By: Nasiru Nash Haruna Esq
 Published
October 18h, 2008
Federal character is enshrined in the constitution to
prevent tribal or regional domination of any government or
its agency. With due respect, its inappropriate application
creates mediocrity, inequality, corruption, lack of
transparency and/or competition and above all tribal
dominance by the major ethnic groups. Federal character
ordinarily protects minorities, but under the constitution
it is operated to protect the majority ethnic groups lack of
will of competitiveness and open-mindedness. The leading
ethnic groups have exploited this constitutional provision
to their benefits in the areas of contract award,
infrastructural development and appointment into strategic
government institutions. Such actions create a few rich and
powerful individuals; increase poverty, ensures uneven
regional development and high incidence of graft among civil
servants.
Inequitable operation of federal character could be
deciphered from the arrogant declaration of president Yar¢Adua¢s
proposed Lagos mega city. Whereas the goal should be to
empower each of the geographical regions in the provision of
social amenities, such a proposal empowers a couple of
states and continuously increase ceaseless drift of young
and ambitious men to Lagos. What is wrong if a village in
Benue or Delta state is developed as a mega city?
Even though, the goal of federal character is to prevent
tribal domination, it is only limited to major
administrative appointments. Federal character does not take
into account ownership of federal companies and who gets
what or who gets not in government contract awards. For
example, if the minister of the federal capital territory,
Abuja is from Ilesha in Oyo State, which is impossible, it
means that more Ijeshan owned businesses would be
economically empowered more than any other tribe, be they
from Oyo state or other regions as the case may be. That is
in a situation where the minister and director-general or
permanent secretary and cronies and their phony companies
are not awarding and performing all the contracts thereto
themselves as it is customary in the ministries and
parastals. Government officials positioned themselves as
businessmen and award all contracts to their companies and
cronies without executing these contracts.
Federal character has no limitation on the power of the
executive in the allocation of resources or even in the
privatization and sale of government properties. The 1999
constitution like a military decree has so empowered the
various executive arms of government to the extent that the
assemblies are mere rubber stamp political gathering
institutions without any set mind of their own. We have all
seen in the last 8 years of President Obasanjo¢s supremacy
that whosoever heads the presidency, controls resource
allocation and location of industries without due regard to
common economic principles of localization of industries and
consultation with the
national assembly. Obasanjo in establishing the new gas
plant at the boundary between Ondo and Ogun state ignored
this principles by depriving the people of Delta, Bayelsa
and Rivers of economic development, taxation and job
opportunities in spite of the environmental impact that gas
exploration wreak on these communities. There is no way
these communities would benefit from such policies. The end
result could be an endless struggle of pipeline
vandalization and hostage taking as it is now customary in
that region. Even the sale of Port Harcourt and Kaduna
refineries was a subject of controversy until the present
establishment of Yar'Adua rescinded the transaction. Let us
call a spade a spade and stop the oppression of the Niger
Deltas who lack responsible and selfless leadership to
project their grievances. This lacuna was first reverberated
by the past governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abdulkadir Kure
in the wake of 2006 south-south and south-east aspiration to
acquire Aso rock ego, power and brutality, wherein he said
that south-south had no credible leadership.
In any case, the National Assembly that ought to serve as a
check on such executive vandalism has posited itself in the
last 8 years as a robotic institution lacking in critical
thinking, but efficient in its struggle for its salary
increase and contract seeking as opposed to law making and
ensuring that the well being of ordinary Nigerians is
guaranteed by the executive. Therefore, this breeds an
autocratic president who easily empowers individuals and
tribes of his interests without due regard to good
conscience, natural justice or equity. The presidency can
effectively empower his cronies through various ministries
by ensuring that only his cronies get the juicy contracts
from all the ministries, the minister, and director general.
So, where lies the federal character application for
individuals in private businesses that have no godfather in
high places or do not have political affiliation? They would
wallow in poverty, misery and even death whether or not they
result to the devil¢s alternative of economic survival,
which is armed robbery.
Federal character encourages occultism, as members who are
in position of authority are more willing to assist fellow
members. No wonder that there have not been any solution to
secret cults violence and rape in higher institutions,
increasing armed robbery, murder and incidents of 419.
Majority of people in authority belong to various factions
of these secret cults in their university days, hence their
protection and domination of our society. Armed robbers,
murderers, rapists and university cult vandals are the most
powerful citizens in Nigeria, because they stand protected
by faceless government officials as they go on punished.
Therefore, Lesser minds are readily recruited and the
legions of crime perpetrators just keep growing. Recruiters
often swank with pride of crime they have committed without
punishment, because of their members presence in high places
of authority. Such members do not compete for positions, but
are merely selected on the basis of secret cults
affiliations. If most government officials, including the
police are not members of cults, why can¢t these problems be
minimized or even arrest and prosecute suspected criminals?
In any case, it is shocking to note that federal government
privatization and sale of companies and properties had never
been done in line with federal character. This has deprived
poor states like Niger, Kogi, Ekiti, Katsina just to mention
a few, of the economic benefit that should accrue to their
citizens. Sadly enough, none of their members in the
national assembly could call for sales verification to
determine the state of origin of various acquisitions of
these properties. Legislative leaders are mute to prevent
their dictatorial parties from failing to represent them as
it happened in several elections. This is only possible
because the 1999 constitution does not recognize independent
candidacy. There can never be equitable distribution of
Nigerian wealth if the federal character principle is not
applied to the private sector
Nasiru Nash Haruna Esq..
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