APC women position on true federalism

By Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu

The lot of the Nigerian women is not at all enviable. They are hardly taken into account when making far-reaching decisions of national proportion, yet they often bear the brunt of the consequences of our failings.

The popular narrative in Nigeria today is that our federation is unbalanced and needs to be rejigged. That despite being blessed with vast natural (and human) resources, Nigeria is not delivering public goods to the generality of Nigerians. This we believe has spurred the clamour for ‘restructuring’ across the country.

As most of us will agree, there is a distinct need for devolution of power from the centre to the federating units. A few items on the exclusive legislative list should be transferred to the concurrent list to fast-track the development of the country and enhance delivery of essential services to the Nigerian people. Some of the things we believe can benefit from this ‘reshuffling’ include but are not limited to railway, limited provision for state/community police, and prisons. And at this point, it’ll also not be out of place to transfer the so-called federal roads and other similar infrastructure to the states for optimum utility.

Logically, for the states to take on such additional responsibilities they will need to access a commensurate share of the National wealth to so do. This in turn highlights the imperative of resolving the issue of fiscal federalism and/or derivation principle. We believe that by putting Nigeria first, this question can be tackled in harmony rather than acrimony.

On the issue of the Ideal federating units to adopt and whether or not there should be a merger or creation of more states, it is our considered opinion that the status quo should be maintained. A return to the regional government format is not feasible for so many reasons well known to all of us and if forced on Nigerians will only fan the embers of minority suspicion and oppression. On the other hand, so many of the states in the Federation as presently constituted are not economically viable and largely rely on allocations from the centre to even barely afford to pay the salaries of workers. Creating more states is tantamount to creating more problems for Nigeria and its people.

And then there are other contentious issues that sharply divide opinion, like whether or not Nigeria should operate a presidential or parliamentary system of government, unicameral or bicameral legislature, citizenship/indigene-ship conundrum, the efficacy and legitimacy of the current land tenure system, and even the muted idea of a rotational presidency under our law.

Our position is that each of these options have their pitfalls and as such Nigeria must adopt a mix that best suits our national reality and peculiarity. For instance, even if it is widely believed that the Presidential system encourages waste and is too expensive to run, it is also argued that the parliamentary system in Nigeria was not exactly successful in the past and that it encourages sectionalism; seeing as Nigeria is anything but a homogeneous Nation.

However, what is clear to us is that the present land tenure system needs to be revisited to make access to land for agriculture and development easier for the average Nigerian. The widespread practice in most Nigerian communities of discriminating against people in the name of ‘indigenes’ and ‘settlers’ must be consigned to the dustbin of illegality by a conscious legislation and implementation of well thought out policies. What should matter in our nation is where you reside and pay your taxes, not your ‘state of origin’. This will enable every Nigerian irrespective of where he/she is from or lives to enjoy the full set of rights and benefits guaranteed under our laws. This will in turn enthrone a sense of inclusion and fair play which are necessary ingredients in nation building.

On a final note, let me re-echo the sentiment of Nigerian women, and in particular the APC women to the effect that most Nigerians value the limitless opportunities our ‘unity in diversity’ offers. As our President aptly noted, Nigeria’s unity is not ‘negotiable’. And like we all acknowledge, the imperative of a more egalitarian and equitable Nigeria is not lost on us. We are hopeful that a more united and prosperous Nigeria will emerge from this exercise.