It’s Too Late For Restructuring, Let’s Go Our Seperate Ways – ANKKO BRIGGS
June 29, 2017
By UCHECHUKWU UGBOAJA
[caption id="attachment_38817" align="alignleft" width="384"] ANKKO BRIGG[/caption]
Amidst the growing calls for restructuring in the country today, Mrs. Ankko Briggs a resource control crusader and one of the notable human rights activists who had been at the fore front of the vanguard for true federalism and by extention restructuring seem to have thrown in the towel even as the call appears to be gaining momentum with the recent endorsement by a former military leader Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, as she has declared that the recent call for restructuring is already too late.
According to her long before the administration of Goodluck Jonathan or the National CONFAB held in 2014, she had been shouting for restructuring of the country but it just appeared that she was another lone voice in the wilderness called Nigeria, as nobody seemed to understand why restructuring was expedient at that moment to the country. She claimed that what Nigeria needs now is for the different regions to go their seperate ways as the federal sstem has practically failed and cannot be repaired through any form of restructuring that people are clamouring for now.
She stated that although the current structure cleary l favours some certain sections of the country as numbers don't lie, but no form of restructuring will correct these fundamental anomalies. "Going by the figures the North is getting over 60% of the total local government allocations and even when we come to the states as well they also receive far more than the Southern states. Again if you go to the national assembly they are far more in numbers especially in the house of Representatives and so by the time there is a motion or bill which they are not in support of ends up being frustrated or not being passed at all. A good example is the PIBill that had to spent over 10 years in the National Assembly, how can this continue?
According to the renowned advocate for resource control in the Niger-Delta, the time for restructuring Nigeria is long gone owing to the fact that it has become another political tool in the hands of the ruling elites whose plan is to increase revenue allocation to some parts of the country currently agitating but then retain the same form of governance which has bred institutional injustice in the country.
In her view calling for restructuring now is already too late as the union seems to have failed. "For me calling for restructuring now is too late we want to go our seperate ways because you see what they are calling restructuring is not what restructuring is. Restructuring to them is that the status quo should remain and peharps a little increase in revenue to agitating regions, but the real restrusturing is when everybody keeps what you have, even if it is only water that you have and you can sell it, sell it. So anything apart from that is not restructuring."
"What is federalism? This is where you have the states which are the federating units, so a federation means that every component is autonomous to itself within that nation, so how can the federal government be interested in building hospitals in Abia state or building a university in Rivers state? Nigeria is a good example of how impossible to run a government. How can one man alone who is of a different culture, language, religion run or oversee the rest of the people of over 400 ethnic groups as if he is overseeing his own personal property or estate, he cannot do it right because he doesn't know my culture and so how can he make decisions that will be 100% appealing to me, because the things I would put into consideration if I am to make the same decisions will be totally different."
"People even say that I don't fight other people's battle, but that is not true. I can fight the Igbo man's battle beacuse I understand his way of life and culture to a very large extent because my grandmother is Igbo and I can speak Igbo language well too, I can understand them, I can work with them, and if I am working with them and I make decisions for my people and Igbo people I won't go wrong because I know what to do. Now reverse the case and ask me to make decions for the Hausa-Fulani man or the Muslim man, I will make a terrible decision and this is beacuse I don't understand them. So this is what we are saying that someone who doesn't understand a people cannot make any good decision for them, if this simple conditions are not met governance will fail and that is what has happened in the real sense, it has failed in Nigeria.
"The then military leadership under Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar had a rare opportunity of gathering Nigerians together to come up with a document meant to be the constitution but it was bungled, because what happened was that one man just sat down and made sure that the document was written to favour a particular section of the country and he called it the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Nigerian constitution is the only constitution in the world that tells a lie against itself and its people, when its first sentence says, "We the people", that statement is a lie, there was never a gathering of any people or group of persons to discuss any constitution. Do you also know that the constitution was designed to work against people who are not Muslims as the word islam, muslim, sharia or mosque was mentioned over 200 times while the word christian or church was never mentioned in the constitution, and you say that same constitution is meant for all of us?
