Addiction to feeding bottle

I suppose we can still rise above the current din and share ideas as brothers and sisters even if our perspectives are different? That is the only way to build a nation, not by name calling or rigidity. No one was surprised that the National Assembly threw out the important aspects of the restructuring being […]

I suppose we can still rise above the current din and share ideas as brothers and sisters even if our perspectives are different? That is the only way to build a nation, not by name calling or rigidity. No one was surprised that the National Assembly threw out the important aspects of the restructuring being demanded by many Nigerians. Legislators are part of the problem we are trying to solve. If a referendum was conducted today, Nigerians will vote to scrap the Senate.

One thing is clear from our stagnation in the marsh of what somebody has described as ‘feeding bottle federalism’: it is but a glorification of collective indolence and democratisation of poverty. Let’s grow up. We can reason it out together as patriots. This military decree number 24 (1999) that we call a constitution may have served us for 18 years but is unworthy of dusting the sandals of the 1963 constitution of the First Republic which “We the people” gave to ourselves after constitutional conferences.

To those who believe they stand to lose if Nigeria is properly structured to give less prominence to the centre and allow the various regions develop their potentials (instead of the present rent-sharing system which guarantees underdevelopment and acrimony), I have a revelation: You could actually be richer and better developed with greater opportunities for employment and growth if the present structure is dismantled and the regions are allowed to control their own resources.

But the political leaders will have to roll up their sleeves and work to exploit their mineral endowments instead of feeding fat on an expiring feeding bottle. Let’s look at concrete facts about what lies in the belly of the earth under the various states: ABIA: Clay and Coal; ADAMAWA: Coal, Gypsum, Magnetite and Clay; ANAMBRA: Kaolin, Coal and Clay; AKWA-IBOM: Kaolin and Clay; BAUCHI: Kaolin, Rutile, Clay, Limestone, Columbite, Casseterite, Fluorite, Wolframite and Gemstones; BAYELSA: Clay; BENUE: Barite, Limestone and Clay; BORNO: Bentonite and Clay; CROSS-RIVER: Barite, Tantalite, Rutile, Limestone, Casseterite, Lead, Zinc, Columbite and Clay; DELTA: Silica Sand and Clay; EBONYI: Coal, Clay, Limestone, Fluorite, Lead, Silver and Zinc; EDO: Coal, Gypsum, Clay, Limestone, Bitumen and Bentonite; EKITI: Tantalite, Mica, Kaolin and Clay; ENUGU: Coal, Clay and Iron Ore; FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA: Feldspar, Gold, Lead, Zinc, Iron Ore, Marble and Clay; GOMBE: Coal, Gypsum, Limestone and Clay; IMO: Kaolin, Coal and Clay; JIGAWA: Silica Sand and Clay; KADUNA: Rutile, Talc, Feldspar, Gold, Clay, Columbite, Kyanite, Bismuth, Wolframite and Gemstones; KANO: Coal, Feldspar, Silver, Casseterite, Wolframite and Clay; KATSINA: Kaolin, Gold, Manganese and Clay; KEBBI: Kaolin, Feldspar, Gold, Clay and Manganese; KOGI: Tantalite, Coal, Mica, Talc, Feldspar, Clay, Bentonite, Iron Ore Limestone and Marble; KWARA: Tantalite, Mica, Gold, Columbite, Clay, Casseterite, Marble and Gemstones; LAGOS: Silica Sand, Bitumen and Clay; NASSARAWA: Mica, Barite, Clay, Columbite, Casseterite, Iron Ore, Lithium, Wolframite, Marble and Gemstones; NIGER: Talc, Gold, Clay, Lithium, Kyanite, Wolframite and Gemstones; OGUN: Kaolin, Gypsum, Quartz, Limestone, Mica, Glass Sand, Feldspar, Clay, Bitumen and Phosphate; ONDO: Kaolin, Silica Sand, Bitumen, Bentonite and Clay; OSUN: Mica, Gold and Clay; OYO: Mica, Marble, Clay and Gemstones; PLATEAU: Kaolin, Coal, Rutile, Columbite, Clay, Casseterite, Fluorite, Lead, Molybdenum and Gemstones; RIVERS: Kaolin and Clay; SOKOTO: Limestone, Phosphate and Clay; TARABA: Barite, Phosphate and Clay; YOBE: Diatomite, Silica Sand, Gypsum and Clay; ZAMFARA: Barite, Feldspar, Gold, Lead, Zinc, Clay, Iron Ore, Lithium, Manganese and Wolframite.

With the above endowments in addition to agriculture, (sesame, cashew, beans, cassava, cocoa, groundnuts, gum arabic, maize, melon, cotton, millet, palm kernels, palm oil, rubber, plantain, rice, sorghum, soybeans, banana, yam etc etc), why should we continue with the present Feeding Bottle political structure? We should be unleashing our individual and collective potentials to create wealth and exit this concentric cycle of poverty. 

Last week, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, enjoined Northern governors to rise to the challenge of development: “… We have to and we must be up and doing, we must throw away our lazy attitude because whatever problems we have in our region, we are more educated to find solution to them. I assure you of our support… in this long and tough journey to emancipating our people from the grip of poverty and lazy life.”

I commend the Sultan’s words to all those so addicted to the feeding bottle of oil that they refuse to see the great wealth God has deposited in their backyard and front-yard. Just imagine – Four states – Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Rivers combined produce 80% of Nigerian crude oil. The remaining 20% is derived from Cross River, Imo, Abia, Anambra and Ondo states with Lagos recently joining the club. 

But oil, as a cash cow, is on its way out!

The UK and France have already given notice that they will stop manufacturing petrol-diesel vehicles by 2040. America will do so before then. The whole world is moving away from dependence on petrol while we are busy prospecting for more oil in the Chad Basin. Who will buy our oil in 10 years’ time? The honeymoon is over!

It’s time to rise up to the challenge of tapping the many other treasures that God has so graciously given us. If we don’t dismantle the current unitary system, the agitations for restructuring may go on auto-pilot and ultimately birth the Nigerian version of the Arab Spring.