The Dereliction of the National Stadium, Abuja, and The Exigency of Decentralization of Power in Nigeria!

The complexities inherent in the governance of Nigeria as a sovereign nation-state, as we have experienced over the years, make distorted federalism (the unitary model) inapplicable. Each day, the Federal Government is becoming larger in size and scope. And the accompanying responsibilities are simultaneously becoming overwhelmingly enormous; thus, surpassing the administrative capacity and managerial expertise of the trusted few vested with power and duties at Abuja. Therefore, making the need for decentralisation of power and authorities from the over-bloated central government to the component states and regional councils a compelling consideration.

On June 12, 2019, President Buhari renamed the National Stadium in Abuja as MKO Abiola National Stadium in commemoration of the aborted June 12, 1993, Presidential election, won by the former Aare-Ano-Kakanfo of Yoruba land. This short essay is not about that frustrated mandate. It is about the derelict condition of the National Stadium named after him and the exigency of True Federalism.

If it were not for the honour bestowed on MKO Abiola by President Buhari, Nigerians would not have known about the absurdity defining our number one national sporting edifice. That stadium cost us Three Hundred and Sixty Million US Dollars ($360,000,000.00) in construction. Gigantic as it is, it is now of spurious value just like most others before it.

Just a few days ago, the outgoing Minister for Youth and Sport, Mr. Solomon Dalung, boasted that no Nigerian born of a woman can stop him from serving again in the new administration of President Buhari. And that is the guy who presided over the Ministry of Sport for four years, under whose management the National Stadium rotted away, unutilized.

The story of the old National Stadium, Surulere, is the same story being told about the National Arts Theatre and the Abuja National Stadium, now MKO National Stadium. And it is a vivid portrayal of the state of our institutions and infrastructural facilities all over Nigeria. These institutions and facilities have outgrown the capacity of the trusted privileged few in terms of management and administrative acumen. This makes a case for the Decentralisation of Power and True Federalism, unavoidably expedient.

The situation is made worse when you have a President and his trusted lieutenants who do not know who is who outside the realm of power in Abuja. Making one man the head of three Federal Ministries (Works, Power, and Housing) in four years, when you have thousands of highly qualified Nigerians wasting away unengaged, is the height of disconnect. Four years later, the Minister didn't know what to do with the two most important Federal Highways in Lagos State, his own state.

With the picture of the MKO Stadium, you don't need to be told that the Federal Government and its trusted and privileged confidants cannot adequately manage our institutions. This is not merely theoretical - the National Stadium Surulere and the National Stadium at Abuja are a vivid reminder of our greatness, leaving us behind. The National Arts Theatre at Iganmu, Lagos, is a national disgrace. The Lagos/Badagry Expressway manifests indolence and capitulation. They just gave up. 

What about Apapa Wharf? Why the congestion? Is Lagos the only Coastal town in Nigeria? Nigerians want to work. The Nigerian Federal Government is not thinking correctly, and Abuja doesn't know what to do to put Nigerians back to work. The resources are there. The capable hands are there. But the great minds to harness and deploy these resources and outstanding Nigerians effectively are missing in action. And that is the hallmark of institutional decay.

President Buhari is an Oligarch, surrounded by an air of mystery and mini-oligarchs. These mini-oligarchs are, in turn, surrounded by autocratic, greedy political careerists, answerable to no one. And as long as the oil wealth remains in their exclusive control, they have nothing to lose by doing little or doing nothing at all. No one expects you to be a superstar or a super brain in a leadership approach. But as a leader, you are expected to know where you are lacking in ideas and visions. It is your ability as a leader to identify those with the requisite ideas or visions to occupy that vacuum for you and do the right thing that makes for good leadership. Papa Awo surrounded himself not just with people he could trust but visionary guys who were not afraid to push him and tell him what to do to ensure the fulfilment of his set goals.

Finally, I did not use the term "Restructuring" for obvious reasons. It comes with enormous baggage. And it is easily misunderstood and resented by the stakeholders and the major antagonists of the Sovereign National Conference. In their opinion, the term "Restructuring" is synonymous with the Disintegration of Nigeria. The term is gaining traction, though, because Nigerians like fancy words and complicated terms. It is the opaqueness of the term that makes the evolution of Decentralisation of Power and True Federalism an unsolvable riddle. Also, about 95% of those calling for Restructuring cannot write more than a sentence on what the term connotes. Therefore, let's shift our focus and concentrate on True Federalism and decentralisation of Power that is understandable to all. Call it Devolution of Power, if you like, it makes sense as well. Restructuring, on the other hand, has on numerous occasions, interpreted as the commencement of the Disintegration of Nigeria through the back door. And that's a significant drawback. Thank you.