Don, at Efobi’s memorial lecture, urges nation’s restructuring

TO enhance national integration and exert strong influence on leaders, a political scientist, Prof. Elo Amaucheazi, has called for the restructuring of Nigeria into an acceptable and balanced federation.

Delivering the third Chris Efobi Memorial Foundation Lecture at the weekend in Enugu, the former director-general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) said that under a restructured federation, Nigerians would no longer have dictators at the centre.

Similarly, the constituent states would have enough inherent powers to checkmate the central government, while the president would not succeed in imposing his will on the rest of the country, even if he tries to.

Speaking on the topic, “Leadership and Nigerian Political Development,” Amaucheazi declared: “Right now, the erstwhile military dictator, now president, has already begun to discover that he cannot easily have his way as he did in 1983-1985, when he came to power through the barrel of the gun.

“The National Assembly is already reminding him that the country is now a democracy, even if at rudimentary stage of development, and he cannot impose his will as before. I believe he is conscious of his limitations now and is trying to adjust accordingly.”

According to the erudite scholar, the recent advice to African leaders by American President, Barak Obama, that the continent needs strong institutions, not strong leaders (rulers), was correct.

He added that popularly produced constitution, with the attendant entrenched institutions, are panacea to misguided political tyrants and hope for genuine political development.

The professor emeritus of Abia State University, Uturu, said that from time, Nigerians have critically expressed need for the nation’s restructuring, and that its undesirable state partly caused the civil war in 1967.

“The military dictators, rather than face the problem squarely, distorted the existing structure the more by creating minuscule and insolvent 36 states. In addition, a total of 774 councils were created as part of the federating units. This is most unusual, for there is no where in the world a local government is a federating unit,” he observed.

“The imposition of the new structure is rightly interpreted as manipulation by the northern military leaders to ultimately hold on to power perpetually and appropriate a disproportionate share of the federal funds. At present, the structure has meant in effect an institution of a unitary system of government to the advantage of northerners.”

Meanwhile, Amaucheazi recalled that due to Efobi’s leadership qualities, he was at one time appointed the chairman, board of Good Shepherd Secondary School, Enugu, and chairman of the state health management board, noting that the renowned pharmacist was also involved in settling chieftaincy conflicts at his Oraifite village in Anambra State, especially those with denominational coloration.

He was equally involved in the reconstruction of the war-battered school blocks in his alma mater, Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha.

Describing Efobi as a celebrated African leader, the pride of Nd’Igbo, a philanthropist and great Dengramite with vision, Amaucheazi commended the organisers for honouring the late founder of the famous Chris Chemist in Enugu, stating that such efforts would inspire the younger ones to do good for society.