In about twelve hours from now, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), will embark on nation-wide raids and deportation of illegal immigrants whose asylum application have been denied. Barring any last minutes respite from President Donald Trump, the faith of the affected immigrants now rest in the hands of God. Sad as the news is, it is not the reason I am writing this essay.
As ICE agents are fine-tuning their impending onslaught on undocumented immigrants, about nine cities in the United States of America have vehemently and unequivocally declared that they will not provide any form of logistics or security support to ICE agents coming into their cities to effect arrest and deportation. What? You may ask!
The truth is, ICE, in every shape or form, is an agency of the United State Government. And these cities, like ICE, are part of American sovereignty under the leadership of President Donald Trump. Yet, they had the audacity to declare in no uncertain terms that they will not authorize their Police Force to provide support to ICE during the raid or assist them with detention facilities. That is a vivid manifestation of the fundamentals of True Federalism. And that is what is missing in Nigeria. No Local Government Council or State can stand up to the "monstrosity" at Abuja.
In the past few days, Edo State House of Assembly in Nigeria has been on the news for the wrong reasons. A couple of weeks ago, the highly respected gentleman Governor of Edo State, played a fast one on his former boss, Comrade Adam Oshiomhole. He plotted a successful Executive Coup - the inauguration of the Edo State House of Assembly. Only nine members, allegedly sympathetic to Governor Obaseki, participated in the Swearing-in Ceremony. In the end, a new Speaker was elected. Those who were not present at the ceremony miraculously surfaced at Abuja. For What? Security reasons we were told.
Due process demands that every member is given notice of the date and time of the inauguration subsequent to the issuance of a proclamation letter from the Governor to the Clerk of the House. If they were given notice but failed to honor the invitation, the case is over. If on the other hand, only the nine members who were present at the swearing-in ceremony were the ones contacted, then what took place as inauguration is nothing but a farce.
As the saga continues, some prominent and not so prominent political leaders called upon the House of Representatives at Abuja, to step into the vacuum and take over the affairs of the Edo State House of Assembly. That demand is in itself an affront and a blatant slight on the conscience of the good people of Edo State. In other words, we are being told that the most educationally-advanced state in Nigeria lacks the wisdom, integrity, sagacity, and organizational wherewithal to peacefully assemble and make laws for the good people of the state. And Governor Obaseki says: bring it on. I am ready. And I am waiting.
I do not want to go into the political angle (godfatherism) of the saga. And I do not want the House to continue in its juvenile culture of the past; shamelessly subservient and unapologetically susceptible to executive manipulation.
Suffices it to say at this juncture that Governor Obaseki is an astute and diligent student of the culture of political gangsterism incubated and nurtured into prominence in Edo State by his former boss, Comrade Adam Oshiomhole. So far so good, Governor Obaseki has shown a side of him that is completely new to the majority of Edo State indigenes at home and abroad. It is the reaffirmation that, indeed, Nigeria is a federal system where the component states and the central government have their constitutionally defined powers and responsibilities.
Even though Abuja has turned Nigeria into a Unitary System of Government, dispensing handouts (crude oil money) as it pleases, Governor Obaseki has made it abundantly clear that Edo state will not be a dumping group for the experimentation of a centralized unitary model that our Founding Fathers did not contemplate. Kudos to Governor Obaseki for engineering a new surge in the evolution of True Federalism in Nigeria.
Moving Forward.
My Candid Advice to the Runaway Legislators.
Those who absconded to Abuja should have stayed behind in Benin City to fight it out with the Governor, the Clerk of the House, and the minority who hijacked the process. Running to Comrade Adam Oshiomhole and the House of Representatives at Abuja didn't manifest courage under fire. Come back home, if you have not done so. Meet. Strategize. Go to the Assembly Complex peacefully. And move a motion for the impeachment of the new Speaker. It is that simple because you have the votes. Show strength, guys. Wise-up and show strength. We don't want Abuja in our legislative affairs in Edo State.
Comments
Michael Imhanluohan There is no true federalism in Nigeria, Lexy. In fact, federalism doesn't exist at all in the real sense of the concept. The Nigerian constitution concocted and imposed on us by the military gives power to the National Assembly to take over the functions of a State Assembly when there is intractable crises in such state assembly that could snowball into national security threat. Secondly, our States do not have their own police forces as it should be in a federal system. This means that if Oshiomhole/federal govt, in collaboration with the National Assembly decides to take over Edo State Assembly, they have all the coercive forces at their disposal (police and the military) to make it happen. And Governor Obaseki and the people of Edo State will become helpless. President Obasanjo did it in two states during his presidency and he got away with it. If Obaseki and Edo people try by means of vigilante to resist them, then there is the possibility the federal govt will declare a state of emergency in Edo State and have the governor removed. Obasanjo did it too. And this could be Oshiomhole's real plan, my friend. For all we know, Obaseki could be walking into a trap without knowing it.
