Nigeria is a Forced AMALGAMATION of 300 Nations by Britain - Dr Cosmas

The Chairman of African center for Leadership. Dr. Cosmas Ilechukwu has said that Nigeria must restructure to survive as a nation.

Dr. Cosmas made the statement during the 2016 edition of the Change we need lecture series with the theme 'Restructuring: Whose Nigeria?'  held in Abuja.

He said "The government should not browbeat the people of Nigeria into compliance with the political construct that has failed us. That tactics might have worked in the sixties but it can certainly not fly very high today. The world has changed. If the old Soviet Union will disintegrate, Nigeria should not presume to be a superior configuration."

Dr Cosmas added that "restructuring is a call to correct the dysfunctional federalism that concentrated everything at the centre and making the states no more than mere apron strings of the almighty federal government. This arrangement is unjustifiable in a true federal system"

The restructuring we need is one that will redress the balance of power between the north and south in a way that will ensure equality, equity and justice, he explained.

He emphasized that the only restructuring of our country so far that had the backing of the people of Nigeria took place at a pre-independence conference of legitimate representatives of the people in Ibadan in 1950.

He further stated that, Nigeria is a forced amalgam of about three hundred nations, with distinct languages and cultures, created in 1914 for the administrative convenience and economic advantage of Great Britain.

The President of institute of governance and social research,  Professor Isawa Elaigwu while presenting his paper on 'Fiscal federalism and inter-governmental relations' said that the nature of distribution of power and responsibilities which underlies the federal principles of ‘shared rule’ and ‘self rule’ makes intergovernmental relations  inevitable.

He said "There are sufficient IGR institutions to foster functional and synergetic IGR but lack of supportive federal political culture hampers the functioning of these institutions and processes of such IGR."

He added that as Nigeria transits from civilian to democratic rule, the principles rule of law, fairness, equity and justice upon which intergovernmental relations flourishes should be entrenched in the Nigerian polity and politics.