HOW WE CAN ACHIEVE A PATRIOTIC NIGERIAN CITIZENSHIP- PART 1 By Segun Badmus. 04/07/2013. The Nigerian question needs to be solved and the solution lies in the powerful elites who by providence have found themselves at the corridors of power,they must appreciate that they can only enjoy power and positions of authority when the Nation is peaceful,prosperous and developing. A house built on a weak foundation eventually collapses. Therefore,we should go back to the basics of creating a nation hood. 1st step to this is the Constitution, this is a vital document on which premise a nation is built, the content of this document should be derived from the inputs of all interests so it shall truly be called The Peoples Constitution. The best system of government that suits our reality should be adopted while the inalienable rights and obligations of citizenship should be institutionally outlined. In this light, we should organize a National Conference that is subject to a National Referendum in which the National assembly as currently constituted should take the lead to mobilize every sector of the Nation to gather in 2014 for a Centenary Conference that would provide the peoples constitution. 2nd steps; the National Census and Population Register should be a sacred document that provides the true demograpy of the Nation. A National count spearheaded by the Military and Youth Corpers devoid of ethnic and religious sentiments and bias should be organized before the next general election. A National de limitation and adjustment of boundaries should be undertaken while identifying all natural resources domicile in each territory, a National Action Plan should be fashioned out for maximum utilization, exploration and benefits of these resources to the citizens. 3rd steps; a Bio-metric National Identity Document should be implemented which must be accessible to the Nigeria Police Force, Banks, Immigration and a Social Security Department to be institutionalized as part of Citizenship. 4th steps; the outright overhaul of our Power and energy plan to reflect the present day needs and capacity, this would be a revolutionary step in galvanizing the manufacturing,industrial,agriculture and other sundry sectors of our economy. The focus on political offices as a means of survival would diminish and entrepreneurial skills and inputs would decrease the unemployment rate. 5th steps; focus should be on education, this is one of the best legacies a Government can institutionalize and bestow on its people. A State of Emergency should be declared in this sector. Maximum funding and particular policy focus on developing a sector that is connected to industries and retraining of trainers,so the quality of education can improve. Introducing information technology by doing things electronically would minimize corruption and deter feeble minds from engaging in activities that subverts the system. 6th steps; the succession policy to the office of the President and other political offices should be based on competence and the ability to gather majority vote, the era of Federal Character, Zoning,Sharing etc is over. However consensus is a good tool that minimizes division and disloyalty. 7th steps; Local Government autonomy should be institutionalized,the focus of governance should be reverted to the grass roots,meaning that the statutory allocation percentage accruals to the lowest level of government should be increased to reflect the needs of the closest government to the people. 8th steps; the creation of 3 Country Capital Cities i.e Lagos for the Judiciary/Commercial capital, Abuja for Administrative/Executive capital, Calabar as the Legislative capital while Enugu, Aba,Kano,Zaria,Ibadan and Abeokuta should be known for other different activities. These would encourage national cohesion and participation. It would check the excesses of government and maintain checks and balances. 9th steps; decentralization of the Nigeria Police Force, whether it is called Regional, Provincial or State Police, the focus should be about Community Policing Strategy that responds to peoples plight and provides adequate and responsive services. 10th steps; Institutionalized banking,mortgage and credit system should be implemented for I know a nation that cannot guarantee loans and credit to its citizens by using employment security as collateral is just a dormant economy reminiscent of third world countries. Finally I would like to advise our leaders in APC to put the 2015 election at the back seat but work assiduously to entrench a credible platform that would be enduring and can outlive them after they have gone. The cry for 2015 Presidency could be easily won if focus is laid on structural reforms and systemic improvement. The States under the control of the Progressives should continually show examples to the rest of the parties. These are the only ways we can earn the peoples confidence. Thank you.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 15:24:28 +0000
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