Nigeria’ll Implode Without Restructuring, Monarch Warns
The Paramount Ruler-elect of Calabar South local government area of Cross River state and the Muri Munene-elect of Efut nation, HRM Maurice Okon Eyo 1, has warned that recent socio-economic and political upheavals in the country were indicators that Nigeria could implode if something is not done urgent to restructure the country.
Speaking in Calabar during a chat with our reporter, weekend, the Monarch advised that the country either restructures or returns to the era of regionalism, allowing each region to control its natural resources and using such resources to develop itself, saying the center was too strong for a federal system.
While warning political leaders not to continue to pretend as if all was well with the country, the Royal father also made a case for constitutional roles for traditional leaders since, according to him, they know the dynamics of their respective communities and domain to be able to handle the challenge of insecurity.
He said: “to avoid implosion, it has become imperative that the country be restructured. Insecurity and all other things happening across the country are ominous signs that Nigeria is on the precipice.
“And what is restructuring, to me it means true federalism and regionalism. The centre is too strong and too powerful. Let’s go back and empower our regions or we empower adequately the 36 states. I call it the United States of Nigeria. Either you create more States to add to the 36 or you allow it to remain the way it is, and then, the government should allow these states to be self-sufficient so as to be able to determine their own destiny.
“If you are copying the United States of America federal system, let us practice exactly what the Americans are practicing. You cannot just pick a system and then select what you think suits you from it and dump the rest. In America, the states are very independent. A good percentage of power has to leave the centre because there is too much concentration of power there, the states must be able to control their resources and plan their future. This would give them an additional sense of belonging.”
Describing as ‘a mistake’ the total prohibition of traditional leaders from interference in political matters in their respective domains, the Royal father it was regrettable that the fathers and real owners of the land were rendered voiceless.
“Our political leaders should realize that they cannot rule the country without the traditional rulers. You cannot do without them because the chiefs and other traditional leaders know their area well and know their people better than even the local government chairman which the constitution has so empowered to oversee the security of the council area.
“The fathers, the owners of the land who understand the dynamic, the set up and the terrain are neglected. Today, we have no voice over the things happening in our local domains. We have been left behind in governance and have no say in whatever is going in Nigeria. This is sad. Government should consider re-establishing a federal House of Chief as was before and restructure the country as well,” he stated,
Muri Eyo I also appealed to Governor Ben Ayade to apply wisdom in settling the stalemate in the Cross River state judiciary which, since September 2, 2020, had not been able to produce a Chief Judge, either substantive or acting.
He said: “I appeal to our dynamic Governor, Prof Ben Ayade, to seriously look into this matter and use his good office to bring this embarrassing situation to an end. It is embarrassing to all of us and it is embarrassing to the state. The Governor has all the powers to stop this embarrassment.”
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