Panelists and other contributors at a recent Town Hall meeting, convened by the Collaborative Council of Nigerians in the Diaspora (CCND), have called for the restructuring of the country to bring about lasting peace and security and to allow the potentials of the component parts of the country to flourish.
The virtual meeting, which had as theme, “Seeking the Nigeria We Want: Restructuring Nigeria,” featured as panelists, Professor Mondy Gold, Coordinator of the African Diaspora for Good Governance (ADGG), Barrister Tony Nnadi, Co-convener and Spokesperson of Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS) and Jumoke Akin-Taylor, Vice President, TriAfrica Empowerment Foundation.
They all agreed on the necessity for the restructuring of the country with each presenting different perspectives and approaches to the attainment of the same goal. While Nnadi insisted that at the core of the challenge of Nigerian nationhood is the 1999 Constitution, which he stressed is a fraud that must be discarded if any progress is to be made, Akin-Taylor noted that the operators of the present structure have not been sufficiently held to account by the people.
Prof. Mondy Gold, who is also the President and CEO of the Ijaw Diaspora Council (IDC), on his part, spoke of “the urgent need for comprehensive restructuring – a call to dismantle outdated paradigms, empower states, leverage the Nigerian Diaspora, and embrace genuine federalism, respecting all Nigerians’ aspirations.”
Insisting that there is need for “a new Nigeria where every region thrives, diversity is celebrated, and unity becomes a tangible reality,” Prof. Gold pointed out that the inaugural Town Hall meeting of the CCND was not a platform to only acknowledge the challenges being faced by the country as presently structured, but an occasion to courageously confront and proffer solutions to the identified problems.
Gold, whose presentation was titled “Forging Nigeria’s Path to Greatness: Embracing True Federalism, Unity, and Bold Leadership,” began by highlighting the historical significance of Nigeria’s amalgamation in 1914, emphasizing that while the union symbolized a shared destiny and unity amid diversity, it also brought with it challenges that continue to threaten the nation’s fabric today.
He reflected on Nigeria’s journey since independence, underscored the critical issues of governance, resource management, self-determination, and national unity and lamented the persistence of threats of disintegration fueled by centralized power structures, which have exacerbated regional autonomy issues and deepened divisions in the country.
Drawing parallels from Nigeria’s history—from the amalgamation to the 12-Day Revolution and Sharia Law implementations—Professor Gold, the Chairman of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) in the US advocated a loose and revitalized federalism as imperatives for national peace and unity.
He proposed practical steps, including redrawing political boundaries, ensuring resource control by states, and the adoption of a fair derivation formula to foster economic growth and development across all regions of the country.
Gold, who has been honored with the United States Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the Nigeria Peace Ambassador Awards, urged bold leadership and decisive action to rewrite Nigeria’s constitutional framework, and called upon President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other stakeholders to seize the moment and secure Nigeria’s future as the beacon of hope for the entire Black race by doing the right things.
He emphasized the urgency and transformative potential of embracing true federalism and unity, insisting that with unwavering determination, Nigeria stands poised to transcend its challenges and embark on a path to greatness through unity and bold leadership.