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3 comments
I agree with you. I have watched over the years Nigeria is three different countries as was during the regional system. A break up might be better because Nigeria’s problem has been the north,why because despite being the favoured child or region they had killed too many people of other regions and religion and had always gotten away with it. Yes there was a coup in 1966 but within the army why did the ordinary citizens of Eastern Nigeria become genocide targets. The Ibo man on the streets did nothing why kill them like they were just mere insects. The injustice continues till date. Other tribes are not equal. The youths in the North kill at will especially on the instruction of leaders so nobody apprehends them they become ghosts cannot be found or seen which is currently demonstrated by the Arewa youths who have given a quit notice to the Ibo’s. If Nigeria should be fixed that should be the first thing to be fixed. The population figures have been false what they had done over the years was merge the North of Nigeria with Chad Niger Mali everywhere there is hausa fulani had been part of Northern Nigeria. The borders of Northern Nigeria works as a symbiotic ally of Chad Niger Mali and many have cousins and relations in this countries because during the scramble and partition of Africa by European countries they had divided the countrie and merged them wrongly in certain areas during the sharing formula of colonial Era. Despite this grievous mistake good leadership could correct the errors. The question is why are this mistakes not corrected. It comes to selfishness and greed. Why have the leaders continued to look the other way concerning the Fulani herdsmen from within and outside Nigeria. How come Nigeria is the only one in Africa involving itself in terrorism. How come the giant refuses to stop the attacks and killings and destruction in the North. Why are some few evil men allowed to spoil the image of the north and Islam. It is obvious it cannot end unless the financiers are brought to book. But it seems it is a political tool and mischief. Somebody says go and be doing nonsense and causing trouble. That is why you see people driving recklessly and doing stunts in the Federal capital territory. It is obvious the north decided to copy and bring the worst behavior from outside Nigeria into northern Nigeria. The late Emir Ado Bayero condemned the action of power brokers up north who brought terrorism into northern Nigeria saying they should stop spoiling the north when he continued to fume and castigate them an assassination threat was carried out. He could have been killed then but his aids were hit to warn him. But the shock was too much for his age leading to his death few months later. Those who own oil bloc up north and huge wealth should be focused on as they might be using their enormous wealth to destabilize Nigeria funding terrorism like Qatar. If terror should end you have to get the financiers so that the efforts of the army will not be futile. I was surprised that the Yoruba leaders from Afenifere NADECO APC the likes of Tinubu will cry for Abiola to be recognised as President what will that do. The man dead almost 20 years yet the man that brought all the woe and pain all the traitors garthered at Minna to celebrate with Babangida what kind of game is that. He caused pain and death in Nigeria for almost a decade from 1993 till 99. How can Babangida be asking for state police in a country like Nigeria knowing the mischief it will bring especially as the country is being faced with terror ethnic and religious crisis he obviously wants to set Nigeria ablaze. The system we are currently using is what has stabilized Nigeria. In fact state police destroyed Rwanda and Burundi if the police and armed forces had been structured like Nigeria the genocide in those countries won’t happen. However Nigeria can be okay with a strong leader Buhari too weak to handle Nigeria at this time. He wanted to correct certain things but is easily swayed not to act he wanted to take Bakassi back and this prompted the shuttle the French President made severally to Nigeria. Bakassi belongs to Nigeria but President Jonathan the most cowardly President till date preferred to buy it back I keep wondering what kind of PhD he has and he preferred to dance and hang out with musicians so I called him the dancing President. Buhari refused to get Bakassi back because certain Cabal said it will help the Biafran dream as the oil rich territory was used as a route to bring in weapons for Ojukwu’s war of secession and independence. But what Kanu does not understand is that Biafra cannot emerge because without the Niger Delta states the Ibo people are landlocked and cannot do it on their own Ojukwu had been Governor of the whole eastern region the power of more than 10 governors today. This was the simple thing President Buhari did not figure out or consider. He only made Nnamdi Kanu a hero. A man who holds no political power or position cannot break the east from the North or Nigeria he has only used the old idea of Ojukwu to be famous and he succeeded because the injustice of 1966 has not been corrected the status quo remains. What I suggest today revoke all the oil blocs and use the money to develope Nigeria equally rather than giving to individuals who have used it selfishly not helping people but living the lives of Monarchs and squandering the money foolishly on parties luxuries houses cars and jets and doing crazy things like spending 5 million Pounds on a wedding what kind of training is that not even the Bill Gates of this world do such things the highest spent on parties 250 000 dollars and that is legitimate money earned not the countries wealth in a few hands
The whole discourse is baldadash for the lady and the.commentator are biased and bigotry in their utterances.. As learned people they should do better than this..
Why wount Bala say that the whole discourse is baldasldash since his section of the country is noted for laziness not wanting to explore their own divinely given mineral resourses. The North should stop being unnecesarily PARASITIC on the South.You should also kill the spirit of blood-letting ravaging their lives.
