As the call for restructuring gathers momentum across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s finest Lawyers, J.S Okutepa ( SAN ) has argued that the problem of Nigeria is not in its inability to restructure but the problem amongst others he identified bad leadership as the major factor affecting Nigeria.
J.S Okutepa ( SAN) who added his voice on the subject matter for second time in less than a year made this known on his official Facebook page on Monday 26th April, 2021.
According to him, what Nigeria need is not restructuring but system change that has celebrated so much evils and injustice which has brought into power some opportunists who use thugs and guns to win election.
His full reaction goes thus:
“Those calling for restructuring of Nigeria seem to think that the problem of Nigeria is in the system we operate.
I think with respect that our problem is largely and majorly in us not necessarily the system we operate or physical restructuring of Nigeria into federating components of Zones or ragionalism.
The problem of Nigeria is in those who operate our systems that have no respect for law, order and due process.
The problem is the rule of convenience we operate rather than following what the law prescribed to be done and our propensity to operate the system to favour personal and selfish agenda to the prejudices of good of all.
The problem is our ability to operate a system that shows so much respect to individuals occupants of government offices instead of the entity called Nigeria.
The problem is our total mistrust in ourselves and absence of corrupt free institutions that operates independently.
The problem is our inability to apply sanctions free of interference. The problems are in us. The problem is our ability to take ownership of what is wrong and defend it as if what is wrong is right.
As at today there is no state government in Nigeria that allows local government the freedom and autonomy as guaranteed by the constitution.
Local Governments are starved of funds and money meant for local government are diverted by the power that be without qualms and questions.
Yet governors want more powers devolved to them from the Federal Government. Today we are not practising democracy.
We are operating a system of government that even parties and leaders that have failed the people use instrument of States to remain in power at all costs.
We have so effectively used poverty as tools of governance that it does not appears that most people in power care again what the ordinary Nigerians go through to survive. Nigeria seems to me to be about the only country where people go into politics and government to make money rather than offer services to the people.
We operate a system where it gives joy to the tiny minority to oppress the vast majority of our people with such audacity of impunity.
Nigerians seem to have familiar themselves with the unjust system we operate that it is difficult to conclude that sovereignty belongs to the people in Nigeria. Today it is difficult to convince ourselves and Nigerians that people in power have our interests at heart. Indeed most Nigerians see those in power either as thieves or the number one problems of Nigeria.
We have surrendered unfortunately sovereignty to those in power who determined who wins what and how without reference to the people.
We have invested gunshots as a brand of democracy in Nigeria so much so that even those who have been trained to give justice have murdered it by approving this obnoxious brand of democracy by the principles of law we formulate which effectively and efficiently put roadblocks to attainments of electoral justice in Nigeria.
Speaking for myself our problems are in us. We have chosen as a people to put our resources to personal use instead of using our God’s given natural resources to develop this country. The problem is absence of nationalism and patriotic citizens.
The problems with us is bad leadership at every level and departments of government.
Those who have been or who chose to force themselves on us take advantage of our docility as a people to visit us with developmental evils in governance.
We cannot act as people. We destroy our destiny by the peanuts we collect from political class. Majority of people leading us today were not the choices of Nigerian people. Some came to power by accident.
Some were put in power by unjust and unjustifiable decisions that defiled the logic of justice.
So for me restructuring Nigeria is restructuring Nigeria”s problems into more dangerous fragments. The restructuring we need is our hearts. We need to be born again in the way we think and act. We need to apply law and where there are violations of law we must apply sanctions without fear or favour. We need to operate constitutional democracy where things are done according to the letters and the spirit of the constitution. We must avoid the rule of convenience and operate on the basis of rule of law or what Prof Femi Odekunle called the rule of necessary process. We have become too familiar with doing bad things so much so that doing bad things have become our identities as a nation and as a people. We must restructure our hearts before we can have a restructured federalism that is operated for the good of all”.
