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Power Must Shift By John Oluwagbemiga
Some of us are concerned that the political class, in Nigeria, is made up of short-sighted, selfish and uncaring persons. One will easily come to this conclusion when an analysis of the current debacle over power shift is carried out. I am personally concerned because the issues are so simple that a political neophyte can easily see the way out of the conundrum.
Each country or political association must evolve its own system of governance, taking into consideration its peculiar circumstances and needs. In the case of Nigeria, we are confronted with the reality of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural society. We cannot ignore these realities. It is appropriate that we find to integrate these facts into our political decisions.
With 2007 around the corner, there has been a lot of cry about power shift in recent times. There have been cries that it is the turn of the South-South. Others are advocating that it is the turn of the South-East. The North has not been left out of the agitations. There is no doubt that every demand is genuine, even though the focus has largely been on the control of executive power at the federal level. The reason for such demand is easy to discern. Because there is so much power conferred on the centre by the constitution it has become very attractive for the political elite.
We must recognize that there can be only one President of the Federal Republic at any one given time. Therefore, advocates of power shift and rotation must imbibe the virtue of patience. Otherwise, the polity will become overheated and the nation will become ungovernable. We must also appreciate that there are other locus of power within the existent political structure. No one needs to become the President of Nigeria to become relevant in the scheme of things in Nigeria. Depending on the personality, being a local government chairman can be a great service to the community.
The major actors in Nigerias political space need to come to terms and agree to the proposition contained in this article. We need to think beyond our selfish prebendal tendencies, and think of the greater good of our country. We must not allow this country to break. The signs are there for anyone to see. However, if we are willing to compromise on some issues, we shall surely survive. 2007 is a good place to start with. We should look at the political power sharing arrangement at the federal level.
For the purpose of identification, we shall employ the six geo-political delineation that is usually used in our political configurations. We shall be sharing power between the North-East, North-West, North-Central/Middle-Belt, South-South, South-East and South-West.
Presently, the President is from the South-West, the Vice-President from the North-East, the Senate-President is from the South-East while his deputy is from the North-Central/Middle-Belt. The Speaker of the House is from the North-West and his deputy is from the South-South. This arrangement has worked to a reasonable extent. There is no reason for us to jettison it now. The wisdom that recommended it earlier is still valid today.
I wish to propose that for 2007 2015 we adopt the following: Presidency North-East, Vice-Presidency South-South, Senate Presidency North Central/Middle-Belt, Deputy Senate Presidency South-West, House Speaker - South-East, Deputy Speaker North-West. Alternatively, we can elect to have the following arrangement: Presidency South-East, Vice-Presidency North-West, Senate Presidency South-South, Deputy Senate Presidency North-West, House Speaker - North-East, Deputy Speaker South-West. Whichever of these arrangements is adopted for 2007 -2015 will be succeeded by the alternative for 2015 2023. If we can dispassionately assess these alternatives, we will discover that they contain the safety valve that will defuse the tension in the land.
Advocates of merit will contend that we should allow everyone that is capable to compete. The result of this will be the throwing-up of an ungovernable motley crowd. If we agree that politics is a game of compromises, we should be able to compromise on this issue. I am convinced that each geo-political zone has enough materials that can man any of this countrys political offices.
For the sake of our future, let us all agree to step down our individual ambitions. Let us rotate the power sharing. Let us keep Nigeria one.
John Oluwagbemiga is an Economist and Management Consultant based in Jos, Nigeria.
John Oluwagbemiga, e-mail: popraolu@yahoo.co.uk
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