‘Zoning to Unzone: The Politics of Power and the Power of Politics in Nigeria’

A book ‘Zoning to Unzone: The Politics of Power and the Power of Politics in Nigeria’, written in flowing prose by an erudite scholar/lawyer, Chief Mike A.A. Ozekhome SAN, is in fact a worthy effort in search for nationhood. The Arab admonition to any serious minded person is to get married, have a son and […]

A book ‘Zoning to Unzone: The Politics of Power and the Power of Politics in Nigeria’, written in flowing prose by an erudite scholar/lawyer, Chief Mike A.A. Ozekhome SAN, is in fact a worthy effort in search for nationhood.
The Arab admonition to any serious minded person is to get married, have a son and write a book. This, he said, is to leave a lasting legacy for posterity.
To the Arab, having a son is to propagate your lineage, and to write a book is to enrich the society from your own perspective.
‘Zoning to Unzone: the politics of power and the power of politics in Nigeria’, is a book that will inspire and draw the attention of the reader towards the polemic political problems emasculating Nigeria from being a nation.
The book undeniably came at the right time, when the Nigeria political firmament is insipidly polluted with the fear of marginalization and domination. The book is considered by many as a worthy contribution towards nation building.
Like the author rightly observed, “Zoning, a political ‘Word-Emperor’ whose reign mostly likely, will not be short lived.”
Like the Peruvian Diplomat Dr. Victor Andres Belaunde at the heart of the Cold War, publicly expressed scepticism about the ability of small countries to survive the diplomatic might of the big powers in the world body, talked about; “The United Nations (UN) where there’s always something that disappears.”
He said, “When two small powers have a dispute, the dispute disappears. And when a great power and a small power are in conflict, the small power disappears.”
Former New York Times Bureau Chef Kathleen Tettsch also recounts in her 1970 “Crosscurrents @ Turtle Bay”, that “When two great powers have a dispute, the United Nations disappears.”
In a similar manner, if two of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria have a dispute, the dispute disappears. But when any of the three major ethnic groups have a dispute with any of the small ethnic nationalities, the small one disappears.
Very recently, we all saw how former President Goodluck Jonathan, first Nigerian president from the minority Ijaw ethnic nationality, was schemed out of power by two of the three major ethnic groups – the Hausa/Fulani in connivance with the Yoruba. To them, Jonathan’s six years in office was barely tolerated. It could be said that he was harassed and blackmailed out of office for staying too long.
Before him, there was Ken Saro Wiwa, an Ogoni minority that was hanged by Abacha’s government for daring to challenge the mighty power that was, over the disputed exploration and pollution of Ogoni land.
So, in most of the conflicts between the big ethnic and small nationalities in Nigeria, the small ones always disappear and dare not to rare their ‘ugly heads’ again.
We are all aware on how the denial and the eventual death of Moshood Abiola considered to have won the 1993 presidential election from the Yoruba major ethnic nationality was resolved by the two major ethnic groups.
Aftermath of the unfortunate incident was that Nigeria almost disappeared. In order to ensure that Nigeria did not disappear, it was resolved by the two major ethnic nationalities (Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba) that the first presidential candidate of our present democratic dispensation came from the Yoruba nationality.
During the book launch at Yar’Adua Center in Abuja, a case study presented itself.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and human rights activists, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) and Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) the author, openly disagreed over the zoning of political positions in the country.
While Agbakoba and Ozekhome, believed that zoning of political offices is a panacea for the country’s political woes, and that its proper adaptation would give minority ethnic groups a fair representation in government and opportunities to produce state governors and president, Oshiomhole said the country’s problem is the elite who do not believe that Nigeria is a nation.
The governor said instead of addressing issues of wealth distribution such that “riches can be zoned to the poor,” the elite choose to ignore this fundamental problem that has held the country down.
Oshiomhole agreed with Agbakoba that the country operates a unitary system contrary to its federal constitution, which is the main thrust of the book “Zoning to Unzone”. He said the problem is also that of the elite, who should lead the struggle to get things right. He challenged senior members of the bar to lead the protest to the National Assembly in this regard.
Sule is a freelance journalist in Abuja