In this Molue MOnoLogUE, Don Kenobi argues in this 2018 Essay that economic development must come before constitutional debates
jobs, and dignity from Nigeria’s vast mineral wealth.
Germany’s Federal Structure
Germany is a federal republic consisting of sixteen states (German: Land, plural Länder; informally and very commonly Bundesland).
Berlin and Hamburg are frequently called Stadtstaaten (city-states), as is the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.
The remaining thirteen states are called Flächenländer (literally: “area states”).
Source: Wikipedia.
A Question Worth Asking
Why is returning to their “federating units” or “restructuring” never discussed there?
Could it be because they have a great economy?
Or because their leaders got it right after the war?
Germany Was Rebuilt From Ruins
Modern Germany is only about fifteen years older than Nigeria.
It was practically rebuilt from the ground up after the Second World War.
Parts of its territory were ceded to the victorious allies.
Gdańsk in Poland used to be the German city of Danzig.
Then the nation itself was divided in two:
East Germany and West Germany.
Even the capital, Berlin, was divided.
German post-war leaders were not in any position to redesign the perfect federation.
They were defeated.
Humiliated.
Fragmented.
They gathered the crumbs of their national pride and simply got on with the work.
And they got on with it.
Less than fifty years later Germany had become the economic powerhouse of Europe.
By sheer economic weight it forced the reunification of its homeland, despite the concerns of German-skeptical leaders such as Margaret Thatcher.
Restructuring Is a Luxury of Prosperous Nations
If the federating units in Germany talk about restructuring today, it would be a luxury.
An ornament they can afford.
Germany once announced an objective of generating 100% of its energy consumption from renewables by around 2030.
That too is an ornament they can afford.
Imagine Nigeria making such an announcement.
With all the gas we produce, we still cannot generate reliable electricity.
Electricity Is Not a Mystery
Electricity remains the turning of a copper loop within an electromagnetic field.
Nothing on earth could be simpler than generating electricity in Nigeria.
Even if all 180 million of us took turns turning a giant spindle with copper loops inside an electromagnetic field, we could generate electricity.
The Real Prerequisite for Restructuring
To restructure, we must first get the economy right.
The map of solid minerals in this country will astonish you.
A water-logged oil-rich state, according to statistics, also has incredible limestone deposits.
Limestone means cement.
Imagine that state producing enough cement to:
Pave all its roads
Supply government construction projects
Supply cement for oil-well drilling operations
Imagine Bayelsa State asking all international oil companies operating there to sign an MOU committing to buy hundreds of thousands of tons of cement for drilling campaigns worldwide as part of their license to operate.
Mineral resources abound across every state in Nigeria.
The Extractive Trap
Right now our economic sequence looks like this:
Extract raw materials
Sell or export raw materials
Steal the proceeds
The effect is obvious:
Fewer jobs
Anemic economy
A Different Sequence
Now imagine a different sequence:
Extract raw materials
Refine raw materials
Sell or export refined products
Steal the proceeds
Even if corruption remained, the results would still be dramatically different.
There would be:
More jobs
Much more revenue (perhaps 300% more)
A stronger economy
The impact of corruption would also be smaller relative to the size of the economy.
Wealth Changes Behavior
A wealthier population would mean:
Greater self-respect
More confident citizens
Less tolerance for petty corruption
With greater self-respect:
The judiciary becomes more fearless
Law enforcement becomes more fearless
And fearless institutions become less corrupt.
People with dignity do not easily pay bribes.
They ask questions.
They refuse.
They go to court.
Everything Is Interlinked
Our real problem is poverty.
Not the 1960 constitution.
Not the military constitution.
Not the structure of the federation.
Separation Is Always Possible
At some point we could even have a velvet revolution like Czechoslovakia.
Shake hands and say goodbye.
It seems almost inevitable that one day we might face such a moment.
Looking at today’s political climate we see three groups:
The Deaf — those satisfied by their natural endowments and unwilling to hear the desperate
The Desperate — those ravaged by economic hardship
The Dead — those who can no longer speak
If the deaf do not begin to listen, the country may one day come apart at the seams.
If separation ever happens, let it be like the Czechs and Slovaks.
A handshake.
A kiss goodbye.
And peace.
Stop Talking About Restructuring
If you believe in restructuring, start building the economy.
The easiest place to begin is simple:
Create industrial parks in every Local Government Area and begin building productive capacity.
Do Not Be Fooled by Political Cinema
Do not be deceived by politicians and their cynical cinema.
No one person is the solution.
No political party is the solution.
Crisscrossing alliances, breaking old coalitions, creating new parties, nPDP, rAPC, these are special effects.
When Spiderman flies through the air, that is special effects.
There is no Spiderman.
Gravity would make sure he does not fly.
So do not be fooled by the special effects.
Open your eyes.
There are no little men inside the radio.
The Real Issue
I rest my case
#BigAgendaAfrica
#ReCultureNotReStructure
#CultureNotStructure
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