As we celebrate the anniversary of June 12 today, it is important for us as citizens to understand how governance is in a federation. Why this discussion is essential is because of the way citizens heap all blame of misgovernment in a federal practice like ours. But it is equally important to address the issue of June 12 anniversary we are celebrating today as Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
The first real attempt to democratic government in Nigeria took place on June 12, 1993. It was the first time most Nigerians had Abraham Lincoln’s definition of democracy in mind as they trooped out to vote for their preferred presidential candidate. June 12 was also the first time Nigeria would have an unofficially declared president who willingly sacrificed his life, wealth and all for the sake of Nigerians despite several opportunities to renounce the mandate freely given to him by Nigerians and walk to freedom. June 12 was also the first time in the history of Nigeria that Nigerians exhibited the will to live and be governed together. It is for these reasons that June 12 will remain unimpeachable in the annals of Nigerian history.
One of the most important lessons Nigerians need to learn and imbibe for the sake of June 12 is to perspectivize the issues of government and governance in our federal practice. Nigerians are yet to understand the workings of the federal system of government. In a federation, no organ of government is superior. The system divides political authority between a central government and the subnationals (state governments) while they both govern the people directly. Power is divided between them by our written constitution, which gives an enormous degree of independence to each of the organs.
Though the constitution provides a clear demarcation as to what each organ can legislate on, as the federal government legislates on items on the Exclusive list, there are items in which the federal government and the federating units legislate on, and this is provided for in the Concurrent list. Apart from the issues of national security and defence, foreign affairs, banking and currency which fall under the purview of the federal government, items in the Concurrent list such as education, health, infrastructure, agriculture, etc are under the purview of both the federal and the state governments.
The reason why Nigerians continue to suffer is not farfetched. We misplace blames and expect responsibility and responsiveness where they’re less resided. We expect the federal government to do everything for us, but we excuse state governments from their obligations to us. We have forgotten that as there is a national economy, there is also a local economy. The way the federal government has resources and instruments that can help the national economy to thrive is also the way state governments have resources and instruments to ensure we have a thriving local economy. State governments are closer to us and local governments are closest to us. Yet, we shout hoarse that the federal government, which is far to us, is taking us through unimaginable suffering.
State governments have a good share of national revenues. They collect revenues internally. Yet, we leave them to be frivolous with our common patrimony. Rather than using the opportunity of our closeness to their seats of power to demand accountability from state governors who live a stone throw from us, we demand accountability from the federal government we need air, rail, or road fare to get to. This is not saying we as citizens should not call the federal government to account. This is saying we should redirect our attention to focus more on state governments. They continue to ask for more resources from the federal government on our behalf, and as they continue to get more resources, we only beam searchlight of criticisms of misgovernment on the federal government while we allow our state governments to roam free with our rising amounts of resources they get from the national purse.
As we celebrate Democracy Day today, it is important that we rethink and redirect our attention to the organ of government (state governments) that holds the key to our survival and prosperity if we must begin to enjoy dividends of democracy that we strove to attain. It is shameful that a governor would cry that his citizens are hungry and lay the blame at the doorstep of the federal government when such governor has a ministry of agriculture and natural resources, manned by a commissioner, a permanent secretary, some directors, and an SSA on agriculture appointed by the governor. It’s more shameful that state citizens allow themselves to be taken for a ride by hailing the governor whose responsibility it is and actually has the resources to ensure they are not hungry.
Maroof Asudemade writes from Ibadan.
