By Dr. Pius Ekemiri
The Federal Republic of Nigeria as it is today, is a product of various struggles, wars; (inter-tribal, intra-tribal and regional), constitutional conferences, amalgamation, treaties and many other formal and informal agreements.
The various component regions of the Federal Republic were hitherto sovereign, pre-colonial invasion of the geographical entity of Nigeria.
Every component enjoyed autonomy, with associated organs of administration which ensured her peace and prosperity. It is therefore expected that during the course of these conferences and discussions that brought about the fusion of the different components, assurance must have been given that every component part will be treated fairly and each represented in all spheres of government and economy.
Like in a every agreement, adherence to rules, laws, guidelines respect for each other and moral standards, promotes healthy association, relationships and encourage peaceful coexistence and prosperity of the group as any action contrary to the above is a precursor to anarchy, mistrust, and retrogression in every sector of the entity.
Nigeria, since independence, has been unfortunate to be led by successive governments that are progressively anti-unity, disloyal to rules, laws, guidelines and agreements, hence her progressive decent into anarchy, tribal and sectarian wars, insurgence, unbridled corruption, nepotism, bigotry ( ethnic and religious), impunity etc, these negative trends have been on the ascendancy in the past few years.
Thank God Nigeria has miraculously survived another general election, an election which is as imperfect as the elections before it and those who somehow have found their names on the list of winners at all levels have the opportunity to bring the positive change the country desperately needs .
Nigeria like at no other time before is in desperate need of a government of integration, inclusion, sociopolitical re-engineering, transparent exercise of power and authority for the good of all, even distribution of resources, infrastructure and appointments as prescribed by the laws, rules, guidelines and conventions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The authors of our constitution, with the benefit of hindsight and conscious of our peculiarities, enacted the doctrine of federal character and quota system, two items in our constitution that can be as good as it is bad for the growth of the nation. Since it is there in our laws, it should be applied judiciously in every aspect of our polity including the appointment of security chiefs, ministerial appointments and employment, as it’s usually applied in the admissions of students into federal/state academic institutions. Government should not cherry pick where or when to apply it.
One sure way to mitigate the rise of ethic/tribal and regional agitation, religious crisis, insurgency, mistrust of government and general lack of faith in the Nigerian State caused by the obvious marginalization and deliberate exclusion of certain parts/regions from the socioeconomic and political leadership of Nigeria, is to ensure equitable distribution of every largesse from government.
The authors of Nigerian constitution realizing the sensitivity of the various component regions, invented the doctrine of federal character and quota system in order to ensure that every section of the country is carried along both in economic and decision making process of the nation.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and her presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari won the 2019 general election for the second term; the party also won the majority seats in both chambers of the National Assembly. It is therefore imperative that the party, her leadership and National Assembly members-elect must ensure that the delicate balance of power and offices as envisaged by the authors of the constitution is maintained as it is one sure and cheap way of reducing tensions in the polity.
The President is from the North West, the Vice President is from the South West , if the Senate President comes from any other part of the north, the Speaker of the House of representatives must come from the south, especially the South East. This is one way of assuring the South East that they are truly part of the the country, it is also one way APC can make significant inroad into South East for improved political fortune in the future.
2023 will be the year APC will prove herself as a truly national party. President Buhari is arguably the rock on which the party is built, a man whose cult-like figure in the entire northern Nigeria has been the major reason why the party has been successful at elections, almost always bringing over 12 million votes at each election circle.
Come 2023, Buhari would have completed his maximum term of eight years and from what we know, Buhari will not be actively involved in party politics of 2023 election. The implication is every party is going to fight for every vote possible including votes from the South East and one of the surest ways of wooing the people of the South East is by ceding the position of Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives to the region.
The APC has ranking members going to the House of Representatives from the South East unlike what obtained in 2015 and prominent amongst the experienced and ranking members is Hon Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, the member-elect for Okigwe South Imo State, in the Federal House of Representatives.
Hon Nwajuba, a lawyer, is the most suitable for the office of the Speaker. He was a member of the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003, where he was one of the prominent members of that assembly and served as the chairman, House Committee on Works. He is calm and a level headed leader who has succeeded in building bridges across every section of the country.
Hon Nwajiuba has a clear understanding of the peculiar nature of Nigerian political landscape, an excellent team player that understands the importance of mutual respect amongst his peers, subordinates and superiors in the smooth running of any organization.
He has been in Nigerian politics long enough to understand the intricacies of National politics, the National Assembly and the importance of maintaining the balance between separation of power and the need to collaborate and cooperate with the executive arm for the smooth running of government for the benefit of the citizens. The least Nigerians expect from the National Assembly and the presidency, is a repeat of the cantankerous and antagonistic relationships that characterized the 8th Assembly.
Nigeria needs action, Nigeria needs peace and rapid development now than ever and only a National Assembly led by individuals who understand the inner workings of the president’s mind can help us achieve that.
Buhari is a man that takes his time before trusting anyone and Hon Nwajiuba having consistently worked with the president at different levels must have earned the president’s respect and trust, two ingredients essential for smooth and harmonious relationship.
If the APC must take Nigeria to the next level, if President Buhari must move with the speed and accuracy he promised during his media interview on May 26, the National Assembly must be led by people who understand him and know how to get the best out of him for the good of Nigeria and no one else fits the bill better than Hon Nwajiuba.
He is a fit and proper person to lead the House of Representatives, he is both old and young because though, chronologically young, he is an old politician who understands the political terrain of Nigeria, he is highly educated, formally and informally, he is intelligent, he is one of the founders of APC, having drafted the party’s constitution while serving as the secretary of the constitution drafting committee at the formation of the party, he is a ranking member, he is peaceful and humorous, an attribute that will be handy whenever there is tension in the house.
Hon Nwajiuba will be fair to all, above all he understands President Buhari and will use that knowledge to navigate successfully any potential contentious issue that may potentially cause disaffection between the National Assembly and the Presidency.
Dr Ekemiri, an optometrist, wrote in from Port Harcourt, Rivers State
