• Tinubu steering Nigeria towards liquidation, says Secondus
• Oloja validates partisan journalism
• Tread cautiously on Constitution review, senator urges Nigerians

Former Minister of Information, John Nnia Nwodo, has warned that Nigeria risks disintegration before the 2027 general elections if urgent steps are not taken to restructure the country.

This was as former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, accused President Bola Tinubu of presiding over the gradual liquidation of Nigeria’s democracy and economy.

On the ongoing Constitution review, Sen Sadiq Umar (Kwara North) urged Nigerians to tread with caution on issues that may threaten the country’s unity. He disclosed that the review would afford Nigerians the opportunity for broader inclusion and consequently address many of the issues.

Meanwhile, as the Nigerian media practitioners shy away from admitting partisanship, veteran journalist, Martins Oloja, asserted that partisan journalism is valid.

Nwodo, also former president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said the present political structure failed to address Nigeria’s complex challenges and must be reformed before the next general elections.

He gave the warning yesterday in Abuja at the public presentation of two books, The Bubbles of Nigeria’s Democracy: The Musings of a Nigerian Journalist and Wadata Wonders: Memoirs of a Partisan Journalist, authored by veteran journalist, Ike Abonyi.

Present at the event were 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi; PDP presidential aspirant in 2023, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen; Bauchi State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed (represented), among others.

Delivering a keynote lecture entitled ‘How Did We Get Here?’ Nwodo argued that Nigeria operates a unitary constitution masquerading as federal, which entrenched injustice, stifled development and intensified agitations across the country.

While lamenting the concentration of power at the centre, he noted that regions lost the autonomy they once enjoyed to control resources, develop infrastructure and ensure security within their jurisdictions.

Stating that the country is at a crossroads, he said: “Nigeria must restructure and give its component units sovereignty over its natural resources provided they pay royalty or some form of taxation to the Federal Government to maintain federal responsibilities like External Defence, Foreign Missions, Customs and Immigration. In this way true democracy will evolve and the speed of development increase.

“Emphasis must return to agriculture and education. Education must emphasise renascent digital orientation. Domestic security must remain in the hands of the federating units.”

According to him, if it does not happen, Nigerians will have no alternative but to go their separate ways. “Processes to begin our restructuring as a nation must be concluded before the 2027 elections, to avert a situation where sections of the country may boycott the elections and present the country with a constitutional force majeure.”

According to Secondus, Nigeria’s democratic structure is dysfunctional, with political parties lacking ideological coherence and institutional continuity.

He said: “We are still far from getting to a point where we can say we have democracy. We don’t have democracy in our country. What we have is a platform for winning an election.

“Our country is gradually moving in the wrong direction to a place where you can say Nigeria is on the verge of liquidation presided over by Tinubu.”

Reviewing the books, Oloja commended the author for boldly identifying as a partisan journalist.

According to the former Managing Director of The Guardian, such description is a necessary provocation against the long-standing and often hypocritical expectation of neutrality in Nigeria’s media ecosystem.

While faulting what he called an unrealistic pursuit of fairness and balance in a deeply polarised political and media environment, Oloja said Nigerian media houses were often silent about their leanings while pretending to be neutral.

He said: “The author shows in so many articles in both books that in a functional democracy, the presence of alternative views is crucial for ensuring that citizens have access to a wide range of perspectives and ideas. This diversity of thought allows for informed decision-making, promotes critical thinking and fosters a more inclusive and equitable society.

“Alternative views provide a necessary check on power and ensure that those in authority are held accountable for their actions. By presenting different perspectives, alternative views encourage critical thinking and promote a more nuanced understanding of complex issues.”

This, in turn, he added, leads to more informed decisions and a more engaged citizenry. “This is a vital component of a healthy democracy.”

Member of the Senate Constitution Review Committee at the yesterday’s Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kwara Television chapel’s Press Week, Umar highlighted both the opportunities and challenges of Nigeria’s ongoing constitutional review.

Appearing as the guest speaker, the lawmaker said the review would address the historically marginalised groups and allow the people to take ownership of their governance.

According to him, the review offers a platform to entrench gender and youth inclusion, ensuring that our democracy is truly participatory.

“It also presents the chance to deepen federalism, through mechanisms like devolution of powers, state policing, and enhanced local government autonomy. Equally, this process can help strengthen national institutions, making them more independent, efficient, and credible in the eyes of citizens,” he said.

Discussing the topic, ‘Pros and cons of ongoing constitutional review’, he alerted Nigerians to the challenges and potential pitfalls that may accompany the task of the ongoing review.

He urged the media, as a critical stakeholder, to demystify the process by informing the citizens and holding the leaders accountable.