“We cannot effectively address these challenges that have
assumed a nationwide dimension, especially insecurity which has pervaded the
Northern part of the country and other communities,” he said.
However, addressing journalists on Sunday, Okechukwu, who is
the immediate past Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, said though he was
not against restructuring, if restructuring is patriotic search for prosperous
society and the good of greatest number of Nigerians.
“If restructuring is for prosperous society and the good of
the greatest number of Nigerians; do governors need restructuring before
implementing the 4th and 5th amendments of the country’s constitution?”
Okechukwu retorted.
It could be recalled that many governors have been
foot-dragging towards the full implementation of financial autonomy for the
state Houses of Assembly and the Judiciary, which is the 4th Amendment.
Expressing his views on the renewed restructuring calls,
Okechukwu cautioned that “the lukewarm attitude of majority of the governors to
adherence to the rule of law, welfare and security of our citizenry; dampens
our zeal to advocate for concession of more powers to Governors cum Emperors.”
He stressed that, “Whereas one is not against restructuring
or reconfiguration, especially the imperative of devolution of powers to the
sub-national units, once more do our dear governors need restructuring before
they implement the 4th and 5th amendments of the 1999 Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria?”
“Simply put, is financial independence of the State
Judiciary and the State Legislatures, not deepening of our democracy and
fundamental restructuring?” Okechukwu asked.
On why the agitation for restructuring gained momentum and
President Tinubu’s attention was being drawn to it, Okechukwu said “it is the
truism because he was an advocate and apostle of restructuring before he
assumed presidential powers; that to whom much is given much is expected.”
Although he agreed that agitation was among the core
ingredients of democracy, he reminded those who haul blame game at Tinubu’s
doorstep that “sincerely under our rigid constitution, Mr President cannot
restructure single handedly, thus re-echoing the pessimism and cynicism of some
patriots over devolving more powers to governors who are emperors with their
authoritarian antics.”
When told that the indigenes of the sub-nationals will
automatically swing into action when restructuring comes into play, and flush
out any authoritarian state governor.
The APC chieftain disagreed with such puerile assumption,
recalling that the governors had in the last 24 years entrenched and
consolidated authoritarianism.
He said for example the governors had in bi-partisan unholy
alliance serially voted against first line charge of funding to local councils,
made a mess of State Independent Electoral Commissions and blatantly refused to
implement the first line charge funding of state judiciary and state
legislatures which is the 4th amendment.
“And since the 5th Amendment we are yet to see visible
cooperation of state governments from any of the would be regional bloc or
geopolitical zone embarking on regional electricity chain or railways project?”
“May the question be asked- did we forget why issues like
region failed in all the constitutional conferences – 1978/9, 1988/9, 1995/6,
2005 and 2014? Reason in a nutshell – phobia of local hegemony.
“And where were the guardrails, guardians or muscle men who
would flush out governors cum emperors when they were trampling on our civil
liberties, squandering our commonwealth and violently breaching all the extant
provisions of the constitution highlighted above.
“Or are we going to go to heaven after restructuring to
plead fervently with Almighty God for secondment of our holy ones from heaven?”
Okechukwu quipped.
