The Osibanjo-Atiku Restructuring Debate:The Truth and Warning to Neocolonial Leaders of Nigeria Republic

Elo Afoka

On the 6th of September, 2018, a very good friend visited me with a Sun Newspaper of same day. On the back page of it, is the restructuring debate between the present Vice President of Nigeria, Professor, Pastor Yemi Osibanjo and former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Osibanjo's dishonest emphasis on the problem of Nigeria as stemming from lack of true fiscal federalism & good governance attracted my attention. For the Vice President, the Nigeria's problem does not stem from any political structural problems but economic structural issues & the attendant management, which when resolved will put to rest Nigeria's fundamental problems.

Osibanjo's argument reminded me of Plato's thymos, Hegel's "Struggle for Recognition", the World Renowned Revolution of 1776, & in the recent time, Francis Fukuyama's End of History & the Last Man and Samuel Hungtingtin's Clash of Civilizations & the Making of a New World Order. One thing is clear the Neocolonialist are maliciously shifting the evil day to when they will be no more.

The problem with Nigeria is far from being the economic structural issues but serious political structural matters that need attention today or never. Nigeria is far from being alone in the Historical evolutionary process of mankind development. What is responsible for bloody battle for pure prestige across all ages, across all continents, even as witnessed by Nigeria during Nigeria-Biafra war is the struggle for recognition, the struggle for identity. The Counter Coup plotters felt the Igbos have reduced their humanity by the killings of Amadu Bello and Sir Abubakar Tafa Bellewa and the Igbo's declaration of Biafra was in the same vein in safeguard of their humanity, of their identity, of their dignity, of their self esteem. Despite, the money poured into Niger Delta by the Federal Government and granting of amnesty yet their people still feel that their humanity have been reduced. Hence, the struggle continues. When M. K. O. Abiola died, the Yorubas of Nigeria felt their humanity have been reduced and they were ready by all means to reclaim their dignity. The struggle for recognition is Nigeria's fundamental problem.

On the other hand, Nigeria in the first place was for the convenience of Lord Lugard and his prostitute. Nigeria of today is for a coterie of Military Lords who now see the rest of us as the their slaves as the constitution of the Republic which was handed over to us by military fiat was for their continuous profiteering till thy kingdom come. The citizens of the Republic never debated the document. The entities that now indulge in the struggle for recognition were never consulted. Nigeria is for the whiteman and his black accomplices.

Many years ago Plato pointed out an aspect of Human Soul that is responsible for the struggle for recognition. Plato divided the soul into three parts: the part for desiring, the part for reasoning and the part called thymos or the Spiritedness. For Hegel this aspect of the Soul, thymos is responsible for struggle for recognition. Fukuyama explaining the functions of the parts said: "much of human behavior can be explained as a combination of the first two parts, the desire and reason. Desire induces men to seek things outside themselves while reason shows them the best way to get them. But in addition, being seek recognition of their own worth or of the people, things or principles that they invest with worth. The propensity for that value is what today's popular language would call "self-esteem". The propensity to feel self-esteem arises out of the part of the soul called thymos. It is an innate human sense of justice. When people are treated without worth, they experience the emotion of anger. When people fail to live up to their sense of worth they feel shame and when they are treated correctly in proportion to their worth they feel pride. The desire for recognition and the accompanying emotions of anger, shame and pride are parts of the human personality that's critical to political life. According to Hegel, they are what drives historical process." This is because men are ready to engage in mortal combat in order to regain or establish their dignity or worth. Hegel maintained that liberal economics were able to take care of the two aspects of the soul, desire and reason as could be seen in the economic prosperity of Europe but that didn't resolve the political problems generated by thymos as could be seen in the first & second world wars. Despite science & technological advancement, Europe was still in wars. Hegel maintained that the failure to tame the thymos brought about the French revolution of 1776. As the people, now the slaves, took their destiny into their hands and toppled the King and the superstitious priest. The French revolution ushered in Liberal Democracy. Liberal Democracy resolved "the question of recognition by replacing the relationship of lordship and bondage with universal and equal recognition".