Alex Ehimhantie'Aiyo Aidaghese Dr. Mike, totally agree. But, permit me to add the followings: Aguiyi Ironsi major offense was that he promulgated the unification decree after the assassination of Ahmadu Bello, Akintola, Okotiebor, Balewa, and others. And he paid with his life, culminating in the declaration of the civil war. Today, it is a Unitary model under the back door, made possible by Professor Yadudu who was then the Legal Adviser to the former Military Head of State, General Sani Abacha. In his interview with the Vanguard newspaper, published on October 1, 2017, he alluded to the fact that Nigeria is a work in progress. If it is a work in progress, as he said, the demand for True Federalism and Restructuring are, therefore, in order. It is the same Yadudu who presided over the creation of new states and new local government councils and the sole author of the 1999 Constitution. And if you do the arithmetic, you MUST come to the conclusion that it is constitutionally impossible for the regions demanding True Federalism to achieve it. Because they don't have the vote and can never have the vote. The more states and local government councils a particular region has the more power and influence it exercises over national affairs. And the northern region has General Abacha and Professor Yadudu to thank for that lopsided allocation of legislative power. A few months ago, a Nigerian Barrister who I have enormous respect for, in light of his awesome grasp of public policy, suggested that instead of individuals or regions agitating for a Sovereign National Conference or True Federalism, they should focus on governing their respective regions consistent with the fundamental principles of True Federalism or Regionalism. And I kind of agree with him now. For instance, Governor Nasir El-RufaiKaduna State has taken over some federal highways in his state. In a similar vein, the newly elected Governor of Lagos State is about assuming control of Lagos/Badagry Expressway and the Mile2/Orile/Apapa Highway. So, you can see the premise under which I paid tribute to Governor Obaseki of Edo State. Indeed, Nigeria is a work in progress, and maybe, in our lifetime, we will be able to elect a President, who will embark on a civilian revolution as Professor Yadudu suggested, and return Nigeria into a truly federal system. In the meantime, we should rally around those governors who are willing and bold enough to exude a certain degree of audacity and give True Federalism the recognition that it deserves. Professor Michael Imhanluohan, I do fervently understand your fear, backed by precedents. However, I want to add that any attempt for outside forces to make Edo State ungovernable, must be resisted. Now, do I support the activities of the nine legislators? Nope. I think the time has come for all the newly elected members and the entire members of the Edo State Hause of Assembly to realize the essence of separation of powers between the Legislators, Executive, and the Judiciary. They should grow up and emancipate themselves from the shadow of Governor Obaseki and say enough is enough of the manipulation of Comrade Oshiomhole. Grow up, guys.
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Alex Ehimhantie'Aiyo Aidaghese I don't want to burst the bubble of southern commentators in social media about "abokism" and illiteracy in the North; one Hausa/Fulani Professor is mightier than thousands of Professors of southern extraction.
Audy Aguele To my mind, you have analyzed the ugly political games that are being manifested in our dear Edo State That was a bull's eye and picturesque We the Edolite created a beastly monster in the past govr by design or default; Osho quake, Osho baba etc, who does no wrong, equivalent to the gods who thought he was the proverbial Greek gift(god) to Edo people Ironically, most Edolites marvelled and sang hosanna to he who came in his name, con the people's minds, say more than he could deliver, with haphazard projects, accentuated brigandage, and the dregs of his hobbosian society came out in the daylight smoking and ruled with might He erroneously believed in his crafty mind that his man Friday Obaseki would remain sheepishly hooked to his brainwashing all his political career, knowing not that Obaseki is from another mother and lineage Smart of Obaseki; he has stooped low to conquer Osho baba, has played his part, even if he alone wants to go back to Egypt with his boot leakers, who will follow the wayward fly to the grave because of the stinch it enjoys We have heard so much junk in body language and mere talks, as do as l say, and not as l do, language of the ominous god he phantoms to believe he is
Now we know it in full dose that Osoh baba other would be smart politicians can fool the people some of the time but they can not fool the people all the time Obviously, we have had enough of his kind and minions Obaseki MUST summon the ineligible right and courage to be his own man; out smart the fox, deliver the good to the people of Edo State and let discerning minds see a genuine change in the development strides in the State Let Baba lick his festering wound Let godfatherism perish in Edo party politics! Let a philosopher king rule the State for once!
History will not forgive Obaseki if he bucks under this senseless intimidation by hungry power grabbers This is the struggle of his political career! I would rather be governed by a sound mind than a hypocrite
Just thinking my own way jare!!!
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