Is anyone thinking about the costs of restructuring?

by Alexander O. Onukwue

If a referendum is held on the question of restructuring Nigeria, it is more than likely that there will be a wide margin victory for the Yes campaign. Or for the Vote Leave, depending on what the question is.

Either way, there are bound to be costs to be borne if Nigeria were to become irreversibly set on a different path from its current structure. Everybody seems to agree that Nigeria is not working. The former US diplomat, John Campbell, describes it as a nation dancing on the brink.

Simon Kolawole’s recent piece on the matter of restructuring begins with a declaration: “Something is wrong with anybody who says there is nothing wrong with Nigeria”. Something is also wrong with the manner with which the matter of the restructuring becomes hot sauce at certain times in the country, only to die down when some persons have been bought to be silent just before and after elections. But the 2017 climate of the Nigerian call for restructuring is a bit different. It is fueled by very many ethnic tensions all around the country, with the back and forth of quit notices from North to South.

However, the increase in intensity for the restructuring has apparently been due to the marginalisation of certain groups within the country. What kind of restructuring can be negotiated in such tense atmosphere? Will the men at the table be in the clear sense of mind to haggle objectively? Because as much as it is common knowledge what the outcome of a restructured Nigeria should be, the real interests of the key actors will come to the fore when push comes to shove.

All Nigerians deserve a better Nigeria, better than the present nest of thorns amidst roses that is really inconvenient for everyone. But what will the leaders do ensure the roses are not torn apart by pulling the thorns off the nest?

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