Edward Wabundani
7 January 2009
opinion
As the Ekweremandu-led Joint Committee on Constitution Review Committee begins sitting this January, three issues are likely to assume centre stage and a great deal of hot air, reasons and rhetoric will be advanced for or against them.
In the main, state creation, the principle of derivation and immunity from prosecution for executive office holders will dominate the constitution review exercise. These issues, apart from the immunity clause, are as old as the Nigerian state itself as they dominated every constitution debate before and after independence. Significantly, the reason for their resilience is obvious; they are not only central to the nation's socio-economic and political wellbeing, they propel the political economy of Nigeria. So, as always, state creation and resource control, as it is now referred to, may ultimately shape the current constitution reform.
As the goose that lays the golden eggs, the Niger Delta wants higher revenue than the present 13% derivation that it is getting and several percentages have been touted. In this regard, the dividing line is clearly between the oil producing areas and the Nigerian state. However, on state creation, the issues are much more complex as they are rooted in demography, land mass, history and historical linkages as well as cultural affinity, including a sense of freedom.
So, for a combination of these factors, minorities in almost every state in Nigeria, are agitating for a state of their own and their common denominator is to shed off the yolk of marginalisation. For example, in Kaduna state, the people from the southern part of the state want a state carved out for them. The Idomas in Benue State, on the other hand, are agitating for Apa State, just as the people of southern Borno want Savannah State. The Nupes in Kogi, Kwara and Niger states also want a separate Ndaduma State of their own. As a zone, the South East wants an additional state in order to bring it at par with other geo-political zones.
For all intents and purposes, the constitution amendment promises to be a big debate where facts, rather than sentiments, will guide the committee's recommendations. Consequently, political pressure groups and proponents of states creation have been strategising and marshalling their points in preparation for the Ekwerenmadu committee. In this regard, the movement for the creation of Amana state, an amalgam of councils from Adamawa and Borno states, has already gathered momentum as its steering committee had already met in July and August last year. The proposed state, according to its promoters, will comprise Askira/uba and Gwoza local governments from Borno State, as well as Hong, Gombi, Maiha councils in Adamawa State, including Mubi North, Mubi North, Michika and Madagali local governments from the "Land of Beauty."
At the aforesaid meetings, concrete decisions were taken and each council that will constitute the proposed state was mandated to sell the idea, embark on sensitisating campaign and set up working structures in their local governments. In addition, each of the constituting council is expected to nominate a representative to the national planning team in order to liaise between the committee and his local government. This resolution, without dissent, was overwhelmingly endorsed and on that note, the Amana State movement began to run a full throttle until recently.
Fifth columnists and their collaborators wanted to throw spanner in the works of the state creation movement. Specifically, the choice of nomenclature was exploited to pitch the components against each other. A few elements wanted "Sardauna State" as against "Amana State", for the proposed state and their reasons is hinged on historical accounts. According to them, some parts of the area were subjected to a plebiscite in 1962, where the people were given the option of either belonging to Cameroun or Nigeria. Sir Ahmadu Bello, the then Northern Premier, virtually mobilised the entire government machinery to campaign in the run up to the election. Overwhelmingly, the people voted to stay in Nigeria and for this singular pan Nigerian act, the area became synonymous with the Sardauna, the late premier's traditional title. So, as a marketing strategy, some people felt that proposing a Sardauna State, as a brand name, will resonate more with Nigerians instead of Amana State.
However, proponents of Amana State see Sardauna in a broader perspective. Sir Ahmadu Bello, as northern premier, embodied honesty, fairness and forthrightness as well as integrity. In a word, as a politician, he respected the social contract that he signed with the people upon assuming office and that trust or Amana, as it is known in Hausa, is what stands him above his peers and not his towering frame. This fact, according to Amana State promoters, explains why they chose the Amana brand name. Happily, this difference in perception is being carefully resolved at council levels. To this end, retired General Aliyu Kama, a member of the National Planning Committee, recently held a stakeholders' meeting in Hong so as to sensitise his Kilba kith and kin on the journey to the promised Amana State. Similar town hall meetings were also held in other local governments.
However, beyond the hue and cry of domination and the desire to get a state of their own, how viable will the proposed Amana State be? Collectively, do the nine odd local governments that will comprise the state have the population, land mass and substantial internally-generated revenue sources to become a state? According to reports, the area has a fertile land and it is rich in solid minerals resources. In addition, the proposed state will have a population of about 1. 5 million people. Similarly, the people share a cultural affinity as highlighted in "The Kilba and their literature," which was written by Jival Panama in 1993. These parameters, more than anything, will determine whether or not Amana or any state for that matter, will be created by the National Assembly. But the first hurdle is Ekwerenmadu committee and according to reports, the promoters of Amana State will scale it almost effortlessly if they sustain the current momentum of sensitisation, collating of data and presenting a common front in the struggle.
Wabundani lives in Abuja
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