No, this has nothing to do with the other matter, which I have refused to comment on. This is about Pastor David Oyedepo's alleged statement for God to break up Nigeria if it is His will.
Kindly remember that these three gentlemen are some of the greatest beneficiaries of the Nigerian project, and the fact that a dismembered Nigeria will affect their life pursuits, they have painfully, like most Nigerians outside the ruling circle, come to the realisation that Nigeria, as presently configured is simply not working and needed to be fixed.
The Independence Constitution, while not perfect, was a product of consultation and compromise, but it provided safety nets for regions against an overbearing central government, and ensured relative fiscal federalism as a panacea for development.
Its only flaw was the decision to leave the creation of additions regions to politicians, instead of creating it before Independence.
Its only flaw was the decision to leave the creation of additions regions to politicians, instead of creating it before Independence.
But after the initial avoidable misadventures of the first republic, and the ethnically motivated,, Ill conceived and blatantly ill advised Unity Decree by Ironsi, the 12 states structure by Yakubu Gowon in 67 was, for that time, the perfect answer to Nigeria's ethnic driven fear of domination.
Forget the fact that it was done to decimate the Eastern region and cut into Ojukwu's underbelly, the fact was that for most of the states, the structure , to a reasonable degree, worked.
There of course, will always be a minority. Even if a state was created for a single clan from the same ancestry, there would still be a minority element complaining of real or perceived marginalization.
The present 36 state structure, the presidential system, the multilayered but generally unsustainable government apparatus and a useless local government administrative template are a drain for a fickle economy like ours, and must be reformed.
Our civil service is overpopulated, duplication of tasks are rampant, and in an era of cutting edge technology, we still require people with manual skills for simple tasks.
While I will not go all the way like the pastor for a total break up, I agree that the present government has failed in providing security to the most vulnerable of its citizens, either by omission or commission, and has created the impression that certain tribes and their animals are more important than those of different tribe, faith, doctrine or political persuasion.
If shepherds are giving up on the land, what would the sheep do?
Patriotism is not defending a failing state, it is about reforming it to serve its citizens better. After all, the sick either looks for a cure, or dies.
My Ten Kobo+
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