I agree with you. I have watched over the years Nigeria is three different countries as was during the regional system. A break up might be better because Nigeria’s problem has been the north,why because despite being the favoured child or region they had killed too many people of other regions and religion and had always gotten away with it. Yes there was a coup in 1966 but within the army why did the ordinary citizens of Eastern Nigeria become genocide targets. The Ibo man on the streets did nothing why kill them like they were just mere insects. The injustice continues till date. Other tribes are not equal. The youths in the North kill at will especially on the instruction of leaders so nobody apprehends them they become ghosts cannot be found or seen which is currently demonstrated by the Arewa youths who have given a quit notice to the Ibo’s. If Nigeria should be fixed that should be the first thing to be fixed. The population figures have been false what they had done over the years was merge the North of Nigeria with Chad Niger Mali everywhere there is hausa fulani had been part of Northern Nigeria. The borders of Northern Nigeria works as a symbiotic ally of Chad Niger Mali and many have cousins and relations in this countries because during the scramble and partition of Africa by European countries they had divided the countrie and merged them wrongly in certain areas during the sharing formula of colonial Era. Despite this grievous mistake good leadership could correct the errors. The question is why are this mistakes not corrected. It comes to selfishness and greed. Why have the leaders continued to look the other way concerning the Fulani herdsmen from within and outside Nigeria. How come Nigeria is the only one in Africa involving itself in terrorism. How come the giant refuses to stop the attacks and killings and destruction in the North. Why are some few evil men allowed to spoil the image of the north and Islam. It is obvious it cannot end unless the financiers are brought to book. But it seems it is a political tool and mischief. Somebody says go and be doing nonsense and causing trouble. That is why you see people driving recklessly and doing stunts in the Federal capital territory. It is obvious the north decided to copy and bring the worst behavior from outside Nigeria into northern Nigeria. The late Emir Ado Bayero condemned the action of power brokers up north who brought terrorism into northern Nigeria saying they should stop spoiling the north when he continued to fume and castigate them an assassination threat was carried out. He could have been killed then but his aids were hit to warn him. But the shock was too much for his age leading to his death few months later. Those who own oil bloc up north and huge wealth should be focused on as they might be using their enormous wealth to destabilize Nigeria funding terrorism like Qatar. If terror should end you have to get the financiers so that the efforts of the army will not be futile. I was surprised that the Yoruba leaders from Afenifere NADECO APC the likes of Tinubu will cry for Abiola to be recognised as President what will that do. The man dead almost 20 years yet the man that brought all the woe and pain all the traitors garthered at Minna to celebrate with Babangida what kind of game is that. He caused pain and death in Nigeria for almost a decade from 1993 till 99. How can Babangida be asking for state police in a country like Nigeria knowing the mischief it will bring especially as the country is being faced with terror ethnic and religious crisis he obviously wants to set Nigeria ablaze. The system we are currently using is what has stabilized Nigeria. In fact state police destroyed Rwanda and Burundi if the police and armed forces had been structured like Nigeria the genocide in those countries won’t happen. However Nigeria can be okay with a strong leader Buhari too weak to handle Nigeria at this time. He wanted to correct certain things but is easily swayed not to act he wanted to take Bakassi back and this prompted the shuttle the French President made severally to Nigeria. Bakassi belongs to Nigeria but President Jonathan the most cowardly President till date preferred to buy it back I keep wondering what kind of PhD he has and he preferred to dance and hang out with musicians so I called him the dancing President. Buhari refused to get Bakassi back because certain Cabal said it will help the Biafran dream as the oil rich territory was used as a route to bring in weapons for Ojukwu’s war of secession and independence. But what Kanu does not understand is that Biafra cannot emerge because without the Niger Delta states the Ibo people are landlocked and cannot do it on their own Ojukwu had been Governor of the whole eastern region the power of more than 10 governors today. This was the simple thing President Buhari did not figure out or consider. He only made Nnamdi Kanu a hero. A man who holds no political power or position cannot break the east from the North or Nigeria he has only used the old idea of Ojukwu to be famous and he succeeded because the injustice of 1966 has not been corrected the status quo remains. What I suggest today revoke all the oil blocs and use the money to develope Nigeria equally rather than giving to individuals who have used it selfishly not helping people but living the lives of Monarchs and squandering the money foolishly on parties luxuries houses cars and jets and doing crazy things like spending 5 million Pounds on a wedding what kind of training is that not even the Bill Gates of this world do such things the highest spent on parties 250 000 dollars and that is legitimate money earned not the countries wealth in a few hands
The whole discourse is baldadash for the lady and the.commentator are biased and bigotry in their utterances.. As learned people they should do better than this..
Why wount Bala say that the whole discourse is baldasldash since his section of the country is noted for laziness not wanting to explore their own divinely given mineral resourses. The North should stop being unnecesarily PARASITIC on the South.You should also kill the spirit of blood-letting ravaging their lives.