doing so. I beg your pardon, Mr. Senate President. Is that an oxymoron? What is wrong with State Governors re-echoing the voice of their people and reaffirming the call for restructuring of Nigeria? If democracy is government of the people by the people, why disallow Southern State Governors from speaking the mind of the Nigerian people? If State Governors are barred from listening to their people who should they listen to? Listen to Mr. Clueless? Listen to Mr. Nepotism?. Mr. Senate President Sir, given the over-concentration of power at the Federal level to the detriment of the federating units, the State Governors cannot restructure their respective States as you are suggesting. Why? Because the 1999 Constitution is an inconvenient inequitable constitutional contraption being used to perpetuate injustices in Nigeria. The Constitution over-concentrates enormous power (as could be gleaned from the long list of federal powers in the Exclusive List of the Constitution) in the hands of the Federal government thus leaving the Federating units at the mercy of the Federal government or as appendages to the Federal government. This is the main reason for the consistent clamour for restructuring of Nigeria.

Mr. Senate President Sir, it is important to understand all the ethnic nationalities across the six geo-political groups in Nigeria beginning with Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Pan-Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Middle Belt Forum, Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) to Arewa Consultative Forum are calling for restructuring. In fact, if a referendum is conducted today on whether or not Nigeria should be restructured I wager that not less than 89% of Nigerians would vote in favour of restructuring. So, why fault the State Governors for voicing out the will of the Nigerian people? Restructuring is not secession. In fact restructuring is a cure for secession. If you don’t want Biafra, Oduduwa Republic or Mid-West country or others, then allow restructuring of Nigeria so that justice, equity and fairness may reign in Nigeria. A skewed power arrangement in favour of the federal government has been resulting in communal injustices in Nigeria. In fact the Nigerian crisis is the crisis of failed federalism.

On Asaba accord we stand. A thoughtful reader cannot fail to be struck by the groping in darkness in Nigeria over the years. So let the light shine. And the light can only shine in Nigeria when the country is restructured in such a way as to restore regional autonomy to the various Nigerian Regions to enable them to freely chart courses that would lead to the ultimate development of their respective Regions. Anything short of this is unacceptable.

Those casting hope on 2023 Presidential election should be reminded that so long as INEC is headed by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and the Supreme Court headed by Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad it is not unlikely that another Mr. Nepotism will be imposed on Nigerians in 2023. Already the APC is boasting that it will rule Nigeria for 32 years. I don’t think this is a joke. It is their dream. With the people’s complacency and reluctance to fight their battles the worst citizens may continue ruling Nigeria for a long time.