Distinguished Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba has remained a household name. He needs not to be introduced but for the purposes of keeping the records straight, it has become necessary. However., as a golden fish, he has no hidden place as far as politics is concerned. He is ex this, ex that. Recently our Reporter, NICK NWANERI boomed into him and was privileged to have this interview with former Senate Leader and former National Secretary of the 2018 APC National Convention, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, (SAN). He spoke on the state of the nation.
Question: Distinguished, You here always called for a national conversation or consensus to go as a nation. Do you still believe this can worked out for Nigeria?
Ans: There has been agitation in the polity about restructuring. There however appears to be no common ground as to what restructuring means ,and in what context. To some restructuring means returning to the 1960 constitution. To others it means returning to the 1963 constitution, to yet others it means resource control ,and to some devolution of powers. The term means different things to different people and yet it is bandied by all. Restructuring is beginning to look like the six men of Industan, all of them blind who went to see the elephant that each by observation would satisfy his mind. The elephant was a different thing to each of the blind men depending on what part of the animal he touched. Whatever restructuring means to anyone, one thing is common, you cannot achieve it without constitutional amendment. Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution provides not only for the amendment of the constitution but the mechanics for same. In summary you require two thirds of each of the houses of the National Assembly, the Senate and the House of Representatives before any amendment can pass. Further more, it has to be approved by a resolution of not less than two thirds of each State House of Assembly and by at at least two thirds of the Houses of Assembly. Clearly, for any amendment to pass a near national consensus must have been reached. The constitution does not provide how that consensus can be reached. Therefore the process of arriving at that consensus has to be outside the constitution. It will require any national conversation which may as well be beyond the structure of the country but also its vision and destination. It has to be a conversation that will involve everyone more so as the powers of the National Assembly to amend the constitution are severely circumscribed.
Question: SAN Sir, you said everywhere else their economies determines But,. It is only in Nigeria that I see politics determining our economics, can you throw more light on this?
Ans: There has been this age long relational disputation between economics and politics. In theory ,economics should be non political. In practice however there is a strong relationship between economics and politics because the performance of the economy, especially developed economies, is always a key political battleground. Consequently,politics should be about the economy, how to better it, and not the economy about politics. If one should be sacrificed at the alter of the other it should be politics being sacrificed at the alter of the economy and not the other way round as ultimately the business of government is the security, welfare and wellbeing of the citizens.
Question: Nigerians must agree that the structure we have today has taken us nowhere and we are in a coup de sac. Even if you reform the police and the rest of the country remains the way it is, the reforms will be to no avail, they will just be symbolic. What is the solution or way out for Nigeria ?
Ans: Our situation now can be likened to a car whose engine has knocked and the owner is trying to fix brand new tyres in the car as a means of getting it to work. The so called federal structure we have is no longer workable. The center is overburdened, it has become so unwieldy that more than seventy percent of the federal expenditure goes to recurrent expenditure while less than thirty percent is left for capital . Paradoxically, it is the capital budget that delivers development. With sixty eight items in the exclusive and twenty nine in the concurrent lists we have a more justifiable claim to being a unitary state than a federal one. The states, as federating units have become absolutely dependent on federal allocations than their own internally generated revenues, what my friend and brother, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, refers to as feeding bottle federalism. The local government system across the country has completely collapsed leading to increased migration from the rural communities to state capitals overstretching infrastructure and facilities beyond limits. The structure is no longer working. We are are at the point of structural implosion more so as the economy has lost its productive capacity. Manufacturing is grounded and the economy,s absorptive capabilities are zero and unemployment soars by the day. Social infrastructure has collapsed , social indices are unimpressive and all these are reflective in the security situation and the value of the Naira. Things will only get worse if we insist on retaining the current structure. We have to go back to the drawing board, we must restructure one way or the other.
Question: What is the way out in Nigeria’s current security quagmire, if I may ask?
And: You cannot isolate the issue of security. It is interwoven with the state of the economy, the state of our social infrastructure, our social indices, equity ,justice and inclusiveness, the state of general well being of the citizenry and the level of participation in the resources and opportunities of the country by all irrespective of tribe, religion or gender. To adequately address the issue of security you must go back to the causative factors and address them holistically.
Question: SAN Sir, the Current National Assembly will soon go, yet we are still tinkering with constitutional amendment, what is the way forward most especially now that clamour for fiscal federalism and other things is loudest?
