The Big Story: Why Restructuring maybe Impossible in Nig. [9News Nigeria analysis]

Restructuring Nigeria means to put the country’s polity and governance in their proper perspectives.

Restructuring if allowed to fly will also mean re-configurating the country’s economy and political scheme in an autopilot system that will be driven regionally or on State by State respective framework as the bargain and negotiations will determine if finally allowed.

Indeed if Restructuring is allowed on State by State framework, as it’s the quest of all the 17 Southern Nigeria States, it would obviously undress the Northern States and keep them standing naked in revenue and resources and they might find it almost impossible to get dressed again due to the latter’s totally dependent on the South oil and gas feeders.

Restructuring if allowed, will expressly authorized States that bring more goodies on the country’s dining table to get more for themselves and States with little or no contribution to the country economy to feed themselves according to their input capacities.

And Northern Nigeria is basically agrarian and the Nation’s agricultural farmland. The region produces tomatoes, onions, yam, oranges, sugarcane, groundnut, maize, beans, rice, pepper, millet, potatoes, garbage, cotton, livestock, pockets of solid minerals etc.

The above produce, if properly harnessed and given value that is beyond their present local considerations, and put in an industrial value chain, Northern Nigeria will be nothing less than a food basket for all Sub-Sahara countries and the Western world.

Would the North accept this?
The answer is obviously No. Why No, someone asked.
Most uninformed Northerners and of which many are in the position of Leadership today, live in a daydream fantasy and hallucination that the entire Nigeria State is the patrimony of one of their forebears known as Usman Dan Fodio.

(See this in part of the threat they issued to Delta State Governor HE. Ifeanyi Okowa by the Fulani Jihadists)
I quote:
“FULANI JIHADIST WARNINGS!!!
AN OPEN MESSAGE OF 2 PARAGRAPHS TO DELTA STATE 13/06/21
This is to inform Delta State that the Fulani’s of Usman dan Fodio leadership, shall do everything it can to uphold the legacy of our heritage of open grazing for we are nomadic people from origination and shall never negotiate the ownership of Nigeria… ” Unquote.

Sadly, the intention to drive home Usman Dan Fodio’s “dream” is already been implemented and enforced in President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

One can clearly see this in Mr President’s security architecture. Out of the 18 military, paramilitary and law enforcement bodies we have in Nigeria, 15 are headed by Northerners. The three arms of government, the Executive, the Judiciary, and the Legislature are headed by Northerners.

Look at the composition of the management of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation – NNPC which is regulating the exploration, exploitation, distribution and sales of oil and gas produced in the South at 100%. 99.5% of the management positions of NNPC have Northerners who have no oil in their soil and waters on them.

The management composition can be likened to a Northern Muslim dynasty. Have a look at this and ask yourself, “how is the ‘Restructuring’ the South is pushing for, possible?”

See the NNPC management composition below:

1. Mele Kyari (GMD)
2. Umar Ajiya (Chief Finance Officer/Finance and Accounts)
3. Yusuf Usman (Chief Operating Officer)
4. Farouk Garba Sa’id (Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services)
5. Mustapha Yakubu (Chief Operating Officer, Refining and Petrochemicals)
6. Hadiza Coomassie (Corporate Secretary/Legal Adviser to the Corporation)
7. Omar Ibrahim (Group General Manager, International Energy Relations)
8. Kallamu Abdullahi (GGM Renewable Energy)
9. Ibrahim Birma (GGM Governance Risk and Compliance)
10. Bala Wunti (GGM NAPIMS)
11. Inuwa Waya (MD NNPC Shipping)
12. Musa Lawan (MD Pipelines And Product Marketing)
13. Mansur Sambo (MD Nigeria Petroleum Development Company)
14. Lawal Sade (MD Duke Oil/NNPC Trading Company)
15. Malami Shehu (MD Port Harcourt Refining Company)
16. Muhammed Abah (MD Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company)
17. Abdulkadir Ahmed (MD Nigeria Gas Marketing Company)
18. Salihu Jamari (MD Nigeria Gas and Power Investment Company Limited)
19. Mohammed Zango (MD NNPC Medical Services)
20. Sarki Auwalu (Director, Department of Petroleum Resources)

Only three top positions are allotted to the entire Southern Nigeria.

That’s about NNPC.

In other areas of government and governance, the North dominates the South. How then would the South continuous push for ‘Restructuring’ scale through?

In the House of Representatives for instance, the North has 191 members, while the South has 169. Have you seen the difference?

Of the 774 Local Government Areas, the Southern Nigeria oil and gas monies pay monthly allocation to 419 LGAs in 19 Northern States, while allocation is paid to 357 LGAs in 17 States in the South.

Then for all what the North consumes let’s see what they bring to Nigeria dinning table:

North Central receives 20% of oil revenue but contributes 0.00%.

North East receives 16% of oil revenue but contributes 0.00%.

North West receives 21% of oil revenue but contributes 0.00%.

Every month, the 19 Northern states receive a minimum of 57% of 100% of oil revenue of which they contribute 0.00%.

South West receives 16% of oil revenue but contributes 3.97%.

South East receives 11.00% of oil revenue but contributes 25.07%.

South South receives 15.00% of oil revenue
but contributes 70.64%.

How then would the much talked about ‘Restructuring’ of Nigeria be possible, when the South is the feeder station of the North?

And if the North is restrained from accessing revenues from oil and gas, imagine what will become of the North? If the South wants Nigeria to be Restructured, the quest could be possible, only if oil exploration, exploitation, distribution and sales would not be part of the agenda in the ‘Restructuring’ plans and discussions.

By Samuel Abasiekong Abasiekong (9News Nigeria – South-South)