Now professor Osibanjo has dishonestly said that "we must not allow ourselves to be drawn into the argument that our problems stem from some geographic restructuring. Yes, I said so". Osibanjo continued: "Geographical restructuring is either taking us back to regional governments or increasing the number of states. I argued that, with several States struggling or unable to pay salaries any other tinkering with our geographical structure would not benefit us". He now defines his idea of restructuring: "I then argued that what we required now was not geographical restructuring but good governance, honest management of public resources, deeper fiscal federalism and clear vision of development". Only two things can be deducted from Osibanjo's writing of 6th September 2018 as published by Sun Newspaper. One, avoid geographical restructuring. This will lead us into trouble. This will make evident the fundamental issue which is the struggle for recognition that accounts for the political life of every personality and entities that make Nigeria. Let us leave that problem for the later generation to deal with in the bloodiest way. Second, let us look at fiscal federalism and good governance. Let us solve the economic structural matters and nothing more. This is all we can deduce from the talkings of the Vice President. All other things were establishing these two points.

The Vice president slyly assumed ignorance of Nigeria history and her predicament. In avoiding his geographical restructuring Osibanjo feigned ignorance to the myriad of political structural imbalance in the Nigeria's Constitution. In the constitution Igbos were given only five States as against six states in the other zones. Osibanjo didn't see it. Osibanjo feigned ignorance that the number of local governments in Kano & Kastina is almost equal to that of the South East, a zone. Osibanjo feigns ignorance to ethnic cleansings that are going on in Nigeria. Osibanjo is not aware that there are people who have been designed not to be president of this Country. Osibanjo has not wondered why the whole geopolitical zones are crying that they are marginalized at the same time. Osibanjo is not aware that Nigeria is a creation of the White man in the first place. And today's Nigeria is the creation of the accomplices of the White man in black Mask. Even the Nigeria of today is far from the envisages of the regarded founding fathers.

From what have been said so far we comfortably deduce that the Vice President by avoiding geographical restructuring avoided the fundamental problem facing Nigeria which is the struggle for recognition. The thymos which is historically responsible for all human wars from history to history is much alive. That is to say, that assuming the economic strutural matters are put to rest as Osibanjo has insisted it will not extinquish the struggle for recognition. Just as we saw in Europe, the liberal economic prosperity will only enable the various mortal combatants to aquire more dangerous weapons for the bloodiest battle in the history of black Africa. Because, the military Lords and their political appointees will continue to see the rest of us as their slaves. The born to rule will continue to rule the born to be ruled. The white man will continue in their exploitation of the poor black African. The ethnic superiority of some over others will continue. This as the historical evolutionary process of mankind development has correctly envisaged will get to a point were lordships and the bondage will battle for their lives. When Nigeria is restructured in Osibanjo way, the Governors will turn their state police against another state or against The Federal Republic. When Niger Delta control their oil, they will have more money for more dangerous weapons. Sure, they willl turn against the Republic.

What's therefore responsible for Nigeria's woes are those things which enabled the struggle for recognition. Not fiscal federalism, not mismanagent of resources, nor grand corruption. When the foundation is destroyed what shall the righteous do. The writers of the Scriptures had nothing for the righteous. No where to run to. The Vice President should not run to economic structural matters after all he is yet to get a political legislative approval after many years of winning at the Supreme Court for the creation of 37 Local governments in Lagos State. Only one thing is left, collaspe the foundation and build afresh.The denizens of Nigeria must seat down and talk to each other eyeball to eyeball on all issues patterning to our being. The entities that make up Nigeria must seat down and talk on all issues patterning to our being. Why are we afraid of talking. Why is the black man not wanting to talk to fellow black brother. We have not had agreement before. This is whitemans making and their black accomplices. The white man even till now talk to white brothers come what may. Only talking will save us from the doomsday. Let us learn from the European and French experience. Experience is not the best teacher but history. Atiku said, "this continuous prevarication, this approbation and reprobation helps no one, least of all true progressives know that Nigeria needs to be restructured and restructured soon". The world historical evolutionary process is facing black Africa and Nigeria is the French in black Africa. A stitch in time saves nine.