Ans: I had earlier talked about a national conversation and building up to a national consensus on the constitutional amendments we desire. The Nationally Assembly is severely constrained in matters of constitutional amendment. The process can only be facilitated by National consensus building which will require everyone. of the 2018 APC National Convention, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN
Question: Sir you said there must be this national conversation or consensus around where we should go as a nation. Can you throw more light on this?.
Ans: There has been agitation in the polity about restructuring. There however appears to be no common ground as to what restructuring means ,and in what context. To some restructuring means returning to the 1960 constitution. To others it means returning to the 1963 constitution, to yet others it means resource control ,and to some devolution of powers. The term means different things to different people and yet it is bandied by all. Restructuring is beginning to look like the six men of Industan, all of them blind who went to see the elephant that each by observation would satisfy his mind. The elephant was a different thing to each of the blind men depending on what part of the animal he touched. Whatever restructuring means to anyone, one thing is common, you cannot achieve it without constitutional amendment. Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution provides not only for the amendment of the constitution but the mechanics for same. In summary you require two thirds of each of the houses of the National Assembly, the Senate and the House of Representatives before any amendment can pass. Futher more, it has to be approved by a resolution of not less than two thirds of each State House of Assembly and by at at least two thirds of the Houses of Assembly. Clearly, for any amendment to pass a near national consensus must have been reached. The constitution does not provide how that consensus can be reached. Therefore the process of arriving at that consensus has to be outside the constitution. It will require any national conversation which may as well be beyond the structure of the country but also its vision and destination. It has to be a conversation that will involve everyone more so as the powers of the National Assembly to amend the constitution are severely circumscribed.
Question: Yes Distinguished, You said everywhere else they say economics determines politics. It is only in Nigeria that I see politics determining our economics, can you throw more light on this?
Ans: There has been this age long relational disputation between economics and politics. In theory ,economics should be non political. In practice however there is a strong relationship between economics and politics because the performance of the economy, especially developed economies, is always a key political battleground. Consequently,politics should be about the economy, how to better it, and not the economy about politics. If one should be sacrificed at the alter of the other it should be politics being sacrificed at the alter of the economy and not the other way round as ultimately the business of government is the security, welfare and wellbeing of the citizens.
And: Nigerians must agree that the structure we have today has taken us nowhere and we are in a coup de sac. Even if you reform the police and the rest of the country remains the way it is, the reforms will be to no avail, they will just be symbolic. What is the solution or way out for Nigeria?
Ans: Our situation now can be likened to a car whose engine has knocked and the owner is trying to fix brand new tyres in the car as a means of getting it to work. The so called federal structure we have is no longer workable. The center is overburdened, it has become so unwieldy that more than seventy percent of the federal expenditure goes to recurrent expenditure while less than thirty percent is left for capital . Paradoxically, it is the capital budget that delivers development. With sixty eight items in the exclusive and twenty nine in the concurrent lists we have a more justifiable claim to being a unitary state than a federal one. The states, as federating units have become absolutely dependent on federal allocations than their own internally generated revenues, what my friend and brother, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, refers to as feeding bottle federalism. The local government system across the country has completely collapsed leading to increased migration from the rural communities to state capitals overstretching infrastructure and facilities beyond limits. The structure is no longer working. We are are at the point of structural implosion more so as the economy has lost its productive capacity. Manufacturing is grounded and the economy,s absorptive capabilities are zero and unemployment soars by the day. Social infrastructure has collapsed , social indices are unimpressive and all these are reflective in the security situation and the value of the Naira. Things will only get worse if we insist on retaining the current structure. We have to go back to the drawing board, we must restructure one way or the other.
Question: Sir is there hope for Nigeria out of this mess?.
Ans: This is a very good question, you cannot isolate the issue of security. It is interwoven with the state of the economy, the state of our social infrastructure, our social indices, equity ,justice and inclusiveness, the state of general well being of the citizenry and the level of participation in the resources and opportunities of the country by all irrespective of tribe, religion or gender. To adequately address the issue of security you must go back to the causative factors and address them holistically.
Question: Current National Assembly will soon go, yet we are still tinkering with constitutional amendment, what is the way forward most especially now that clamour for fiscal federalism and other things is loudest?
.
Ans: I had earlier talked about a national conversation and building up to a national consensus on the constitutional amendments we desire. The Nationally Assembly is severely constrained in matters of constitutional amendment. The process can only be facilitated by National consensus building which will require everyone.
