Nigeria’s foundation not well laid, says Braithwaite (2)

Legacies of our past heroes compromised by succeeding generations
I don’t think the foundation of this country was well laid. The foundation for a progressive nation was not laid in the first place. The foundation laid by the former colonialists was neo-colonialist in nature, a situation where people in the former colony would forever be dependent on them.

They gave us flag independence, not economic independent. They gave us a flag as a symbol of nominal independence.
They also instituted a divide and rule system through which they could continue to weigh tremendous influence on their former colonies. The military set up of Nigeria was also framed with a mindset of conquerors of their own people. The departed colonialists also set the regions against one another and this was what led ostensibly to the Nigerian crisis just two years after independence. Nigeria erupted into a major constitutional crisis, especially in Western region, the fastest growing out of the three regions and whose leadership was considered the only one who was ready to stand up to the colonialists.

The Western region led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo was then seen as a threat to the economic tendencies of the departing colonialists. The constitution they gave the country was incredibly imbalance. They crafted power in favour of the North in a way that a northerner could become the Prime Minister and or president without seeking the contribution of the South or even without coming down to the south to campaign. This is what Chief Awolowo fought against in those days. He strived to form an alliance with the South East but it didn’t work.

The departed colonialists deliberately put powers in the hands of the northerners to whom they dictated policies.
We came on the scene as young intellectuals to try and stimulate revolution among the youths, but the military, which I considered as agents of the colonial masters, took steps to ensure that the young generations were kept under the jacket. The military did a lot of evils to this nation. There is no other reason the military hated Fela Anikulapo Kuti other than his revolutionary tendencies.

The military were agents of the colonialists, even up till now, the hands that still move governance in this country is the military.
There was no good foundation laid for the country at all. But hope is not yet lost because the young generations and a few old generations will recover the destiny of this nation and this nation will move forward.

Restructuring of the country
There is no doubt that despite our democracy, we are still far from being the ideal federal country. A serious restructuring must be undertaken and I believe that former President Goodluck Jonathan’s National Conference of 2014 did a good job in re-examining the entire structure of this country and it offered some suggestions that would have strengthened the country’s democratic system.
I have heard President Buhari made some vague remarks that he will not look at the 2014 National Conference’s recommendations, that will be a great mistake. It will be a great mistake if Mr. President will not at least consider the product of that conference. As I have always been saying, the best national conference that has ever been held in Nigeria, was the one former President Jonathan organised.

Nigerians got together in that conference to try and examine the state of the bond that hold us together. No one wants Nigeria to disintegrate, but on the contrary, we want Nigeria to be strengthened. We cannot have a strong democracy if we do not have a strong democratic structure that guarantees freedom, peace and justice. The institutions that guarantee freedom, all over the world, in Nigeria, they are weak.

There is criminal immunity for manifestly corrupt chief executives in our government. It is impossible to have a successful democracy with all these barriers in the way of people to get social justice, I called it social justice because it is not just legal justice, it is social injustice when you do not have roads to drive on, when you do not have electricity and when your fundamental human rights are being eroded by the brutality of the police and the fact that you cannot move freely from one part of the country to the other.

How President Buhari can restore values
I cannot advice him on the pages of newspaper. His policies as he has enunciated so far have not gone far enough to stimulate massive enthusiasm and support of the Nigerian people across board.